Papaver Oriental Group Central Park is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial with finely divided silvery-green leaves and tall bristly stems. Pendent buds open into large, ruffled, saucer-shaped mauve-pink to berry-purple flowers with dark basal blotches and purple-black centers.
The cultivar flowers in late spring and early summer and gives borders, cottage gardens, and cutting gardens a bold vertical accent. Dark seed capsules can extend interest after the short-lived petals fall.
Grow it in full sun and moist but well-drained or well-drained soil that is not too fertile. Provide support in exposed or rainy sites, remove fading flowers if desired, and cut back foliage as it dies down. Divide in spring or take root cuttings in autumn and early winter.