I am experimenting with this i read that you have to burn the bottoms a little bit. I cut one on saturday night and burnt the bottom and put it in a vase and i didnt start to droop until this morning. I think i might have done something wrong because they are supposed to last longer or at least that is my understanding.

I read on other threads that you just take a lighter and wave it on the bottom of the stem and then plunge it in warm water overnight and then the next day put it in cool water. What you did is what I would have done but I sure want it to last longer than 2 days.

Hopefully someone will give us the solution soon.

No matter what you do they won't last more than 3 days tops. That is assuming they are still budded when you cut them and they open in the vase for day 1. They have very short lives outside, too, it isn't something you're doing wrong. I have only ever tried it with the oriental poppies and the shirley poppies. Maybe some of the others last longer.
Kirk

Not being a smoker, and having a little apprehension when using lighters- I avoided using the burning the bottom of the Poppy stem method. Last summer I tried the microwave method, and it works great for those 'lighter challenged' folks!

Heat up a cup of water in the microwave- and then insert the bottom of the Poppy stem into the water for just a few seconds- practice will make perfect- you can see the difference in the stem right away. Using this method, I have had Papaver somniferium last for days inside, instead of a few hours.

That's a method I hadn't heard of Rae - thanks, I'll try that. Just how warm-hot do you make the water and do you make another clean cut before immersing into the water?

The water should be pretty hot, ie close to boiling. One thing about poppies, they are so prolific, you can experiment and afford to lose a few. I'm not sure what you mean by the clean cut question- if you have just made a clean cut under water after bringing them in (I do that for everything)- no you don't need to make ANOTHER clean cut- unless you are adjusting for height, etc.

how long do poppies bloom because i saw three this year out of 5 plants (this is thier first year)