California Poppy Seeds Apple Blossom - Eschscholzia

Eschscholzia californica 'Apple Blossom' is a delightful variety of California poppy baring double flowers in swirling corollas, variegated in different shades ranging from deep pink to peach and cream. The flowers bloom throughout the summer, above finely cut foliage of bluish-green colour. Ideal in flower beds, rock gardens, and borders, these annual plants self-seed spontaneously and are easy to cultivate in any well-drained soil, even poor, but in the sun. 

California Poppy 'Apple Blossom' is derived from Eschscholzia californica, an annual plant with a short lifespan originating from California and the southwestern United States. This plant with a taproot quickly forms a clump of foliage about 25cm (9.8in) in all directions. Its leaves are pinnate, finely cut, with a color that hesitates between bluish-green and attractive grey-green, contrasting with that of the flowers. The flowering takes place from spring to summer, depending on the sowing date. It reveals, in the midst of its foliage, silky-textured flowers measuring 5cm (2in) in diameter, composed of multiple randomly pleated and undulating petals splashed with different cream, peach, salmon pink, delicate pink, and deep pink colours. They only fully open if the sun is generous. The flowering is melliferous and nectariferous. It is followed by the formation of long slender capsules measuring 7 to 8cm (3.1in) in length, with a glaucous green colour, containing tiny seeds that self-seed spontaneously. Plants resulting from sowing may not necessarily be identical to the mother plant, especially if other varieties of California poppies are grown in the garden.

California poppies are a boon for dry gardens, rock gardens, degraded soils, and coastal gardens. They can be sown in perennial beds, natural areas of the garden, or even in pots. They are perfect plants for low-maintenance or weekend gardens. Their colors blend wonderfully with light blues, white, and mauves. They are beautiful but ephemeral in bouquets.