Description
The California poppy is an annual of the poppy family from California. It forms an orange taproot. The stems are 30–50 cm tall, heavily branched, succulent, smooth and with a bluish bloom. The pinnately divided, blue-green leaves sit on long stalks.
Sown in autumn, it flowers at the end of May; sown in spring, it flowers at the end of June or beginning of July and continues until autumn. The flowers, 5–8 cm across, have four petals and are borne singly on long upright stalks. The calyx falls off as the flower opens, leaving a small round disc with edges curving slightly downwards. The flowers may be white, yellow, orange or carmine in various shades. They open only in sunny weather.
It is used in borders, and low varieties are used for edging flower beds or in balcony box arrangements.
Requirements
It needs light, sandy, fairly dry soil and a sunny position.
Propagation
It is propagated by seed sown directly outdoors in autumn (end of September) or in spring (March). After the seedlings emerge, thin them out to leave plants every 15–20 cm.
Care
Feed moderately. The position should be in very strong sun. Sow in autumn and thin later. Plants left too crowded or overfed grow leggy and later flop over, which does not look good. The California poppy does not like being transplanted, so do not do it unless absolutely necessary: you are more likely to lose the plant than to establish it in a new place – it may dry up immediately or, at best, ail for a long time without developing.