Eschscholzia is a plant from the Poppy family. IN wildlife grows mainly in the west of the North American continent. It was first brought to Europe in the 18th century by the Scottish botanist Menciez. But then the resulting seeds did not sprout, and Europeans were re-acquainted with this flower only in the next century thanks to a Russian expedition. Therefore, your Latin name- Eschscholzia - he received it in honor of the Russian traveler, botanist and doctor Johann von Eschscholz.
There are about a dozen plant species. The most common of them is Californian Eschscholzia. It's gentle and bright flower, reminiscent of fluttering butterflies, frozen for a moment against a green background. Each individual flower lives only three days, but there are many of them on one bush, so the Californian poppy looks elegant in the garden. Gradually the plant is becoming more and more popular.
Description and application in landscape design
California poppy is a perennial crop, although it is often used as an annual herbaceous plant. There is also a rather unusual tree view, but it is quite rare and looks completely different, reaching a height of 2 m. It is called Romney Coulter. It is distinguished by large (up to 15 cm in diameter) white flowers with yellow centers.
The usual herbaceous eschscholzia forms a low bush - it rarely grows higher than 20-45 cm. Its stems are straight, the leaves are three times dissected, and are held on long petioles. They look quite decorative, creating an openwork pattern, and are shaped a little like wormwood branches. Moreover, they have a natural bluish coating. The flowers are the brightest colors and quite simple cup-shaped, their diameter is 5-8 cm. Externally they differ from poppies, so Eschscholzia got its second name thanks to its leaves and stems. Flowers can be yellow or orange, less often white. Although it was originally imported simple form, today terry eschscholzia is also successfully grown.
This plant is widely used in landscape design. In the garden it looks impressive on a Moorish or meadow lawn, but can also decorate a classic flowerbed.
Eschscholzia is a cut plant. It is often used to make bouquets and floral arrangements.
The flower is easy to grow; it is a sun-loving plant with positive energy that can thrive even on dry sandy soils poor in nutrients. The flowering period begins in June and lasts until October. Eschscholzia usually self-sows. And for the first time it is planted in the garden in April or already in the fall, in October, and immediately on permanent place.
Popular varieties
Over two centuries, breeders have developed a variety of varieties of Eschscholzia. The most popular include:
- 1. Apple blossom. This is a variety that is characterized by abundant and long-lasting flowering. Its inflorescences look elegant thanks to their bright pink hue and the corrugated edges of the petals.
- 2. Strawberry Fields (Strawberry fields) - a variety with bright red semis double flowers with yellow centers.
- 3. Terry Eschscholzia Peach sherbet is distinguished by lush flowers with delicate cream-colored petals.
- 4. Mikado - small bushes 30-40 cm high. Their flowers may seem simple, but they look elegant thanks to large bright yellow petals with an orange spot closer to the middle of the flower.
- 5. Chiffon. Is a mixture of seeds different sizes and flowers. This mix will look beautiful in borders and is also suitable for the lawn. The height of the bushes is about 35-40 cm. These are double flowers, and their petals can be yellow, red, white, or orange. There are several shades in each flower. This early variety, blooms in May and will please the eye until the first frost.
- 6. Ballerina mix is another variety mixture, and it contains seeds of both simple and double flowers. Pink, yellow, orange petals, leaves with a noble waxy coating - character traits varieties.
Eschscholzia usually reproduces by seeds. They are sown in spring or autumn. In the latter case, it is recommended to cover the crops with leaves for the winter. Eschscholzia planted in autumn on next year will bloom faster. But this method is only suitable for regions with a mild climate.
Landing
Even in the conditions of central Russia, eschscholzia are grown as biennial plants or even annuals. In more northern regions, particularly in Siberia, it is recommended in the fall to dig up the area where the flowers grew and remove plant remains. Then in the spring, fairly dense shoots will appear again, which need to be thinned out, and then fertilizers should be added to the soil in order to enjoy the flowering of eschscholzia in the summer.
Although the plant is characterized by self-seeding, not every gardener agrees to let the process take its course. In this case, you need to put gauze bags on several wilted flowers. When the seeds are ripe, the boxes with them will end up in these bags - they are carefully cut off, and at home they are shaken out onto paper, dried and stored in paper bags in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. If these rules are followed, germination will be maintained for three years.
Planting Eschscholzia is only possible in dry and well-drained soil, preferably sandy, with a neutral reaction. If the acidity of the soil is higher than normal, you need to dig up the area (to the depth of a garden shovel) and add dolomite flour or ash to the soil at the rate of 200 g and 400 g, respectively, for each square meter. Planting is carried out in the spring, depending on the climate - from April until the second half of May, when the risk of repeated frosts decreases.
Most often it is assumed that eschscholzia will be sown directly into the ground. This is the easiest way, since the plant reproduces well by self-sowing. And ordinary cultivation from seeds is not difficult, since the plant quickly takes root - in the literal sense of the word: its roots easily penetrate deep into the soil. If desired, you can grow a flower from seedlings. In this case, the principles will be the same as for any other garden crops.
The most important thing is not to damage the long tap-shaped root system when planting in open ground. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems in the future, the seedlings are moved to their permanent “place of residence” by transshipment. To do this, it is recommended to grow eschscholzia at home in peat tablets placed in plastic containers and covered for a greenhouse effect. The first shoots appear after 14 days. Three weeks before transplantation, the seedlings begin to harden, taking them first into a cool room and then outside. It is necessary to plant after the end of frost, although hardened seedlings can tolerate temperatures down to -5 degrees.
Many gardeners have been growing eschscholzia in their garden plots for decades, since these bright flowers are unpretentious and reproduce by natural self-seeding. For those who are planting this crop for the first time, it is important to know the intricacies of the process of growing from seeds: how to carry out stratification, the timing of when it is time to plant seedlings and when open ground, rules for watering and fertilizing and much more. In this article we will look in detail at the entire process of breeding these sunny poppies, popularly called “wormwood”.
When to plant Eschscholzia to get flowers in May?
Eschscholzia (wormwood, California poppy) is one of the representatives of the poppy family. In her genus there are both perennials and annuals. The latter are often grown on garden plot. If you want to decorate a flowerbed with these flowers for the first time, use one of three methods:
- sowing seeds in open ground in early spring;
- sowing seedlings at the end of winter and planting after night frosts;
- sowing in late autumn (October-November) - gives the earliest flowering.
To get seedlings faster, you can “wake up” them: place them in a container on a cloth and spray them with a spray bottle so that they are always moist and do not dry out. Once the seeds have swelled (but not yet sprouted), they are ready for planting.
Young wormwood plants tolerate well low temperatures, withstanding down to –5° C, so sowing and planting seedlings in open ground is carried out as soon as the threat of return frosts has passed. With this cultivation, the first flowers appear in May and delight all summer.
After transplanting to a permanent place, young plants begin to bloom on average after 30-40 days. During the budding period, the bush develops, old flowers fall off, new ones appear, and the stems begin to creep. In autumn, Eschscholzia throws out seeds, the mother plant dies off with the onset of frost. In early spring, new shoots appear, which can simply be thinned out. Thus, planting is only needed the first time; then the flowers reproduce by self-sowing.
Advice! Planting eschscholzia in open ground in the spring should be done when it is still cool, since with late sowing, seedlings that appear after 2-3 weeks may die at high daytime temperatures.
In order for the plants to develop well, germinate well and begin to bloom earlier, the seeds should be stratified in one of the following ways:
- put the seeds in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf (or door) after autumn harvest for the whole winter;
- In spring, soak the seeds in water for 12 hours and then put them in the refrigerator for several days.
When planted in the fall, the seeds will undergo natural stratification in the ground, so they do not need additional “hardening”.
Rules for planting Eschscholzia in open ground
Autumn sowing is different in that seedlings should appear only next year, after the snow cover because the soil is cold. If late autumn turns out to be warm (which is likely in the southern regions of Russia), then the seedlings will inevitably die during winter frosts. To avoid this, you should plant the seeds before the soil freezes, but not before October. During autumn planting There is no need to water the furrows. You can start spring sowing as early as early April.
Site selection
It is important to choose the right place for flowers. It must be well lit, since the plant will not bloom in shade or partial shade. In addition, water should not stagnate there after rain or watering. It is ideal to choose that part of the garden or flower bed where the snow melts first.
Poppies love lungs fertile soils with a high content of sand, peat and compost. It is important that the soil is not acidified, so before planting it must be treated with dolomite flour, lime, or wood ash. Before sowing, the soil should be dug up, loosened, and watered moderately.
Planting and thinning
It is advisable to sow dry seeds (especially in cold, rainy spring). Since the seed material is very fine, it is easier to sow if you first mix it with dry sand and pour it evenly into rows 2-3 cm deep, located at a distance of 30 cm from each other. If the seed material was purchased granulated, it must be sown individually, using tweezers, leaving approximately 10 cm of space.
It is recommended not to cover the grooves with seeds, but to mulch them with peat or rotted sawdust. After all seedlings have appeared, weak plants should be removed, leaving the strongest of them at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.
It is preferable to sow the seeds immediately in a permanent place, since Eschscholzia has a fragile long root, damage to which leads to the death of the entire plant. But if you sow correctly at home and carefully plant the seedlings, the plants will take root quite quickly.
Top dressing
Eschscholzia in general is very responsive to the content of mineral substances, so the first fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers is carried out already two weeks after germination and after the same period of time after planting the seedlings.
Sowing seedlings
After preliminary stratification, the seeds are placed in peat tablets or pots. This method is preferable because it eliminates picking. When transplanting into a large container, there is a high probability of death of almost all the seedlings due to damage to the roots.
The process of sowing Eschscholzia in peat tablets is simple and includes the following series of actions:
- The tablets should be placed in a container about 8 cm high.
- Water should be gradually poured into it until the washers stop absorbing it and swelling ( excess liquid must be drained upon completion of the process).
- The easiest way to plant seeds is to use a toothpick, one end of which is moistened with water. A seed easily sticks to it and is placed in the prepared soil. One tablet is intended for one sprout, but it is still better to plant two at a time in order to retain the strongest plant of the pair in the future.
- Next, the peat soil should be moistened with a spray bottle, preventing it from drying out.
After filling them with soil, it is also convenient to plant seeds in peat pots using a regular wooden toothpick. It is important not to overexpose young plants in pots and move them into the garden in time so that the roots do not penetrate through its bottom - otherwise they can be easily damaged.
Watering and replanting
It is necessary to monitor the level of humidity and drainage in containers with seedlings: Eschscholzia does not like stagnant moisture. The seedlings should be watered moderately after the top layer has dried. Optimal temperature for seedlings - +21-23˚ C. Before planting in open ground, the sprouts should begin to “harden off”: place the containers in a cooler room (ventilate the room, take it to the balcony or outside), gradually increasing the duration and lowering the temperature. If the first hardening procedure lasts only 20-30 minutes, then the final one should last 3-4 hours.
You should start moving seedlings into the garden when the air temperature warms up to +18-22˚ C. For replanting, you need to prepare furrows or holes 10 cm deep and at a distance of 20 cm from each other, so that there is 30-35 cm between the stems. Furrows you need to water, carefully remove the young plants from the container and place them in the ground along with peat pot(tablet), sprinkle with damp soil on top and mulch with peat, sawdust or rotted leaves.
Rules for caring for flowers
To successfully grow eschsolzia, it is enough to place the flower bed in sunny place and avoid stagnation of water and excessive irrigation.
Flowers do not like high nitrogen content in the soil, so you should not pre-fertilize the soil with manure, and also apply mullein infusion to the plants, or use chemicals. nitrogen fertilizers. It is best to feed the plantings with complex mineral fertilizers: two weeks after germination, after planting in the ground, and then every 3-4 weeks.
It is best to water adult flowers, like seedlings, sparingly, after the soil has dried. Preferably - in the morning, from a watering can and under the root.
If the summer was rainy and the soil drainage was insufficient, then diseases of the root system can be identified by the following signs:
- the flowers fade, their calyxes droop, irrigation does not help;
- If you dig up a flower and examine its roots, you will notice a gray coating with brown spots - root rot.
In this case, it is necessary to dig up all the affected plants so that the rest do not become infected. Watering should be temporarily stopped (covered with film from the rain) and the soil should be treated with fungicides, such as Bordeaux mixture, Previkur, Fundazol, Rovralem, copper sulfate. In the future, watering should be kept to a minimum to avoid waterlogging of the soil. Eschscholzia demonstrates excellent immunity to other “flower ailments”, falling ill extremely rarely.
If the summer, on the contrary, turns out to be dry, then spoil appearance spider mites are capable of growing flower beds. It is easy to notice on the leaves and flowers, which it envelops in cobwebs. If no measures are taken, other plants will soon be infected, and only dry stems will remain from Eschscholzia plantings, since insects suck out the nutritious juices from the plants, causing them to wither.
In the fight against insects, including aphids, drugs such as Oberon, Agravertin, Iskra, Fas, Actellik, Nissoran, Akarin will help.
In early autumn, at the beginning of the ripening of the capsules, you can collect seeds for planting in another place. To do this, just wrap several boxes with light cloth and wait until the seeds are released. After that, all that remains is to collect them for storage.
Eschscholzia blooms in a bright carpet, but it is easy to thin it out so that it does not take over neighboring flower beds. It is enough to plant California poppy once, and long years enjoy wonderful flowering from early spring until the beginning of autumn frosts.
Are there flowers in nature that are easy to plant and further care will require a minimum of effort. It turns out that such plants exist. For example, Eschscholzia. Beginning amateur gardeners have a question: eschscholzia, growing from seeds, when to plant, and much more. The sight of a bright, elegant flowerbed, a blooming meadow lifts your spirits, and you want the source Have a good mood was nearby on the site. For some, this seems like an unattainable dream, especially those whose time to care for the site is limited.
General information
Eschscholzia flowers are from the Poppy family. From North America, there they are called “California poppy”. The California Eschscholzia, the symbol of the state of California, celebrates its Day on April 6th. The image of the “poppy” is on posters at the entrance to the state.
The plant was brought to Russia by the Russian naturalist and botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz. This gentle one interesting flower good because it turned out to be unpretentious, blooming profusely from June until late autumn. The rapidly fading lights are endlessly replenished with new buds. This species is also called “sundial” due to the fact that it opens only under the rays of the sun. There is another popular name for Eschscholzia - “wormwood”, due to some similarity of the leaves in shape and shades with the leaves of wormwood.
Description, photo
Eschscholzia is a herbaceous perennial with a height of 15 to 40 cm, there is a rod root system, going deep into the ground. This root system allows it to survive in dry places. Can also be an annual. There are more than ten species. Deeply cut thin bluish-green leaves, perfect. Single flowers with a diameter of 4 to 8 cm.
Visually similar to poppies, they can be yellow, orange, white and others. They have an interesting feature: they close at sunset, stretching out into thin tubes. The buds also close in rainy, cloudy weather or strong winds. The fruits of the Californian poppy are capsules with a diameter of up to 9 cm (in which they once again reveal similarities with poppies).
Growing from seeds. Sowing
Grow California miracle not difficult. This is a task that both a novice gardener and an experienced master can do.
Attention! When purchasing planting material, pay attention to the expiration date. The seeds will germinate well within two to three years.
It is better to sow the seeds directly into the ground in the fall so that they go through a natural process before being treated with cold and humidity. There is a technology where planting is done on snow and then covered with mulch. It is necessary to mulch the soil, so seedlings will have a greater chance of passing through upper layer soil, the soil does not form a strong crust that not every sprout can break through.
In the spring the crops will rise and will need to be thinned out. The seedlings are thinned out when their height reaches 10 cm. In this state, the crops are already strong enough to develop further. If you start thinning later, you may damage the annuals (or perennials) you plan to keep. There is no point in replanting, since a long vertical root cannot be planted in the ground without damaging it.
Plants planted in autumn will bloom faster. If it is not possible to plant in autumn period, it is better to store them in the refrigerator to artificially carry out the stratification process.
Important! For sowing, choose an area with good access to the sun, since in the absence of sun the buds will be closed most of the time.
It is advisable to have dry sandy soil, but if the soil on the site is different, it is too early to get upset - just add a little sand into the shallow furrows where you plan to plant the seeds, and mix it with the soil.
Peat is added to the soil so that the soil surface does not harden and seedlings can easily germinate. You can cover the crops with a layer of mulch so that the seeds are not carried away by the wind and it is easier for them to germinate. Before planting in the fall, a layer of dry leaves, pine needles, or large sawdust is added to the ground.
Seedling
There are gardeners who prefer to plant ready-made seedlings. In this case, the final result in the flowerbed will be more orderly.
Seedlings are obtained in the following way. It is best to use peat tablets for this, taking into account the characteristics of the root system. The seedlings are not picked. Before planting, it is recommended to treat them with growth stimulants, after soaking them in a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate):
- place peat tablets in a plastic tray or convenient container and fill with water to swell;
wet a toothpick and place one or two seeds into one tablet with the wet tip. You can also use tweezers; - cover the seed with seedling soil and lightly water it;
- cover the tray with transparent film;
- leave the tray in a cool place if there is still enough time before planting the seedlings in the ground, otherwise, immediately put it in the light.
Shoots appear on the fourteenth day. When the sprouts have appeared, the tray is moved closer to the light, the film is removed, but care is taken to avoid overheating. The optimal temperature is below 20 degrees. The earth is systematically watered, the seedlings are fed mineral fertilizer. They choose fertilizer for seedlings, do not water them abundantly, the poppy family does not like excess moisture.
Before planting on the site, they begin to prepare the seedlings for changes in temperature - they take them out into the cold for a while (a few hours will be enough) so that the plant quickly adapts to the open ground.
Remember! The root system has a tap structure, which means that when planting in the ground, the plant should be handled carefully, otherwise the efforts spent on growing seedlings will be wasted. The root cannot be positioned in any other way than vertically.
Which planting method will be best is decided by the individual gardener, taking into account his capabilities and desires. The end result in the form of a vast flower field is always guaranteed if you follow simple rules for planting and further care.
Landing. When is the best time to plant
Before planting, it is advisable to dig up the area and prepare the soil. Produce preliminary work about twenty days before planting the seedlings. Remove weeds and their roots, since later weeding will be difficult due to the creeping structure of the stem. Emerging weeds will significantly worsen the appearance of the openwork flower bed and will not allow poppy plants to develop well.
However, there are gardeners who specifically plant without removing weeds and grass. There is an opinion that this will create the effect of a natural meadow interspersed with bright flowers, the eschscholzia will grow with the support of its plant neighbors, and the stems will not creep, but will grow more evenly. Everyone chooses what suits them personally.
If the soil is not dry enough, add a little sand; if the soil is acidic, add a small amount of ash. Plant seeds or seedlings in April-May, when night frosts are no longer expected. Theoretically, seedlings should withstand temperatures as low as minus 5 degrees, but it is advisable not to subject the plants to such stress.
How to plant and provide good conditions for development
Plant seedlings in small depressions. The seedlings will need space to grow, so the seedlings are planted at intervals of 30 cm. The seedlings are placed in peat tablets in the ground, covered with soil and watered. By the time of planting, the peat tablets will have already swollen well from moisture and will not be so hard as to interfere with the development of the root system. Flowering occurs in approximately 30-40 days.
The soil for planting seeds is prepared in the same way as for seedlings. Next, they make not separate depressions, but furrows, where the seeds are introduced to a depth of 2 cm. Sand is added to the furrows so that the soil allows moisture to pass through well and is breathable. More seeds are thrown into the soil to ensure good germination, then the sprouts that appear are thinned out to a reasonable amount.
For those who want to create a cozy, natural beauty of the garden, it is better to plant the plant without the help of seedlings. Also, this method will be more optimal for creating a Moorish lawn.
Plant care
Further cultivation is not difficult. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and apply fertilizers. Water it in the absence of rain about twice a month; at other times it gets enough moisture from the soil. Watering is carried out better evening using a watering can for this. For fertilizing, they do not use organic fertilizer, only mineral fertilizer or ash, which is first kept in water and then applied to the soil in the form of an infusion.
Nitrophoska, vermicompost or other fertilizer is used as a mineral fertilizer. One teaspoon of the product is diluted in a bucket of water. Five liters of solution is enough to treat an area of one square meter.
The planting height will depend on the variety chosen. First, the stem grows in height, then begins to crawl and press against the ground. A growing organism needs to loosen the soil to allow air to access the root system.
Important! After ripening, the seeds are easily dispersed further throughout the area. To prevent this, you need to remove the boxes. The bolls crack easily, so it is advisable to cut them before they are fully ripe (cut the boll before it dries).
Eschscholzia will quickly delight you with new shoots. The more often you remove faded areas, the more densely new flowers will appear.
Pests and diseases
Eschscholzia is easy to plant and then care for. But there are dangers that await this unpretentious species. At the beginning of summer it is a bean aphid, in excessively hot, dry weather it is a spider mite. The plant will grow slowly and stop blooming. Pests will have to be controlled by spraying the plantings with special products.
Remember! It is necessary to water only in the absence of natural moisture in the form of rain, otherwise the roots will begin to rot and the planting will die.
California poppies can be susceptible to powdery mildew disease. Treated with sulfur.
Beneficial features
In North America, Indians used the leaves for medicinal purposes, the pollen as a cosmetic, and the seeds as food. Today the extract is used in medicine. The sedative and analgesic effect of the extract is known. The absence is especially appreciated side effects when using the drug.
After flowering. How and when to collect seeds
To collect the seeds, you need to keep the capsules intact. To do this, the boxes are tied with gauze and waited a month until they are completely ripe. Then the collected material is dried and the seeds are poured out. The resulting material should be stored in the refrigerator in paper bag. The seeds remain viable for two years.
By the way, seeds that fall into the soil by self-sowing can remain in the soil for quite some time. for a long time(until the next season) and germinate when no one expects them to appear. If Eschscholzia is planted in a garden plot, it is advisable to ask your neighbors in advance how they will react to such a surprise on their territory.
If the planting site is strictly regulated, plant growth is desirable in a certain volume, seed pods must be regularly cut from the stems.
Preparing for the winter cold
The area is dug up for the winter and the stems are removed. In spring, plants will still appear on the site. Annual or perennial still has its deadline, it needs to be planted new landing or wait for self-seeding.
If the presence of a perennial in a given area is not desirable, it is treated as a weed. Otherwise, these bright flowers will appear again in the summer.
Although the plant tolerates severe frosts well, it is advisable to cover the planting site with a small layer of dry foliage.
Types and varieties
Exist different types this plant. In our climate, three types are most often found:
- Eschscholzia Californian has the maximum resemblance to wild poppy. This perennial shrub has creeping green foliage of a bluish-green color. Maximum height 40 cm. One bud on a stem can reach 9 cm in diameter. Flowers can be yellow, orange, white, cream. Lush flowering continues all summer and autumn. In warmer climates, a plant sown in the fall will produce its first flowers in late April.
- The turfy Eschscholzia is almost three times lower than the Californian one. It also blooms profusely, its buds are smaller in diameter - only 3 cm. The flowers are bright yellow.
- Eschscholzia Lobba is distinguished by small yellow flowers and low stems of 15 cm.
Other varieties can also be mentioned. They differ, first of all, in the various shades of the petals and shape. There are varieties with double, densely double, and simple buds.
Particularly effective varieties:
- “apple blossom” - pink terry petals in buds;
- “strawberry fields” - strawberry fields, red semi-double buds, have a yellow center;
- “fruit crush” - fruit explosion. From the name it is clear that there is a variety of shades, red, yellow and crimson;
- “ballerina” - large, approximately 15 cm in diameter, two-color terry buds, shaped like a ballerina’s tutu.
Planting Eschscholzia in a garden plot has many advantages. The plant grows well and is easy to care for. Many may perceive it as a wildflower that lives its own life without requiring special attention.
The plant is also suitable for parks, squares, flower beds local area. You just need to follow the planting rules and take into account the capabilities of the soil where the flowers will grow. Today, breeders are breeding hybrid varieties, resistant to various diseases, characterized by high decorative properties.
Eschscholzia flowers will decorate flower beds, flower beds, decorative flowerpots, alpine coaster. Will pair well with other wildflowers.
Considering self-seeding, plants for Moorish lawns, both mixed and designed for one crop, are well suited. It is not for nothing that in America there are entire fields of the golden carpet of Californian poppies - eschscholzia.
All of the above gives an idea about the Eschscholzia plant, growing from seeds, when to plant. Bright color delicate flowers, airy openwork greenery will decorate the garden, a source of good summer mood.
This genus includes about 10 species. Under natural conditions, the plant grows in western regions North America.
There is an old legend that says that in the 16th century, Spanish gold miners sailed to the shores of America in search of gold deposits. At a distance of 35 miles from the coast, they noticed a bright golden glow and sent their ships towards it, in the hope that they were able to find rich deposits of the precious metal. One can imagine their disappointment when they discovered the golden fields of Eschscholzia. Since then, this plant has received another name, which was given to it by the Spaniards - Copa de Ora, which can be translated into Russian as “golden cup”.
History of the name of the plant
In 1795, Eschscholzia flowers were brought to Europe by the Scottish surgeon and botanist Archibald Menciez. However, the seeds that he managed to collect did not germinate, and until 1816 the plant remained unstudied. Only in the fall of 1816, a Russian expedition led by Lieutenant Kotzebue visited San Francisco Bay, where two naturalists who were members of the expedition - naturalist Johann Eschscholtz and botanist and poet Adelbert Chamizzo - collected and brought Eschscholzia flower seeds to Europe. It is easy to guess that it was in honor of the naturalist that the plant was named.
Thanks to Friedrich Eschscholz this beautiful and unpretentious plant ended up in Russia.
Eschsolzia: description
This is a herbaceous perennial bushy plant up to 40 cm high. It is grown as an annual. Tap root with numerous branches. There are many thin stems. Deeply dissected openwork leaf plates are located on long petioles. They are painted bluish-green.
Single flowers are cup-shaped with a diameter of up to 8 centimeters. Terry Eschscholzia is especially beautiful. Outwardly, it also resembles a poppy. Flowers can have different colors - red, white, yellow, orange, as well as a variety of shades of these colors. They close on cloudy, rainy, cold or very windy days, or at night.
Beneficial features
For a long time, Indians used the above-ground parts of the plant for pain relief for toothache, and the pollen collected from the flowers was a cosmetic product. Eschscholzia flowers were used to prepare a decoction that was effective against head lice. Today in America, preparations from eschscholzia are used in pediatrics as an analgesic and sedative, while in France it is grown in industrial scale and is used in the pharmaceutical industry. Such drugs have one significant advantage - the absence of side effects.
Varieties and types of eschsolzia
Nowadays, gardeners in mid-latitudes mainly grow Californian Eschscholzia, turfgrass and, much less frequently, Lobb's Eschscholzia. We will introduce you in more detail to some types and varieties of Eschscholzia.
Eschsholzia Lobba. A low plant no more than 15 centimeters high. The diameter of the soft yellow flowers does not exceed 20 mm. The petals of the flower are quite unusual - orange speckled.
Eschscholzia is turfy. Another low bush (no more than 15 cm). The leaf rosette consists of thin dissected plates of a greenish-gray color. A thin waxy coating can be seen on their surface. They are painted greenish with a bluish tint. Directly above the rosette is a dense inflorescence, which consists of cup-shaped flowers with a diameter of about 30 mm and a rich yellow color. The plant begins to bloom in mid-June and continues to delight the eye until late autumn.
Eschscholzia Californian. This the appearance is very similar to wild poppy, which is why it is often called “California poppy.” This is a branched creeping herbaceous perennial shrub no more than 40 cm high. It has many thin and ribbed greenish-gray shoots that extend from the stem. They are covered with light-gray, thrice-dissected leaves. Single cup-shaped flowers with a diameter of almost 9 centimeters can have different colors - orange, white, cream, yellow, carmine. Flowering is always very lush, occurring from June until the first frost.
The most popular varieties of Eschsolzia:
Strawberry Fields. The edges of the petals of the flowers of this variety are painted bright red, which changes to rich yellow towards the center.
Peach Sorbet. Very delicate double flowers of cream color. The plant is distinguished by very active flowering.
Apple blossom. Quite large, densely double flowers that look like apple blossoms.
Chiffon. This is an unusual seed mixture containing species different sizes and coloring. This type of eschscholzia looks especially attractive in a flowerbed. In addition, this variety is used to decorate lawns and borders. The height of the bushes varies from 35 to 40 cm. Double flowers have corrugated edges. They are usually colored red, hot pink, white or yellow. One flower combines several shades. The plant blooms in May and pleases beautiful view until frost.
Ballerina Mix. This is a mixture of terry and simple varieties. The color of the flowers is orange, yellow or pink. The diameter of the flowers reaches 8 centimeters. The height of the bushes ranges from 25 to 40 cm. The thrice-cut leaves are covered with a coating of wax.
Mikado. Low bushes (up to 30 cm). The diameter of simple flowers is about 7 centimeters. They are painted bright yellow, with a spot in the center orange color.
Growing eschsolzia
Planting and caring for Eschscholzia are procedures that will not cause problems even for novice gardeners. This is a light- and heat-loving plant that quite easily tolerates prolonged drought and the first autumn frosts. Gardeners value these flowers for their long flowering, which lasts until late autumn. Moreover, the bushes look great not only in a flowerbed - eschscholzia in a pot will be a wonderful decoration for a veranda or gazebo. After flowering, small boxes appear on the plant, which are shaped like pods - these are fruits.
Eschscholzia is not picky about soil - it grows and develops well in almost any soil, including even sandy ones. It is important that the soil is well drained and loose. What this plant does not tolerate is acidic soils, seasoned with fresh manure, or too damp soils. In this case, there is a high risk that the plant will die.
Planting methods
Gardeners know two, in their opinion, equally effective ways sowing seeds - spring and autumn. When planted in spring, flowering occurs only in mid-summer. California poppy seeds, planted before winter and given conditions that are as close as possible to natural ones, bloom several weeks earlier than in spring.
Planting seeds in autumn
Each gardener decides for himself when to plant eschscholzia grown from seeds. Most flower growers believe optimal time first half of October. Since the seeds of this plant are very small and scatter in all directions at the slightest gust of wind, they should be slightly pressed when planting in the ground. They need to be sprinkled on top thin layer soil and cover with mulch. This is necessary so that the soil moisture is maintained and a crust does not appear on its surface, which will inevitably slow down the germination of seedlings.
Seeds sown in the fall germinate in early spring, provided that high-quality planting material is used and the rules for caring for the plant are followed throughout the entire period of growing Eschscholzia from seeds. When to plant seeds in spring? At stable warm weather when the night frosts have passed. Until then, it is recommended to store the planting material in the lowest compartment of the refrigerator.
What should you do after planting escholzia? Caring for it during this period comes down to thinning out the first shoots, which appear in about two weeks. The first procedure is carried out when the sprouts grow to fifteen centimeters. Remove all weak plants, leaving strong and strong shoots. The distance between plants should be about 20 cm.
Sowing technique
In principle, caring for Eschscholzia begins with sowing seeds, which remain viable for a maximum of three years. For sowing, choose a lighted area with dry soil. sandy soil. Shallow grooves should be made in it, into which seeds are sown, mixed with sand for convenience. Planting material slightly buried, and then the surface of the site is covered with a thin layer of earth or peat.
When sowing in autumn, it is advisable to mulch the area with fallen leaves, and the layer should be quite thick.
Growing seedlings
Many gardeners believe that with the seedling method of planting Eschscholzia, caring for it is much easier. When choosing this method, it is necessary to take into account that the plant has a long rod-shaped root system, which can be easily injured when picking. That is why it is advisable to use peat tablets for sowing.
When to plant Eschscholzia seedlings? Typically this work is carried out in late February or early March. In this case, the tablets are placed in a plastic container into which water is poured. When the tablets swell, remove excess moisture from the container. Only one seed should be sown in each tablet. It is convenient to use a wet toothpick. Sprinkle the seeds on top with a thin layer of seedling soil. The tablets should be slightly moistened from a spray bottle.
Cover the top of the container plastic film or a sheet of glass. You will see the first shoots after fifteen days. After this, the shelter can be removed and the container placed in a cool (not higher than +20 °C), well-lit place. It is not difficult to care for seedlings during this period: they should be watered regularly and fertilized after 15 days with mineral liquid fertilizer for seedlings.
Seedlings must undergo a mandatory hardening procedure. It is carried out 20 days before planting seedlings in the ground. To do this, the container with seedlings is transferred once a day to a cooler room, where it should remain for several hours. When transplanted into open ground, hardened seedlings can easily tolerate air temperatures down to -5°C.
Landing in the ground
The time for planting Eschscholzia in open ground depends on the growing region and climatic conditions. As a rule, in middle lane this can be done at the end of April. But you should focus on weather: seedlings are planted only when the threat of return spring frosts has passed.
Landing Features
First, it is necessary to prepare small planting pits at a distance of at least 30 cm, since the Eschscholzia bushes are quite spreading and fluffy. The seedlings are immersed in the hole along with peat tablet, in which she grew up. Then it is covered with soil, which must be compacted well. Then the plants are well watered.
Eschscholzia, planted by seedlings, begins to bloom within a month after sowing the seeds for seedlings.
How to care for a plant?
Planting and caring for Eschscholzia is simple, but has some peculiarities. After the seedlings are planted in open ground, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and also apply timely fertilizers.
Watering is carried out only during a long dry period. If the summer is rainy, then the plant does not need additional moisture. In order for Eschscholzia to bloom long and actively, before flowering it must be fed with mineral fertilizer containing potassium, phosphorus, microelements, and nitrogen. Fresh organic matter should be excluded, as it can cause the death of the plant.
You need to know that eschscholzia reproduces remarkably well by self-seeding, but if you don’t want this, then simply remove fading flowers in time. When the bush has completely faded, cut off all the old stems, and after a while new, young shoots will appear in their place, which will bloom in 15 days.
Caring for Eschscholzia after flowering. How to collect seeds?
Owners of Eschscholzia usually do not collect seeds, since these flowers reproduce well by self-sowing. It is enough to thin out the seedlings in the spring and wait for flowering. Seeds are only needed if you are going to breed this beautiful plant on your site or want to give them to someone. To prevent them from spilling out onto the ground, put gauze bags over several fading flowers.
Then you should wait about four weeks, as the seeds must ripen completely. After this, it is necessary to cut off the boxes - at home, the seed material is removed from them over a sheet of paper.
The seeds must be dried well and poured into a paper bag and placed in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. In such conditions they are stored until spring. If you strictly follow the collection and storage rules, the material will remain viable for three years.
Preparing the plant for winter
We have already said that in nature there are perennial eschscholzia, but in mid-latitudes these flowers are most often cultivated as annuals or biennials. That is why in the fall you should cut off the remains of plants and carefully dig up the area. In the spring, strong seedlings will definitely sprout on it. They need to be thinned out, fertilized - and within four weeks the bushes will delight you with their lush flowering.
Today we told you about a wonderful plant - eschscholzia. Planting and caring for it are procedures that will not cause much trouble even for novice gardeners. Therefore, if you want to grow unpretentious bushes on your site that will delight you with flowering from the beginning of summer until frost, we recommend paying attention to Eschscholzia.
