How to Plant and Grow California Poppies

California poppies create spectacular displays of bright yellow-orange blooms that cover grassy hillsides in early spring.

Their soft and silky petals reflect the sun’s light, making them shine. They truly are the stars of the native wildflower super-bloom!

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Growing native flowers like Eschscholzia californica helps increase the biodiversity that native insects and wildlife species depend on while giving gardens a “sense of place.”

They are easy to grow, and once you sow them in your garden, they will return every year.

Ready to welcome this cheerful wildflower into your landscape? Let’s get growing!

Here’s everything we’ll cover:

E. californica is native to California, Oregon, southern Washington, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Baja California, and Sonora, Mexico.

These flowers can be found in various landscapes like hillsides, valleys, meadows, woodlands, and roadsides.

Two subspecies of E. californica are currently recognized:californica andmexicana.

E. californica ssp. mexicana is endemic to the Sonoran desert region, while E. californica ssp. californica has a broader distribution and grows in various habitats like the redwood forests, coastal dunes, dry plains, valleys, and desert outskirts.

It’s possible to distinguish between the two subspecies if you compare the size of the receptacle rim, which is located below the petals – that of E. californica ssp. californica is slightly larger and darker in color.

Additionally, E. californica ssp. californica has yellow-orange flowers and E. californica ssp. mexicana blooms in hues of