As I keep saying: I don’t really like orange or yellow flowers. But there are some lifelong favorite exceptions like Calendula officinalis or Eschscholzia californica.
You just have to love these totally uncomplicated flowers with their deeply luminous orange color and their silky petals. I also love their “cooler” cream-white shades though.
Eschscholzia californica or “California Poppy” is a native of Mexico and the Southern and Western Unites States, that has naturalized in parts of Europa, South Africa and Australia. It is a survivalist and drought-resistant in that its seeds can keep for years in dry soil. As soon as it rains the plant will grow and bloom. Eschscholzia californica is usually grown as an annual but in mild climates the plant can thrive as a perennial. During hot summers the above-ground parts die off and only the taproot survives. So far in my Mediterranean garden I’ve not noticed this perennial quality and keep sowing them by tossing them wherever some filler is needed. They also can bloom from spring to fall – in my garden they bloom from April through June and die off when it gets hot in July.
California poppies like well-drained, poor soil and lots of sunlight – their flowers open only when the sun shines. They are hardy to about -10 degrees, self-seed and are very easy to grow.
They are somewhat poisonous in all parts but were used for medicinal purposes by native Americans, especially as a sedative and mild painkiller in the form of a syrup. An infusion of petals, boiled in water, was used against headlice.
Leave a Reply