Eschscholzia californica Seeds | California Poppy
LATIN NAME: Eschscholzia californica
COMMON NAME: California Poppy
Plant Profile
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) grows as a fine, easy, generous annual, native to california. The California poppy turns whole hillsides gold in the spring. Flowers open in fine, generous masses through spring, and long, narrow seed capsules follow, scattering their fine seed around the plant. It is a fine, easy, generous annual of sunny, dry garden and wildflower meadow. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Eschscholzia californica ranges from the botany of the Eschscholzia group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. The California poppy keeps a regular place in plant science, and plant has been studied for bright, satiny, four-petalled flowers and fine, feathery, blue-green leaves. Its behaviour in gardens is well recorded, thanks to a long history in cultivation.
Uses & Benefits
California Poppy brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. The California poppy pays its way in sunny, dry garden. Bright, satiny flowers open in fine, generous masses through spring, and plant is a fine, easy, dependable filler of sunny border, dry bank and wildflower meadow. Feathery, blue-green leaves give plant a fine, airy, delicate look, and self-sown seedlings keep golden show going year after year. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
California poppy is a gentle, non-addictive calming herb of Western herbalism, used in teas and tinctures for restlessness and sleep; its alkaloids, such as californidine, are mild and the plant is a pollinator-friendly garden annual.
Growing from Seed
California Poppy grows readily from seed. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Given the right start, California Poppy is a long-term garden companion. From then on, routine care is all that is required.
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