Re: California poppies
I don't have reference books with me here at my office, but I believe
there are annual AND perennial subspecies of E. californica. I think the
coastal native poppies tend to be more perennial, since the climate is
milder. Here in the interior, the poppies that grow wild are mainly
annuals. It makes sense, since it isn't fruitful for the plant to try to
stay alive through the long, dry season. I guess it's a better transfer
of energy to make a bunch of seed and die. Then again, poppies are
pretty tough. They have a tuberous root that keeps the plant from drying
out.
>From my experience, you can easily keep California poppies going as a
perennial (maybe short-lived). It should be no surprise that seedlings
sprout now, since that's what they do naturally — at least in the wild
here and in my garden. In fact, if you scatter seeds after the first
couple fall rainstorms (the initial onset of the wet season), you will
have much bigger, flowerful plants in the spring, than if you plant
seeds in the spring. If you sprout them now, don't let the tender
seedlings dry out.
Also, here in California, you can now see some plants reblooming — a
couple flowers per plant. The intense heat and sun of summer have passed
and the plants probably figure it's worthwhile to produce seed again.
Paul Harrar
Nevada City, CA, USA
Sunset Zone 7
2,700 ft.
