Can the Romneya Coulteri Take Shade?

Description

• Normally attaining a height of 5 to 6 feet, matilija poppy can reach 10 to 12 feet high under cultivation with supplemental water during the growing season. The plant is characterized as a subshrub because stem bases become woody with maturity. Perennial roots have enlarged rhizomes that remain underground year after year. It spreads by sending stolons, or runners, from the main root system. The stolons can penetrate even hard, compacted soil. Flowers appear in the summer with stems developing a solitary bud at the tip. The enclosing green sepals drop to the ground the day the flower opens, leaving just the six large wrinkled-looking petals centered by a golden mound of stamens and the pistil. Flowers are fragrant and followed by interesting seed pods that are ornamental when dry. Ordinarily gray-green when grown in sun, the leaves become larger, fuller and more blue in color with water and partial shade.

Habitat and Cultivars

• Matilija poppy inhabits coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant communities below 4,000 feet elevation from San Diego County to the Santa Ana Mountains. Plants grow on hillsides, dry washes and canyons, with habitats as diverse as a streambank to a harsh, rocky exposed slope. Another species of matilija poppy (Romneya trichocalyx) with bristly stems and sepals, is native to Mexico. A hybrid between the two species is a garden cultivar called "White Cloud."

Garden Conditions

• Matilija poppy has the reputation of being hard to establish. It doesn't transplant well, and you might have to put in several plants in order to get it established. It does best in well-draining soil and needs to be watered during the first year after planting, needing little supplemental water once it is established. Although it will tolerate some shade, matilija poppy does best under full sun conditions. Give it plenty of room to grow and consider using it in harsh situations such as bank stabilization or unirrigated slopes.

Cultivation

• Plants go deciduous in early winter. Tidy the garden and renew the growth by pruning tall stems down to near ground level in late fall or winter. Winter is the best time to try dividing and transplanting clumps of matilija poppy. Either transplant directly into other beds or place rhizomes with attached stalks in containers to become rooted out before replanting. Consider using underground barriers or other constraints to keep roots from colonizing nearby areas if you give matilija poppy deep, loose soil or partial shade.