California Poppies
By much2say
@much2say (53959)
Los Angeles, California
May 6, 2022 3:57pm CST
These are my California Poppies . . . they are scattered all over the backyard.
I didn't buy seeds. Tiny envelopes of poppy seeds were being given away at a nature exhibit we visited a few years ago. A lady instructed us how to plant them, but I don't remember anything she said 
.
Last year when we planted sunflower seeds, I tossed in the poppy seeds. I had no expectations. Though It was very late in the season, little poppy plants popped up and bloomed to our delight. I did nothing to them during fall or winter . . . eventually they got old and straggly.
Early January the weather started warming up. New growth started coming up through the old 
. . . in fact, baby poppy plants sprouted up all around the yard !
Now we look out the window . . . we see groups of these orange-yellow blooms everywhere . Not bad for an unplanned garden 
.
These California Poppies are drought tolerant. They don't like too much water, they don't like to be coddled, they like to be left alone 
. It's perfect for lazy gardeners like me 
.
Do some things in your garden take care of themselves?
.
Last year when we planted sunflower seeds, I tossed in the poppy seeds. I had no expectations. Though It was very late in the season, little poppy plants popped up and bloomed to our delight. I did nothing to them during fall or winter . . . eventually they got old and straggly.
Early January the weather started warming up. New growth started coming up through the old . . . in fact, baby poppy plants sprouted up all around the yard !
Now we look out the window . . . we see groups of these orange-yellow blooms everywhere . Not bad for an unplanned garden .
These California Poppies are drought tolerant. They don't like too much water, they don't like to be coddled, they like to be left alone . It's perfect for lazy gardeners like me .
Do some things in your garden take care of themselves?24 people like this
24 responses
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
7 May 22
Very pretty...
I tried to talk Pretty out of planting mint in my flowerbed. She did it anyway and mint is now trying to take over. (I've seen her out pulling some of it up so I don't gripe about it. As long as it leaves my tomatoes and flowers alone, I won't say anything.... I've suggested she dig it all up and plant it in the back yard. I don't care if it tries to take over back there. We'll just mow it down.)
7 people like this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
8 May 22
@DaddyEvil Mint is a pain, I planted in containers, but when the flowers produce seeds they spread and now mint is everywhere.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
9 May 22
@DaddyEvil I planted three different kind of mint and the sweet mint killed the others and took over the entire bed.
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
9 May 22
@LadyDuck The sweet mint here has turned really hot! It's still pretty, but I want it out of my flowerbed!
2 people like this
@kaylachan (57631)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
6 May 22
It's always nice when things like that happen. New life grows from old.
5 people like this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
14 May 22
Developers 
. Well I hope they are replanting plants to make up for that. If poppies grew before, I would think poppies could grow again. It's almost 100F right now and the poppies seem to be taking it well (without a lot of water too).
. Well I hope they are replanting plants to make up for that. If poppies grew before, I would think poppies could grow again. It's almost 100F right now and the poppies seem to be taking it well (without a lot of water too).2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73408)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
6 May 22
Lovely poppies I like them in red too. I no longer have a garden but when I did in Latvia many things just grew on there own year after year like my tulips that popped out every spring and the lilacs that blossomed.
5 people like this
@snowy22315 (169935)
• United States
6 May 22
Very cool, It reminds me of a lady who told me something when we were looking at pumpkins in store one time. She said, well I don't need any. She said that her son tossed some seeds from a pumpkin last year into their garden, and lo and behold everything came up pumpkin! Why doesnt that stuff ever happen to me?
. Mine would never grow, and if they did, the deer would eat them!
. Mine would never grow, and if they did, the deer would eat them!3 people like this
@popciclecold (35084)
• United States
15 May 22
You sound like me, that would be me too. Lol.
2 people like this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
14 May 22
Ohhh, you get those everything eating deer! We don't get deer, but we just don't get enough rain . . . and with the water restrictions, we won't be able to do so much watering soon. I'll leave it up to the farmers 
. Yah, it'd be nice to have some magic seeds and get magically wonderful pumpkins!!
. Yah, it'd be nice to have some magic seeds and get magically wonderful pumpkins!!1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12924)
• Italy
8 May 22
Yeah, it's good when nature does the gardening on her own.
Poppies are strong and don't require much, they'll grow pretty much wherever the wind scatters the seeds, they can be invasive at times, like @LadyDuck mentioned.
Poppies are strong and don't require much, they'll grow pretty much wherever the wind scatters the seeds, they can be invasive at times, like @LadyDuck mentioned.3 people like this
@sabtraversa (12924)
• Italy
8 May 22
@LadyDuck We live in a cruel world, where everything thrives at the expense of something else.
Pulling out invasive plants can mean saving the life of other plants, so there's no choice.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
9 May 22
@sabtraversa You are right, the sweet mint has already killed the other species of mint I had planted. I have not choice but pull out everything I can.
You are right, the sweet mint has already killed the other species of mint I had planted. I have not choice but pull out everything I can.3 people like this
I feel bad pulling up some flowers and weeds, but my garden is now invaded by some plants.
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
7 May 22
Those are beautiful, I bought seeds years ago (in California) but they never grew up here.
We have the red poppies growing everywhere right no. I have to go out and pull out the young 4 o'Clock plants. They auto seed and they are invading the vegetable garden. I feel bad pulling them out, but last year I could not even move around, those plants grow pretty big.
3 people like this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
14 May 22
Ohhhh, I would love to see red poppies . . . I don't see them commonly here. Oh wow, those 4 o'clocks sound quite invasive 
. I joke that I would love more invasive species just because it'd be easier for me to "not" take care of . . . but surely it's not funny when it takes over your hard work on vegetable gardens.
. I joke that I would love more invasive species just because it'd be easier for me to "not" take care of . . . but surely it's not funny when it takes over your hard work on vegetable gardens.2 people like this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
15 May 22
@much2say - I have to take a photo of a field full of poppies, they are so bright.
This is a photo of the 4 o'clocks, I love them, because the flowers last one day and new flowers get out every new day and never the same color... but look how they spread!
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
15 May 22
I never heard of poppies that color before. Must be very pretty. I have day lilies that tend for themselves. Once I get my bulbs in the ground hopefully this fall they should be easy too.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
18 May 22
I assume California poppies are native to here . . . they seem to like it hot and dry. They are pretty at blooming time, but otherwise the green parts can get kinda oldish and straggly. I have a couple day lillies in a pot, very small - the squirrels got to them earlier in the year many times, but it seems to keep on going!
1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
20 May 22
@MarshaMusselman You are fortunate! We don't get rabbits here, but I do hear they can eat everything up too. Squirrels dig into everything 
.
.1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
20 May 22
@much2say we have a lot of squirrels and rabbits here but they don't seem to bother with my flowers for some reason.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
14 May 22
Hello, hello! So nice to "see" you ! I was barely here this week, so I haven't gotten around to notifications . Thank you - trying to do whatever I can here - there doesn't seem to be enough time. I have more yard projects - no way to get it all done - and now it's super hot. Enjoy your gardening and we'll catch up again soon! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend 
!
! I was barely here this week, so I haven't gotten around to notifications . Thank you - trying to do whatever I can here - there doesn't seem to be enough time. I have more yard projects - no way to get it all done - and now it's super hot. Enjoy your gardening and we'll catch up again soon! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend !2 people like this
@58lordstreet (1669)
•
7 May 22
I had loads one year, expected them to self seed and got none the next year, this year one appeared a long way from the original ones
2 people like this
@58lordstreet (1669)
•
15 May 22
@much2say someone told me you have to dig the soil to get more poppies
2 people like this
@popciclecold (35084)
• United States
15 May 22
That is what I need to plant, thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159007)
• Boise, Idaho
7 May 22
Those are very pretty. My grandmother used to have these(and Orientals) in her yard. Unplanned is often very interesting and underestimated.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159007)
• Boise, Idaho
15 May 22
@much2say ........I have more than once just taken a packet or two of assorted wildflowers out to the flower bed and just shaken them out over the area.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
16 May 22
@celticeagle I've always wanted to do that . . . did they do pretty well? I just might do that next season !
!1 person likes this
.
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Aug
@Tampa_girl7 I guess it's considered a tropical storm now . . . the hurricane itself has weakened. We're in the path of heavy rains (it's raining good now), but not so much the major flooding zones.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48929)
• United States
20 Aug
@much2say I hope that you and your family are not in the path of the hurricane and flooding.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
9 May 22
Wow I love plants that care for themselves
1 person likes this
