Experienced grower's notes on California Poppy

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and California Poppy remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers. Everything else follows from that.

annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers is the challenge that trips up most beginners and some experienced growers too. I've been growing mine in a naturalistic border at the edge of a garden for three seasons now and the results are consistently good. naturalistic aesthetic that suits modern ecological gardens is what makes it worth coming back to year after year. cutting back meadow areas in autumn to remove thatch is when I show it off — it earns its place fully then.