California poppy is an orange annual flower that carpets California hillsides in early spring. Garden forms are hardy annuals that grow in a broad range of golden colors.
Description: Leaves are threadlike and lacy, growing in one-foot mounds that elongate as branching plants begin to flower. Each one- to three-inch poppylike flower has four or more silky petals, sometimes bicolored or rippled. The color run is buff, yellow, orange, peach, red, and pink.
How to grow: Grow the California poppy in any well-drained soil in full sun. Thin to ten inches apart. Pinch back and deadhead to prolong flowering.
Propagation: Start seeds outdoors where they will grow, about four weeks before the danger of frost ends in spring. In climates with mild winters, plant seeds in late fall.
Uses: California poppy is excellent for drifts of color in beds, borders, and meadow gardens. Flowers self-sow freely when planted where they are well suited.
Related species: E. caespitosa Sundew is only six inches tall and loaded with little yellow flowers on feathery tufts of greenish-white foliage. E. mexicana has large reddish-orange flowers and self-sows strongly.
Related varieties: Thai Silk is a standard mix of large poppies in varied colors. Champagne and Roses has large pink blooms with fluted petals.
Scientific Name: Eschscholzia californica
©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
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