Hi Julie...The perennial oriental poppies then?

Let the seeds ripen in the pod on the plant, then collect them.

Julie

From what little I know of poppies they don't like being disturbed. I think more mature plants handle it better though.
Heather__MI

my mom used to tie a paper bag over the seedheads, and she'd shake it every day or so until she heard the seeds rattling around in there.

:) hmm...hamentaschen (a cookie with a poppyseed filling)

I want to thank all for the info about poppies, it helped a lot.
So thanks again all you beautiful people.
Julie

Poppies have a long - very long - taproot, and most won't live if you cut it off when transplanting. That taproot is also why, if you start them from seed, you should use a very deep pot. I've measured baby poppy plants that were less than an inch tall, and they had 4" of taproot. However, in the garden, I have had success in transplanting small orientals (less than 5" across) in late fall by using a long shovel and lifting the whole mass of soil & root as a unit. I don't know whether the success rate is because the taproot isn't much more than 12" long or whether it gives the plants the winter to recover (but keep in mind that my z6b winter is probably lots milder and shorter than yours).