California poppies have won recognition among flora lovers in the world due to their special beauty. This flower will decorate any area with its presence. Skillfully combining it with other plants, landscape designers successfully use its advantage in the design of flower beds and parks. An interesting factor in this case is that the poppy does not require any complex care. And this makes it even more attractive for flower growers, besides, it blooms for quite a long time: from mid-summer to mid-autumn.
General Description
California poppy - a flower used for aesthetic purposes to decorate the territory. Having a small stature (about forty centimeters), it belongs to the poppy family. From a botanical point of view, a plant can be characterized as follows:
- leaves have a fairly deep cut;
- buds can be orange or red;
- deep roots,characterized by a rod system.
Poppy prefers bright sunny places, while the land loves fertile with a minimum of sand. Back in the 18th century, these flowers were described on the Pacific coast in American California. But for a long time no one could understand how a flower reproduces. And only later, botanists were able to grow poppies in Europe with the help of seeds. The esholcia flower, or California poppy, got its name from the name of a zoologist who was a friend of the famous botanist.
Rules of care
First of all, it is worth mentioning once again the unpretentious nature of the plant. After all, poppies can grow in the shade, tolerate periods of drought well. At the same time, California poppies have a negative attitude towards stagnant water, which leads to root rot. The root should not be blocked from air intake. After watering and drying, it is necessary to loosen the soil so that air can freely enter and enrich the root system of the plant.
If you choose the right soil for a plant, it will grow for many years in the same place. California poppies can grow in a variety of soils, even sandy ones, but react negatively to damp soil, acidic environments, and freshly fertilized soil. It is not recommended to transplant a flower, since a highly developed root system does not allow the plant to be painlessly removed from the ground.
As for watering, it is important to water poppies only in the evening. Having decided to feed the plant, choose a mineral complex and do it before it begins to bloom. Afterpoppies have faded, you need to take care of pruning and thinning the bushes, as this will improve the quality of flowering next year.
Growing Method
As already mentioned, the California poppy, the cultivation of which we describe, propagates only by seed. What needs to be done for the success of the procedure?
- After the flowering period, you need to collect the seed boxes that are on each plant. If you are late, the boxes will fall and the seeds will fall into the ground.
- Seeds can be planted for up to three years without any drop in germination quality.
- Due to the specifics of the root system, seeds should be planted immediately in open ground or in special peat pots, which are then transferred to the ground.
- You need to plant a flower in early spring, after planting, you need to monitor watering and loosening the soil so that the sprouts can germinate freely.
- In half a month you will see the first sprouts. After they acquire about five leaves, the flowers need to be broken, leaving about twenty centimeters between the seedlings.
As you can see, there are no difficulties in landing. Other than that, you only need to feed the poppy before it starts to bloom.
Plant varieties
I would like to note that there are more than a hundred varieties of escholcia in the world. But the most popular are three types of poppy:
- Lobba is a miniature plant with yellowish buds.
- Soddy - subulate leaves cover a flower with yellow buds,while all of them are combined into rosettes.
- California - creeping flower with an average height of thirty centimeters. The color of the petals is yellow, and red, and purple, and pink. It depends on the variety.
Eschscholzia (California poppy): varieties
This type of poppy has its own varieties, which differ in different colors of buds. Basically, flower growers use them all, as their combination gives a stunningly beautiful result.
- Golden Orange - orange flowers;
- Ballerina - light pink;
- Golden Gluory - intense yellow color;
- Milky White - delicate cream shade;
- Red Chief - red flowers;
- Fireflay - purple;
- Epricot Chiffon - turquoise.
These flowers are all attractive enough to be landscapers' favorites.
California poppies in design
Most often, poppy is used to decorate borders and flower beds. A combination of this plant and cornflowers, godetia, lavender, ageratum and other flowers is considered successful. They not only complement, but also favorably highlight the beauty of the poppy. A flower is also used to decorate an easy-care garden. Due to its unpretentious nature, this plant is increasingly being used to decorate both private houses and public areas. No less attractive is the use of the same type of poppy, but of a different variety with various shades of buds. It is important to note that evena novice florist can easily cope with growing this plant and at the same time show off the beauty of his own garden.
Possible problems
California poppy, which does not require special care, still needs elementary procedures. After all, like any plant, it can become a victim of a disease or pest attack. Most often, the flower suffers from stem rotting. This begins due to waterlogging of the soil. The reason may be improper planting, incorrect watering or too frequent rains. The treatment in this case is to eliminate the causes of too much water in the soil where the poppy grows. In addition to the appearance of a fungus, powdery mildew is also possible. You will immediately see the signs of this disease by the appearance of a white coating on the leaves. Modern drugs will help to cope with the problem.
If we talk about pests, the poppy can be attacked by aphids or spider mites. In this case, the flowers must be treated with the appropriate preparation, which is sold in any flower shop, depending on the problem that has arisen. In this case, it is necessary to carefully remove the already affected leaves and flowers, so as not to provoke the spread. In order for such problems to occur rarely and end quickly, it is necessary to periodically inspect the flowers to identify early signs of the disease. Also, experts recommend loosening the soil and breaking through weed grasses in poppy growing areas.
