Golden Poppy Habitat

Golden Poppy

• Called "copa del ora", or cup of gold, by early Spanish settlers, the golden poppy's name recalls legendary flowers with orange petals that turned to gold and fell to the ground -- an amazing coincidence in retrospect, given the vast gold found in California soil much later. Short-lived perennials, golden poppies have lacy blue-green leaves that grow 12 to 18 inches tall. Satiny orange petals unfurl from tapered buds into long-lasting cupped flowers that close at night or during nasty weather but open again when the sun shines. Golden poppy is used in native and folk medicines as a pain and stress reliever and for asthma and insomnia.

Location

• The golden poppy needs full sun, and will not grow in shade. Plants also require a habitat with good drainage, and have no tolerance for soggy soils or "wet feet." Soil quality can be very rocky and poor, which makes golden poppies well suited for rock gardens, sandy soils and even drought conditions. They grow easily, reseed freely and will come back year after year, which makes them ideal for naturalizing on hillsides and other sunny spots. Irrigation extends the bloom period through summer. Golden poppy doesn't insist on harsh or dry conditions, though, and also thrives in flowerbeds and borders. It does not do well in containers.

Conditions

• Sow golden poppy seeds where you want plants to grow, because they transplant poorly due to deep taproots. A habitat that remains undisturbed and allows reseeding will keep new plants coming year after year, though only native golden poppies will produce generation after generation of strong, vigorously blooming plans. In their natural habitat poppies bloom most heavily from March to May, though with supplemental water, flowering can last all summer. In nature beetles pollinate golden poppies, but in most gardens honeybees or wild bees do the job. Plants grow as annuals rather than perennials in colder climates. Where winters are mild, broadcast seeds on cultivated soil in fall and rake about 1/4 inch of soil over seeds. Sow seeds in early spring in colder climates -- about the same time you would plant radish seed.

Competition

• If you're growing golden poppies in your garden, little care is required except to imitate their natural habitat by minimizing competition, just as grazing animals do in the wild. Thin young plants to stand about 12 inches apart, and keep after the weeds. Decrease water once golden poppies begin to flower, which will encourage poppy bloom but further discourage competing plants. Do not fertilize plants either. Deadhead spent flowers and continue light watering for continued bloom, though at the end of summer let plants go if you want them to reseed.