After Years of Cultivation, Poppies Are Cropping Up in a Many Colors
Question: Do California poppies come in colors other than orange?
S.W., Santa Ana
Answer: These cheery flowers have lacy blue-green foliage, and naturally come in shades of orange or yellow, although after years of cultivation, you can also find other colors, such as pink, rose, red, cream and white.
The following are some available varieties:
* ‘Mission Bells’: cream, pink, orange mix with semi-double blooms.
* ‘Ballerina’: Semi-double flowers with frilled and fluted petals that come in shades of yellow, orange, rose and scarlet.
* ‘Monarch Mixed’: singles and semi-doubles in yellow to cerise.
* ‘Silk Strain’: striking, bronze-tinted foliage. Come in a full-color range with semi-double blooms.
* ‘Apricot flambeau’: creamy yellow petals with ruffled edges and rich orange highlights (Thompson & Morgan seeds).
* ‘Dalli’: vivid deep orange blooms with yellow centers.
* ‘Maritima’: clear lemon-yellow blooms, orange spotted-throat. Low mounder that makes a good border.
* ‘Mahogany Red’: deep rust-red color.
* ‘Thai Silk’: ruffled semi-double often available in single colors and a pink mixture. The best time to plant California poppies is when you would plant other wildflowers: late fall through early winter.
Find seeds at a variety of locations, including the Theodore Payne Foundation ([818] 768-1802), which also sells books on California wildflowers.
Larner Seeds in Bolinas, CA ([415] 868-9407), carries true wildflowers used by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, as does Tree of Life Nursery on Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano, ([949] 728-0685).
The Fullerton Arboretum ([714] 278-3579) has California poppy seeds in individual packets.
Have a problem in your yard? University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners are here to help. These trained and certified horticultural volunteers are dedicated to extending research-based, scientifically accurate information to the public about home horticulture and pest management. They are involved with a variety of outreach programs, including the UCCE Master Garden hotline, which provides answers to specific questions. You can reach the hotline at (714) 708-1646 or send e-mail to ucmastergardeners@yahoo.com. Calls and e-mail are picked up daily and generally returned within two to three days.
