IMG_4820 Medium.jpeg
IMG_9676 Medium.jpeg
IMG_4419%2BMedium.jpg

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

from $8.99

Botanical name: Eschscholzia californica • Bloom season: Spring to summer‍ ‍• Bloom color: Orange‍ ‍• Host plant (elsewhere in North America): Mormon metalmark, dotted blue, Plebejus acmon, Plebejus neurona

Silky orange cups on blue-green, finely divided foliage, opening with the sun and closing in the evening and on overcast days. It has no nectar at all; rather, it is a pure pollen flower, and native bees work it heavily for exactly that. Sown thickly, it produces stunning sheets of orange.

Botanical name: Eschscholzia californica • Bloom season: Spring to summer‍ ‍• Bloom color: Orange‍ ‍• Host plant (elsewhere in North America): Mormon metalmark, dotted blue, Plebejus acmon, Plebejus neurona

Silky orange cups on blue-green, finely divided foliage, opening with the sun and closing in the evening and on overcast days. It has no nectar at all; rather, it is a pure pollen flower, and native bees work it heavily for exactly that. Sown thickly, it produces stunning sheets of orange.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Calendula officinalis

Common Name: Calendula (Pot Marigold)

Native: Non-native

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Spring through fall

Bloom Color: Orange and yellow

Pollinators: Bees; Butterflies

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 12" x H 12"-24"

Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

Plant Type: Annual

USDA Zones: 2 to 11

Spread Habit: Self-sows

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: Not native to North America; origin Southern Europe; garden origin

Host Plant (Elsewhere in North America): Virginian tiger moth

Growing Notes

Full sun and average garden soil with regular water. Plant out after the last frost. Space about 12 inches apart. It sulks in the worst of a Reno July and then comes roaring back as the nights cool in September, so do not judge it by August.

•   Water: Moderate

•   Sun: Full Sun

•   Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

•   Mature size: W 12" x H 12"-24"

Maintenance

Deadhead relentlessly; this is the one plant here where the maintenance and the performance are the same thing, because it stops flowering once it sets seed. Cut it back by a third if it gets leggy midsummer and it will refresh. It self-sows moderately, and the volunteers are welcome in most gardens.