What you need to know:
• Eschscholzia californica seed can be sown year-round, and if you do so quickly before winter comes, you will have the pleasure of masses of flowers in spring and summer.
• The California poppy loves full sun and poor soil of the sandy and rocky kind, with very good drainage.
• The seed must be sown in situ no more than 2mm deep in loosened soil, as these plants have deep taproots and do not tolerate transplanting. They need no pampering once germinated, except water to keep them going.
• Spacing between seeds should be 20 x 20cm and germination is between 7 – 14 days, with another 90 – 100 days to flower.
• Although California poppies are classified as short-lived perennials (they tend to go dormant in adverse growing conditions – too much heat, cold or water), they are mostly treated as annuals with a self-seeding habit, so they tend to stay with you.
This story is from the May 2022 edition of The Gardener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2022 edition of The Gardener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Bordering on food aggression!
The economy, fires, drought, Russians, fuel prices, and politicians, dictated what we ate in my youth. The only exception was that Eskom worked...
Quarantining new koi fish
Give your new koi the best start
The beauty of BEGONIAS
For endless colour and a garden that looks vibrant throughout the seasons, these are your go-to choices.
Good BUGS
In a garden where creatures are free to prey on each other, the biological cycle plays out dramatically...
Heroines of HORTICULTURE
This year at the Chelsea Flower Show, women took centre stage in the Great Pavilion.
3 hasty shrubs
Most gardeners who plant new shrubs will tell you that they have a great impatience to see them grow fast and flower well. All plants need time to settle in before creating a performance, but some do it faster than others...
GOING VERTICAL
If you're not making use of the vertical space in your garden, you're missing out on a huge and essential part of not only design, but also space saving. Space is at a premium in all gardens, but particularly urban gardens where choice is limited. Going vertical is the best way to make use of 'empty' space and improve your design at the same time. It's a win-win.
Delights to DISCOVER
A horticultural masterpiece that just keeps on giving...
Purple Cone Flower
Echinacea purpurea is a flowering perennial herb that grows easily from seed and produces large pinkish purple daisy-like flowers with a reddish-brown central cone that attracts bees and other pollinators.
Divine combination
We trolled the streets, studying neighbourhood pavements and accessed gardens (with permission) to see what's growing and found red vygies and blue felicias in a late winter-colour-clinch with pretty rocks...