Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open fieldEschscholzia (Latin eschscholzia ) is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the Poppy family. It bears the second name “Californian poppy”. The genus includes about 10 varieties, including perennial and annual plants.

It is a lush, low shrub with bright yellow flowers that resemble butterflies. It blooms profusely and for a long time. Buds begin to form in early summer. Flowering ends at the end of November. During this time, Escholzia flowers in the flowerbed look bright and colorful, pleasing to the eye even when all ornamental plants have already lost their attractiveness.

Description

Despite the fact that escholzia is a perennial plant, it is often bred as an annual. This is due to the fact that abundant flowering is observed only in the first year of the plant’s life. In subsequent years, buds can form in both large and small quantities, which is not always pleasant to flower growers. In addition, this culture has low frost resistance, and in a harsh winter it can freeze even under cover.

California poppy is a small shrub 40 – 50 cm high. Consists of many thin green shoots growing from the central part of the bush. It has a highly developed main root with small roots extending from it. The leaf plates are strongly dissected, deep green, with a bluish bloom, reaching up to 8 cm in diameter.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

The flowers are single, with a diameter of 3 to 7 cm. There are forms with bright yellow, snow-white, cream buds, with simple, double or semi-double petals, depending on the variety.

The life span of one flower is 3 – 5 days, after which it withers and is replaced by a new bud. Thanks to this feature, the bush is constantly completely covered with flowers. Flowering begins in May and lasts until late autumn. The buds open only on clear sunny days, while they are closed in cold or cloudy weather.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

The fruit is a rounded capsule containing many small seeds. Formed in late spring, ripening lasts for 4 weeks.

The description of the escholzia is supplemented with a photo that helps to imagine what this culture looks like.

Types

In horticulture, 3 varieties of this culture are common.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Eschscholzia lobbii ( Eschscholzia lobbi )

It is grown mainly in botanical gardens. It is a lush bush with a height of 17 – 20 cm, consisting of many thin straight stems. The flowers are wide open, 150 mm in diameter, bright yellow, with orange specks. Flowering lasts throughout the summer.

The buds can re-form in the fall if the weather is warm. In its natural environment, Escholzia Lobba prefers to grow in open rocky areas, so its cultivation in flower beds is difficult.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Sod Eschscholzia ( Eschscholzia caespitosa )

The most popular type in home gardening. The lush shrub reaches 15 cm in height. The stems of the plant are very thin, which is why they constantly lean to the ground, forming a bright thick carpet. The leaf plates are thin, strongly dissected, green, with a bluish tinge and a waxy coating on the surface.

Outwardly, the leaves of this culture resemble dill branches. Flowers of regular shape, 3 cm in diameter, lemon yellow. The buds begin to form in early spring. Flowering lasts until the end of autumn. Eshsholzia turfy is distinguished by its drought tolerance.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Californian Eschscholzia ( Eschscholzia californica )

It looks like a poppy growing in nature. It is a herbaceous shrub with numerous creeping ribbed shoots. Reaches almost half a meter in height. The leaves are dissected, deep green.

The flowers are cup-shaped, up to 9 cm in diameter. They can be white, cream, lemon-yellow, orange. Eshsholzia california during flowering is densely covered with bright buds. Blooms continuously throughout summer and autumn.

Sorts

On the basis of Californian escholzia, many varieties have been bred, differing in the bright color of the buds and unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Strawberry Fields is an expressive variety with intense yellow buds. A red blurred stripe runs along the edge of the petals.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

“Peach Sorbet” – has lush single flowers with wavy cream colored petals.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

“Apple blossom” – is valued for its large terry snow-white inflorescences.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

“Chiffon” is a varietal mixture, having grown which, a gardener will receive a variegated flower bed of flowers with different sizes and colors of buds.

The height of plants in this mixture varies from 30 to 45 cm. The buds are deep pink, scarlet, white, lemon, cream, with simple and wavy petals. Flowering occurs in early June, lasts for six months.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

“Ballerina Mix” is a varietal mixture, which includes flowers with double and simple petals.

The buds are cupped, wide open, 7 – 8 cm in diameter, can be yellow, orange, coral, pink, red. The leaves are three times dissected, thin, dark green with a bluish bloom. The bush consists of several thin shoots. Its height is 25 – 45 cm.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

“Mikado” is a medium-sized variety, which is a lush bush 45 – 50 cm high. The flowers are cupped, intense yellow. The central part of the bud is scarlet.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

“Lilac Ray” is one of the most beautiful varieties of Californian poppy.

Lush bush with numerous stems reaches 30-40 cm in height. The flowers are cupped, 7 cm in diameter, irregular lilac and purple with a light yellow central part.

Flowering begins in summer and lasts until frost. The variety is appreciated not only for its attractiveness and ability to transform any corner of the garden, but also for its resistance to low temperatures.

Features of sowing seeds on the site

The seed material of the Californian poppy has a high germination rate, so it can be planted immediately in open ground. The advantage of planting Escholzia seeds before winter is that during the cold season they stratify naturally, and with the onset of warm spring days, strong healthy shoots will hatch from the ground.

After 2 weeks, dense plantings will need to be thinned out, leaving at least 3 cm between the plants.When sowing in late autumn, the bush will begin to form buds earlier than when growing this crop using the seedling method.

For sowing, choose an open area that receives enough sunlight. Since the seed is quite small, it is mixed with sand for ease of planting.

The soil for growing escholzia in the open field is dug up in the selected area, a ridge is made, then shallow furrows are made in it, where the seed is evenly scattered. The furrows are sprinkled with a layer of earth, leveled, mulched, using dry foliage for this.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Seedling method

Many gardeners prefer this method of growing the Californian poppy. It should be borne in mind that Echscholzia has a tap root system, which is easily damaged during transplantation. For this reason, it is recommended to use peat pots for sowing seed for seedlings.

One seed is buried in each of them. For convenience, use a cotton swab or tweezers. After seeding the seed, the soil is moistened by spraying from a spray bottle, covered with a film or glass jar on top.

This creates a greenhouse effect for successful seed germination. The first shoots in greenhouse conditions can be observed in 2 – 3 weeks. After that, the shelter is removed. Crops are kept on a windowsill, well lit by the sun, at a temperature of 15 – 17 degrees.

Crop care should consist of periodic irrigation (as the substrate dries up). A mineral supplement must be added 2 weeks after the formation of the shoots.

Half a month before transplanting to a permanent place, the seedlings should be hardened by placing them daily in a cool room for several hours. Then young plants will better take root in a new place and quickly adapt to new conditions.

Conditions of detention and care

After planting the escholzia in open ground, it is necessary to take care of the plant so that it remains well-groomed and attractive for as long as possible.

  • Location. The California poppy is photophilous, prefers open sunny areas. It is planted where it will not be shaded, since the buds of this culture open only on clear, fine days.
  • The soil. The substrate should be loose, well-drained. If the site has heavy soil with a high clay content, you need to dig it up by adding sand.
  • Top dressing. Frequent feeding is not necessary for unpretentious escholtsia, but before the buds begin to form, it is important to feed the flower with a mineral complex, dissolving it in a bucket of water in the dosage indicated in the instructions.
  • Watering. Escholzia is a moisture-loving crop, therefore, when growing it, regular watering is necessary. On hot days, the bushes are irrigated every 2 to 3 days. It is better to carry out the water procedure in the evening, when the intense heat subsides. After watering, loosening is required to provide oxygen access to the roots.
  • Wintering. This crop is grown as an annual, as it is hard to tolerate frost and can freeze even in mild winters. At the end of flowering, the bush is dug up and disposed of.
  • Another care. The area around the plant is cleared of weeds as they appear, otherwise they will take away nutrients from the Californian poppy.

How the planting of the escholzia is carried out and the further care of the flower is shown in the selection of photos below, after looking at which even an inexperienced gardener can deal with this work:

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field
Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

How to collect seeds

The seed is obtained at the end of flowering. In order to prevent the seeds from scattering from the box during collection, they put on cellophane or fabric bags. They choose dried, almost ripe bolls, which should open in the coming days.

After full maturation, the capsule bursts, the seed falls into the bag. The gardener cuts off the stem of the plant along with the bag, pours the seeds onto a sheet of paper, and puts them on a flat surface in a dry, ventilated room for drying.

Eschsholzia: features of growing a flower in the open field

Store the seed in a cloth or paper bag in a place protected from moisture. Californian poppy seeds have a shelf life of 3 years. During this period, they remain viable.

Diseases and pests

The California poppy is rarely invaded by pests, and due to its strong immunity, the plant almost never gets sick. However, not following the rules for caring for this crop, the gardener may face some problems.

With excessive watering, when the soil does not have time to dry out, the roots begin to rot.

A plant affected by root rot withers, loses its foliage, its decorative effect. To make sure that the bush was struck by this particular disease, you will have to dig it up and carefully examine the roots.

If brown spots and gray bloom are found on it, it will be necessary to destroy the affected specimen to avoid contamination of neighboring plants. It is impossible to revive a flower with root rot.

In some cases, a spider mite settles on the bush. This can occur under conditions of infrequent watering during hot dry summers.

The presence of an insect on the bush will be evidenced by a small, barely noticeable white cobweb on different parts of the flower.

The pest feeds on the sap of the plant, as a result of which it withers, loses its attractiveness. If a spider mite is found, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate it using acaricides, for example, “Agravertin”.

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Anna Evans

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