California Poppy (Eschscholzia
californica) is a wildflower. They have bright orange, yellow, white,
or rose-colored flowers that bloom in late
spring. The foliage is a distinctive blue-green with a feathery, lacey
texture.
They are also known as golden poppy, California
sunlight, or cup of gold. They are the official state flower of California
and are native to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. They are hardy to
USDA zones 8-10.
They need a location with at least 6 hours of full, direct
sun.
California Poppy prefers fast-draining, poor to average
soil; avoid heavy, wet clay, which causes root rot.
Direct-sowing is best, as they dislike root disturbance.
Scatter seeds on prepared soil. There is no need to cover them with soil or
mulch.
In the Mid-Atlantic, we grow them as a cool-season annual.
In our region, it is best to direct-sow California Poppy seeds in late autumn for early spring growth
-- or in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.
Water them sparingly. They are drought-tolerant once
established.
They generally do not need to be fertilized as too much
fertilizer reduces blooms.
To encourage more flowers, remove the spent blooms, but
leave a few up to self-seed for next year.
They are generally considered to be deer-resistant due
to their bitter taste and toxicity.
California Poppies attract native bees and many other pollinators.
CaliforniaPoppy: You Can Grow That!
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For our May 2026 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away two pairs of tickets to a showing of The Gardener on Wednesday, May 20, at the Miracle Theater in Washington, DC (a $30 value).
The Gardener is a fictional movie. A powerful cosmetics heiress retreats to a remote mountaintop garden cottage while fighting to protect her family legacy. An unexpected connection with a mysterious gardener leads her on a soulful journey of healing, self-discovery, and transformation. You can listen to our interview with the film’s director at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-281-healing.html.
As a bonus prize, anyone who buys a ticket to this showing is entered into a drawing to win The Gardener Book and a $100 gift certificate for flower bulbs. See more about the movie at https://themiracletheatre.com/events/the-gardener/.
To enter to win one of the pairs of tickets, send an email by 5:00pm on Friday, May 15 to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “The Gardener Movie” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us about your favorite movie featuring gardens in it. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on May 16. Replies might be published.
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with horticulturist Peggy Anne Montgomery of the Garden Media Group about Summer Bulbs. The plant profile is on Lamb's Ear and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on "The Easiest Mushrooms to Grow" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
This week was another week of hardly any rain -- a big storm was promised, but we didn't get much here. Temps were cool and windy.
I harvested Asparagus, Cilantro, and Lettuce. I offered bunches of Cilantro on my local Buy Nothing group thinking they might want them for Cinco de Mayo - -so far, no takers!
Pictured at right are the Blackberries that are forming. I checked on the Strawberries and they are settling in.
The intern's Kale and Lettuce plants are doing fine and should be ready to harvest next week.
The Dill seedlings (shown above) need thinning and I did a bit of weeding, but need to do much more.
I still see no sign of the Dahlia plants, so fear they did not make it through the harsh winter.
In the pollinator strip, I found Borage and Brazilian Verbena seedlings. I will likely seed in some Marigolds and Zinnias there too.
What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?
About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 15th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).
Azaleas are flowering shrubs that are members of
the Rhododendron genus. They are native to North America, Asia, and
Europe. Their flowers dazzle in shades of shimmering pinks and pale peaches to
deep reds and pure white. Evergreen azaleas are in the subgenus Pentanthera and deciduous azaleas
are in the subgenus Tsutsutsi.
They are generally hardy to USDA zones 6-9, though there are a few cold-hardy
varieties available as well.
You can put together collection of early-, mid-and late-season
blooming varieties and have an azalea flowering in your garden for six months
or more… and with the newer re-blooming varieties, the flowering season can
extend practically all the way through the year.
Plant them in the fall or early spring in a part-sun
location where they can attain their full size and you will never need to prune
them. They do not love to be in hot afternoon sun and prefer an acidic soil,
but basically they are low-maintenance and rewarding shrubs that can live over
100 years.
If you do wish to prune them, do so right after they finish
flowering, so you don’t cut off next year’s buds. Remove dead or damaged
branches at any time of year.
A mulch of pine bark, pine needles, or wood chips helps to
keep moisture in the ground, even out changes in the soil temperature, and
keep weeds out. Fertilize azaleas after their spring bloom using a
slow-release, acid-loving plant food and water the fertilizer in
well.
Azaleas are easily propagated from cuttings or by layering.
Species azaleas can also be grown true from seed .
Pollinators love azaleas. In particular, white-blooming
kinds attract nighttime moths and red-blooming ones attract hummingbirds.
Azaleas are long cherished as symbols of spring and
renewal. They are extremely popular landscape plants due to their brightly
colored blooms, long-lasting flowers, and their ease of cultivation. 2026 is
the Year of the Azalea and April is Azalea Month. Find out more about azaleas
at the Azalea Society of America website:https://azaleas.org/.
Azaleas
– you can grow that!
2026 is the #yearoftheazalea
And #AprilisAzaleaMonth
Benjamin Y. Morrison, the famed horticulturalist who was the
founder and first director of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, is
noted for cross-breeding different strains of azaleas to produce the Glenn Dale
cultivars, which are prevalent today throughout the eastern United States.
Morrison lived in Takoma Park, MD, and many of his Glenn Dale introductions can
be seen throughout the city’s private home gardens and public parks.
"Every child needs to learn how to cook, learn how to cultivate a garden and plant seeds, learn about sustainability, be taken to a garden and be able to put their hands in the earth."
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with horticulture manager Ella Engstrom about the garden history of Tudor Place. The plant profile is on Canterbury Bells and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on "Dividing Rhubarb" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
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