California Poppy

California Poppy is a genuinely satisfying plant to grow, but I want to be upfront about one thing: poor germination in compacted or clay soils. I've dealt with it twice now and it takes consistent attention to manage. Beyond that, wide seasonal succession from spring to autumn makes it one of my f…

I planted California Poppy without expecting much and it's become one of the most satisfying things in my garden. naturalistic aesthetic that suits modern ecological gardens is something I couldn't have predicted from looking at it in a nursery. You only understand it once the plant is established a…

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing California Poppy: Spring: early spring bulbs and annual seedling germination. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season during this period which set up the rest o…

I planted California Poppy at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. rabbits and slugs targeting young seedlings didn't help matters. Once I understood sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds things improved…

I don't have a garden so a roadside or verge planting in a community space is my only option for California Poppy. It absolutely works — with the right attention to allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season you can get excellent results in containers. naturalistic aesthetic th…

I'm a busy person and can't give every plant the attention the books recommend. Here's what I've learned about the minimum viable care for California Poppy. allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season is genuinely non-negotiable — skip this and the plant declines noticeably. Eve…

I had a serious problem with poor germination in compacted or clay soils on my California Poppy earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational. Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate naturalistic aesthetic t…

My first attempt at California Poppy failed — annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again. The second attempt, with proper attention to sowing directly int…

California Poppy is clearly a great plant — I can see that from other people's results. Mine has been decent but not spectacular, and I think I know why. I underestimated the importance of allowing plants to set seed before cutting at the end of season in the early stages and paid for it. dog walke…

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with California Poppy. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to sowing directly into poor soil as rich soil encourages weeds. I grow mine in a wildlife pond margin planting which is working really well. ex…