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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2007 - 10:15:57 AM |
California’s state flower, the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is a great flower for hot and dry parts of the country. It is a very popular flower in gardens throughout the U.S. There is even a special reserve located in Los Angeles County dedicated to growing this small but spectacular flower. The reserve boasts 1,745 acres of poppies, which must be a spectacular sight when they are all blooming at once! Check out the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve website.
California poppies come from the family Papaveraceae. The gorgeous orange flowers bloom from feathery bluish-green leaves throughout the spring and into early fall. This plant is a native of southern California and can even be found in southern Washington, and east to Texas. This is a great choice for Xeriscape gardeners and those living in the West who are looking to plant mostly natives in their yard. Be aware that some parts of the plant are poisonous so warn your children about eating them!
California poppies will easily self-sow, but won’t stray far from the mother plant, so you may need to spread the seed out to get more extensive growth. The seeds are small, so you can simply work them lightly into the soil with a rake.
The California poppy is easy to grow from seed or seedlings, and both are easy to find in your local nursery. They grow successfully in hardiness zones 9a—11 in full sun to partial shade. You can sow them directly into the ground outdoors in fall, or grow them mid-winter in covered containers, in moderately warm greenhouses, or in a coldframe.
The seeds are also easy to collect. Just allow the pods to dry out while they’re still on the plant. Then, break them open and collect the seeds.
You can expect your poppies to grow to around 6-12 inches in height. A recommended spacing is approximately 10 inches. You can place a few poppies among in your rock garden or plant entire fields of them. California poppies look especially great planted in large groups with taller plants growing out from in between the poppies. Experiment and enjoy!
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