Eschscholzia

Family. Papaveraceae.

Origin: North and Central America. 

What it looks like. Eschscholzia are very delicate perennial or annual plants. The stems are erect, flexible, branching at the base. The leaves are green or blue, depending on the variety, deeply dissected, lacy. Buds appear on the tops of the shoots during the flowering period. The flowers are single, up to 3-5 cm in diameter, reminiscent of poppies in appearance - they have 4 rounded petals of orange, less often - white, red and pink colors. Currently, varieties with double flowers or buds have been bred, the petals of which have stripes of contrasting shades. The flowers open only on sunny clear days - in cloudy weather, the petals remain tightly closed. After flowering, long pods containing seeds are formed. When ripe, the pods dry out, crack at the slightest touch and throw out seeds.

Height: about 30 cm.

Growing at home

Temperature conditions

The normal room temperature ranges from 18 to 24° C.

Lighting

Well-lit place. For abundant flowering, plants should receive direct sunlight. If grown in partial shade, flowering will not occur. 

Care

Despite its very delicate appearance, California poppy tolerates drought and neglect well. To prolong the flowering period, fading buds should be cut off periodically.

Substrate

Eschscholzia does not require a lot of nutrients and grows successfully in poor soils. The main requirement of this species is good drainage.

Top dressing

In spring and summer, feed this plant with liquid fertilizer every month. Fertilizers can be done with a solution of half concentration.

Purpose

A valuable ornamental flowering plant.

Flower bloom time

Summer, the flowering period is very long. 

Air humidity

There is no need to increase air humidity – the bush feels good in the dry atmosphere of living spaces.

Soil moisture

Watering should be moderate even during the period of active growth. Allow the soil to dry out to a depth of several centimeters before each subsequent watering. 

Transplanting

Eschscholzia is often grown as an annual and does not require replanting.

Reproduction, growing from seeds

The seeds are sown in spring. Seed germination is good, California poppy often forms self-seeding. Germination occurs within 20 days.

Pests and diseases

Eschscholzia can rot if moisture stagnates at the roots.

When grown in open ground and at home, the flower can be attacked by aphids and spider mites.