Giant Poppies

Have you seen the really giant poppies with their deep orangey-red flowers and dark centres? Their opened span is bigger than both my hands cupped together!
Years ago at a market I bought an un-prepossessing bag of cut white roots in a soil filled plastic bag that I was assured would grow into giant poppy flowers. Well they have been going strong ever since.

I have to be careful not to dig up the area in winter when there's nothing to show they are there, then in spring the leaves shoot up in a clump and then the stalks, they grow like mad until the flowers are about to burst. The unopened buds look like alien seed pods or worse but the flowers are spectacular. Here's a pic

The centre is black and the powdery covering is deep purple, as you can see from the purple bee flying away from gathering nectar. Its back is completely covered in purple dust! Late in the season they empty flower heads will start producing seeds, which I have collected but never sewn.

That also looks like some kind of alien landing pad! When they are dried the seed cases can be sprayed and used in flower arrangements, I'm told.