Poppies in the garden

By PENNY PAWL
UC Master Gardener

To many Californians, poppies are the brilliant orange wildflowers that carpet our landscape in early spring. A field of these vivid blossoms swaying in the breeze is a real treat for the eye. Since 1903, when the California legislature made it official, this cheerful plant has been the state flower. Its seeds have been sent around the world since then and have naturalized in several countries with similar climates.

Poppies grow all over the world, although most belong to a different genus than the California poppy. 

When I was traveling in Hungary and the Czech Republic last spring, I spotted beautiful deep-red poppies everywhere.  They were growing in yards, ditches, fields and along the road. Their seedpods were huge, and I was tempted to break one off and bring it home.  

According to our guide,  these poppies were an issue when the two countries applied to join the European Union. EU officials told both governments that the poppies had to go.  This innocent-looking poppy (Papaver somniferum) is used throughout the world in the production of opium. But it also yields the poppy seeds used in many Eastern European breads and desserts.  Eventually the officials relented, an acknowledgment that eradicating the poppy would be too big a task — it is invasive — and that people would miss their poppy seed treats.

The Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule) is in the same family. It blooms in a variety of colors. While this poppy is a perennial, it is usually grown as an annual. The flowers can be up to three inches in diameter.

The Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) is native to Turkey and Iran. These poppies need winter chill for best display.  They spread by underground runners and form bushy clumps. They come in a variety of colors and shapes.

Had someone asked me where I thought the Flanders field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) came from, I would have said Belgium because of the name. But it is native to Eurasia and North Africa. This poppy, also known as the Shirley poppy, can be aggressive, but you can control its spread by cutting off the seed heads weekly.

Our California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) looks much like these others but it is in a separate family.

It is native to California and Oregon.  Over the past couple of years, I have been working toward having a field of these flowers.  In addition to planting the golden-orange ones, I have added some that have white, yellow and reddish flowers. Now is the best time to plant, before the rainy season arrives.

Sow the seeds directly in the soil in a sunny location with good drainage. These poppies have a deep taproot and do not like being transplanted. Keep the soil moist until the seeds sprout. After that, the plants get by on very little water. Don’t fertilize as the nutrients would encourage production of leaves rather than flowers.

I collected seed from my poppies this past spring and summer and plan to broadcast it over several areas. I will rake the area to cover the seeds with a little soil or compost. Then comes the fun part. To germinate well, the seeds need to be pressed into the ground. So in my version of an Indian rain dance, I will step lightly over the entire area to press the seeds down and hope my neighbors aren’t watching.

I recently watered an area where I had a three-month display of poppies last spring and early summer. The seeds have germinated and I have poppies blooming now. During those three months of bloom, I never watered the area at all. In fact, those flowers received no irrigation after our final rain last spring. Poppies are extremely drough tolerant, yet they delight us with long-lasting bloom.

Master Gardeners http://cenapa.ucdavis.edu answer gardening questions Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, at the UC Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, 253-4221, or toll-free at 877-279-3065.

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