California Poppy Seeds - Eschscholzia californica

Eschscholzia californica 'Buttermilk' is a highly floriferous variety of Californian Poppy. Its exquisite flowers are adorned with buttery yellow or cream channelled petals, marked with an irregular white zone on the periphery. Sometimes single, sometimes with an additional row of small petals, they are as beautiful in bud as they are fully open. These flowers dominate a finely cut, blue-green, highly ornamental foliage. Equally at home in cottage gardens as in sophisticated borders, this plant enthusiastically tolerates heat, drought, and poor soils. It readily self-seeds in light soil.

Californian Poppy 'Buttermilk' is a selection obtained from Eschscholzia californica, an annual to short-lived perennial plant native to California and the southwestern United States. This plant with a taproot quickly forms a clump of foliage that reaches 30 to 35cm (13.8in) in all directions. Its leaves are pinnate, finely cut, with a colour ranging from bluish-green to attractive greenish-grey, contrasting with that of the flowers. The flowering occurs from spring to summer, depending on the sowing date. It reveals, amidst its foliage, cup-shaped flowers with a silky and delicate texture, reflecting the sun, and only opening if it is generous. They emerge as apricot buds, then open into two-tone petals, creamy yellow bordered by a small white zone, more or less wide. The flowering is melliferous and nectariferous. It is followed by the formation of long, slender capsules measuring 7 to 8cm (3.1in) in length, glaucous green, containing tiny seeds.

Californian poppies are a boon for dry gardens, rockeries, and coastal gardens. They can be sown in perennial borders, natural areas of the garden, or even in pots. They are perfect plants for low-maintenance or weekend gardens. Their colours blend beautifully with light blues and mauves. They are pretty but ephemeral in bouquets.