Outsidepride Eschscholzia Californica California Poppy Native Garden Wild Flower Seed - 5000 Seeds

California Poppy (Eschscholzia Californica) - The bright orange California Poppy wildflower was named for doctor-naturalist Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz who was the surgeon for the Russian expedition team that dropped anchor in San Francisco in 1815 in a bay surrounded by hills covered with the golden flowers. The wild flowers were designated the state flower of California in 1903, and now are protected by state law prohibiting anyone from picking or destroying them when they are growing on public property.

Despite its mild-weather origins, California Poppy seeds will grow quite well in cold climates, but only as an annual. Poppies can be used in beds, borders, and in naturalized settings, but generally they do not do well in containers. The foliage is attractive, finely divided and lacy with a bluish-green color. The Poppy flowers close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather. The Poppy plants require full sun and good drainage to flourish, so they are particularly well-suited to rock gardens and dry, sandy soils. Because the plants develop a deep taproot they do not transplant well, and therefore the wildflower seed should be seeded directly in the garden where you want them to grow.

California Poppy Care: Deadhead spent flowers to prolong blooming and enhance the appearance of the plant. Removing spent flowers and seed pods will also reduce re-seeding. You may use a low nitrogen fertilizer like a 3-18-18 liquid fertilizer to promote good root growth without the additional foliage growth.

The indigenous California Indians used this poppy as both a source of food and medicine. Several groups boiled the plant, or roasted it on host stones, to eat as a green. The Costanoan Indians rubbed a decoction of the flowers in the hair to kill lice; the Indians of Mendocino County used a poultice of fresh root for toothaches and a topically applied extract for headaches and sores; and Cahuilla women used the pollen as a cosmetic and the whole plant as a sedative for babies. Medicinally, California poppy is a plant with sedative, analgesic and antispastic activities, but unlike the alkaloids of the opium poppy, it does not seem to induce tolerance and dependence. It is touted by some for the treatment of anxiety and to induce sleep in patients affected with insomnia.

California poppies require full sun and good drainage to flourish, so are particularly well suited to rock gardens and dry, sandy soils. Because it develops a deep taproot they do not transplant well, and therefore should be seeded directly in the garden where you want them to grow. Although very small seedlings can be transplanted with care, self-seeded volunteers may be of inferior quality (particularly if they came from a hybrid variety).

Direct sow California poppy early in the spring, about the same time you would plant radishes. Rake the soil to prepare the seed bed, cover the seed about ¼ inch deep, and keep the soil moist after planting until the seeds germinate in 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the temperature. Thin to about 12 inches apart. Decrease watering (if that’s possible in our often rainy summers) after the plants begin to flower. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong blooming and enhance the appearance of the plant. Removing spent flowers and seed pods will also reduce re-seeding. Fertilization is not recommended as it promotes foliar growth over flowering.