Each year, I'll throw out a handful of California poppy seeds. Some years my sowing, the rains and sun align and the beautiful bright orange Eschscholzia californica blossoms open up stunning in their luminous beauty.
The last few years, I've sown late and haven't had much luck. Despite my failed attempts, I keep at it each year. Much to my surprise, I came home one day to take notice that quite a few seeds have grown into plants.
While I was weeding around the area to make room for the new poppy growth, I noticed some of our dudleya has taken root in the rock crevices just like they grow in the wild. I remember one morning as we were heading out of the house while closing the gate, Eric quickly snapped off some dried dudleya blossoms and shook the seeds over the area. He tossed a few small pups too.
I am intrigued by California's native dudleyas in the wild. They show up in surprising places. Unlike the imported succulents, they grow much more slowly. The parent pictured above started as a one gallon transplant planted four years ago.
In my mind, I see the bright orange California poppy blossoms brightening up the entry to our home in spring. I look forward to seeing the orange play with the browns, dusty greens and colors of the river rock. Buoyed the growth, I plan on sowing different seeds today.
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I'm surprised you actually have to re-sow the poppies. I have to pull some of mine before they go to seed or the whole front yard would be nothing but poppies. Do you have a critter that eats it?
ReplyDeleteI wish I had that problem of too many poppies. No critter eats ours. Sometimes, the flowers will re-sow, but it's still a crap shoot. I wonder if the extra moisture in Long Beach is helping your seeds germinate. We have inconsistent moisture in our locale.
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