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It is best to remove any grasses or weeds from the area before planting your California Poppy Seeds. You'll find almost all wildflowers do better when they aren't competing with other grasses and weeds for sunlight. You want to ensure this is well draining, or moderately moist soil, so mix in some sandy or loam if you have hard or heavily clay based soil types. If sown in areas where the soil is too rich and fertile, the poppies will produce foliage with few flowers. 

Cover the seeds with 0.15cm of soil. Water immediately after sowing and keep the soil moist until the seedlings develop their first leaves.

California Poppies prefer coolness for germination. In the cooler areas sow in early May out of doors where they are to grow. May be started early indoors if transplanted with care. Flowers are pretty shades of cream, gold, yellow and rosy red. Poppies have lovely blue-green, lacy foliage.

Reduce watering of California poppies once they become established. Water plants one or two times per week only during periods of no rainfall. They are highly drought-tolerant and will suffer if kept too moist. Problems such as powdery mildew or mold will form on the plants' leaves if excessive watering is prolonged. Their roots will begin to rot and die back, affecting the health of the plant. If rainfall occurs, do not provide additional water.

Fertilize California poppies only when they appear to be unhealthy with yellow leaves. Apply a 10-10-10 nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilizer at the recommended rate on the label. Do not fertilize California poppies under any other circumstance, as excess fertilization will stop blooming and can harm the plants.

Extremely easy for seed savers. When the blooms fade a long narrow seedpod is formed, turning from green to brown. Once the seedpod turns brown, simply cut off and allow to completely dry before cracking open and removing the hundreds of small sand-like seeds. Store seeds in a cool dry area.

Harvest when flowers are in coloured bud stage. Individual flowers don’t last long, only 3-4 days, but as they fade and drop petals, the new buds on the stem pop open, giving you at least a week’s worth of flowers.

California poppy seeds produce heat loving annuals that are botanically distinct from their cousins in the genus Papaver. Although the shape of their flowers is quite similar to regular poppies, they are low growing and heat loving. In the right conditions they can self sow, but they will not infest the landscape. California poppies are members of the genus Eschscholzia, named in honour of the botanist Johann von Eschscholtz.

Do California poppies come back every year
The California poppy is technically a perennial but is often grown as an annual, owing to its ability to go from seed to flower in a matter of weeks. A single plant can flower profusely over a long period before eventually setting seed and producing new flowering plants in the same season.

What does the colour of the poppy mean?
The meaning of the poppy varies from country to country, but it’s most commonly symbolic for recovery, restful sleep, remembering the fallen armed forces, thoughts for a death in the family and eternal life. The poppy can also represent extravagance, luxury, beauty and success. Here are the meanings behind each color variation of the flower:

• Red is the symbol of death, remembrance, consolation and love
• White is a representation of peace and rest
• Purple, pink and blue are noted as symbols of imagination, success and luxury

How long does a California poppy flower last?
Like California poppies, this native plant thrives in poor, dry soil as long as it is well-drained, offering five-petaled magenta blossoms for up to 10 weeks in summer.

What animals eat California poppies?
Birds, small herbivores, butterflies, bees, other pollinators. Rabbits and other small herbivores eat poppies, but it grows back so quickly that they are not much of a problem.

Do California poppies self seed?
A good choice of plant for low-maintenance areas, the California poppy will happily self-seed, appearing year after year. Sow the seeds in mid-spring where you want them to flower. Deadhead regularly to ensure a long flowering period.

Read the most frequently asked questions about california poppy seeds