California Poppy Plant Profile

California Poppy Plant Profile

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.

California  Poppy: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Additional Video and Editing by Aicha Bangoura

 

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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Borage Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/borage-plant-profile.html

~ Calendula Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/calendula-plant-profile.html

~ Yarrow Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/06/yarrow-plant-profile.html

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Bloodroot Plant Profile

Bloodroot Plant Profile

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a perennial plant that is native to the eastern half of North America.It is also known as Redroot, Bloodwort, Canada Puccoon, Red Puccoon, Black Paste, and Indian Paint. The common names derive from the fact that Native Americans used the red juice from the roots and stems of the plant as a dye and insect repellent.

It has a short-lived, white flowers in early spring and the foliage is lobed and stays in a short mound.

It is hardy to USDA zones 3 to 8. It is a member of the Poppy family.

Bloodroot prefers to grow in part- to full-shade in well-drained, humus-rich soils.

The seeds of the plant are dispersed by ants. The plant can also spread and form a nice groundcover under trees.

This woodland plant is a spring ephemeral – meaning that it will go dormant and disappear by mid-summer, similar to cyclamen. It is best to move or divide it just before its summer dormancy.

Bloodroot is pollinated by native bees.

It is deer-resistant due to toxic alkaloids in the leaves and roots.

Bloodroot: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Additional Video and Editing by Aicha Bangoura

Supplemental photos from Wiki Commons

 

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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Trout Lily Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/04/trout-lily-plant-profile.html

~ Virginia Bluebells Plant Profile

 https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/04/plant-profile-virginia-bluebells.html

~ Spring Beauty Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/plant-profile-spring-beauty-claytonia.html

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St. John's Wort Plant Profile

St. John's Wort Plant Profile

St. John's Wort (Hypericum spp.) is a dense, mounding shrub or woody perennial plant often used as a groundcover. It has large, bright-yellow flowers that bloom in summer.

It prefers to grow in fertile, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It is hardy to zones 4 to 8. It is deer-resistant and also drought-tolerant once established.

You can prune them in late summer after flowering to neaten up their appearance.

St John’s Wort can be used as a low border or informal hedge. They are often planted on slopes for erosion control.

The common St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) came over from Europe with the colonists and is prized for its medicinal uses. It gets its common name from St. John the Baptist, whose saint’s day is June 24, which is the traditional date to harvest the flowers. Other common names for it include Goatweed, Devil’s Scourge, and God’s Wonder Plant – among many others.

The Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) is native to the Mid-Atlantic region and eastern half of the United States. It prefers rocky soils, but is clay-tolerant.

The Kalm St. John's Wort (Hypericum kalmianum) is native to the Great Lakes region. It grows to about 3 feet high.

The Golden St. John's Wort 'Sunburst' (Hypericum frondosum) is native to the American south. It grows to about 4 feet high and is more heat-tolerant than other varieties, but it is also more susceptible to root rot when planted in damp soils.

St. John's Wort: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Video and editing by Taylor Edwards

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

 

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Yarrow Plant Profile

Yarrow Plant Profile

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial plant that is used in pollinator gardens, meadows, as a groundcover, and in herb gardens.

It is native to North America, Asia, and Europe. It is hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 9.

The leaves are soft and have a fern-like appearance. The flowers are available in a range of colors including white, yellow, pink, red, or peachy tones. It attracts bees and butterflies to your garden.

Yarrow likes full sun, heat, and good drainage. Plant it in average to poor soils. If given rich soils or fertilizers, it grows leggy and flops over.

The plant is drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.

It makes an excellent cut flower and also dries easily for preserving it.

Deadhead the first flush of blooms when they start to fade, to encourage a second round of blooms later in the summer.

It is used as a healing herb for wounds and it has been used for centuries to brew beer as well as tea.

Yarrow is easy to propagate by digging and dividing a section and then replanting the clumps. It can also self-sow. Warning: this plant can be an aggressive spreader.

Yarrow: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Video and editing by Taylor Edwards

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

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Penstemon Plant Profile

Penstemon Plant Profile

Beardtongue (Penstemon spp.) is a North American native plant that is often used in pollinator gardens. The flower is tubular and similar in looks to a miniature snapdragon. Penstemon is a nectar source for specialized native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Plant it in full sun. It is hardy to USDA Zones 3–10. There are dwarf selections and species that can grow up to five feet tall. Typically, most Penstemon cultivars are about three feet tall.

Penstemon is deer- and rabbit-resistant. It is also drought-tolerant and not picky about soil types. It does not need compost, aged manure, or really any fertilizer.

However, this tough wildflower is known to be a short-lived perennial, so allow it to self-seed to extend the life of the plant in your garden or divide and replant it in the spring.

In recent years, new breeding programs of Penstemons have brought us plants with dark foliage and longer lives, including ‘Husker Red’, the Perennial Plant of the Year in 1996. ‘Dark Towers’, ‘Blackbeard’, and 'Midnight Masquerade’ have joined the Penstemon parade in recent years.

The Royal Horticulture Society has more than 950 Penstemon in its plant lists.

Two species native to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed region are Eustis Creek Beardtongue (Penstemon australis) and Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), and one species native to the eastern U.S. is Penstemon smallii.

Penstemon: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Video and editing by Taylor Edwards

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

 

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Plant Profile: Wild Violet

Wild Violets (Viola sp.) are a sweet little wildflower with heart-shaped foliage and tiny purple flowers. There is also the closely related Confederate Violet, which has white flowers with purple streaks.

A lawn of Wild Violets can be a lovely sight in early spring, though some consider this dainty flower to be more of a weed than a welcome garden plant. However, they are a native wildflower that is the host plant for several kinds of fritillary butterflies and can have a place in your home landscape.  They make a nice groundcover in a woodland garden and can also be grown easily in a container.

They need virtually no care, except to cut the ground-level brown flowers back to prevent seeding, if you do not want them to reproduce by self-sowing. They also expand in clumps through underground rhizomes.

Wild Violets are edible and are a favorite of foragers. You can eat both the flowers and foliage. A purple syrup can be made from the flowers to flavor a cocktail and add a fun coloring to baked goods.

Wild Violets - You Can Grow That!

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The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Visuals by Khloe Quill
Audio by Kathy Jentz

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Plant Profile: Wild Ageratum

Wild Ageratum or Blue Mistflower  (Conoclinium coelestinum or Eupatorium coelestinum) is an Eastern native plant. It is in the aster family and blooms from mid-summer through mid-autumn. It prefers full to part sun and is hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 10.

This plant has an annual look-a-like – the short bedding plant Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum). It is also a close relative of Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) and is known alternatively as Blue Boneset.

Wild Ageratum likes moist, fertile soils and can spread aggressively. It is easy to pull out the rhizomes though and if reseeding is a concern, remove the spent flower heads before they go to seed. 

It can grow to 2 to 3 feet tall. To prevent flopping and prolong the bloom period, taller plants may be cut back in summer.

Pollinators are fond of it and deer seldom trouble it.

Wild Ageratum is hard to find at the garden center, but you can try native plant sales or ask for a springtime division from a gardening friend.

Wild Ageratum - You Can Grow That!

 The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Visuals by Nicole Noechel
Audio by Kathy Jentz

 

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Wildflower Wednesday: Blue (and White) Lobelia

Blue Lobelia also known as Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia siphilitica) is a native perennial wildflower that is adaptable to many growing conditions.

I have mine in a large container in part shade, but it does well also along woodland edges, stream beds, and even in clay soils. Mine came to me from a local plant swap and is the gift that keeps on giving.

It has no pest problems, is deer-resistant and tolerates drought. The best part is that it blooms for over 6 weeks straight for me an the bees love it.  





The white version is just as tough, though I have found it harder to propagate it. The blue version seeds around a bit, but it is clump-forming and is easy to pull and replant it where you'd like it to spread.


Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from all over the world. It was started by Gail Eichelberger on her "Clay and Limestone" blog. It is always on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Wildflower Wednesday: Chicory

For this month's Wildflower Wednesday share, I have chosen a roadside perennial weed that is one of those love-it-or-hate-it plants -- Chicory (Cichorium intybus). Personally, I find Chicory quite charming. Those sky-blue flowers in mid- to late summer are a welcome sight growing out of the sidewalk cracks and along my hellstrip planting.

The stems are tough as old leather. Just try to pull them by hand., I dare you! After they finish flowering, I take a pruner and cut back the spindly foliage that tends to stick out at odd angles and that is all the maintenance I give it. Likes its cousin, the Dandelion, this is another edible weed that came over with the European settlers and quickly naturalized.

This plant has a long history of medicinal uses as well as folklore around it. Lately, it has been cultivated as a forage crop for horses.

I find it to be a lovely counterpoint to wild (ditch) daylilies. The colors are so striking together and they both tolerate roadside plantings with compacted, saline soils.

Occasionally, it blooms in white or pale pink hues, which is a treat to see. The flowers open in the morning and close up at night.

Sadly, Chicory makes a horrible cut-flower. I have attempted it a few times and find that it wilts fast. Best to enjoy it popping up in barren spots along your summer strolls and country drives.

Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from all over the world. It was started by Gail Eichelberger on her "Clay and Limestone" blog. It is always on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Wildflower Wednesday: Spiderwort

For this month's Wildflower Wednesday post, I am sharing a humble and lovely plant -- Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana). I first came across this flower 15 years ago at a neighborhood yard sale, where they had self-sown all along the driveway. The neighbor was selling plants from her garden for a few bucks each so I asked for a piece of this plant and brought it home to plant along a newly laid-out garden bed in fairly dry, part-shade.

Since this it has reliably returned and self-seeded along the path here-and-there, but is not aggressive and never need any care. I mean literally ZERO care. I never cut it back, water it, fertilize it, weed it nada, nothing. It has no serious insect or disease problems plus a long blooming period. Occasionally, a stem falls over into the pathway. I simple step on it and keep going -- it is that resilient.

If you are looking for a native wildflower to plant that is truly no-maintenance, Spiderwort is a great choice.

Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from all over the world. It was started by Gail Eichelberger on her "Clay and Limestone" blog. It is always on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

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Wildflower Wednesday: Bachelor's Buttons

This month I decided to dive into Gail Eichelberger's Wildflower Wednesday garden blog meme. For my first entry, I chose a wildflower that has self-sown in my community garden plot and is blooming abundantly right now -- Bachelor's Buttons aka Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus).

Though they are not native to the Eastern US, they have naturalized well and provide a nice food pollinator source. They do self-seed, but are easy enough to yank out where you don't want them and don't run riot over other plants.

This old-fashioned heirloom is great as a cut flower, and, of course, worn as a boutonniere or stuck in a hat band!

By the way, they are famous for their brilliant blue color, but they also come in white and pinks.

You will find Bachelor's Buttons in most commercial "wildflower" seed mixes or you can buy straight Bachelor's Buttons seed packs. They need little from you. Just a spot in full sun. If they get too leggy, simply cut them back or place a tomato cage or peony ring around them.

Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from all over the world. It was started by Gail Eichelberger on her "Clay and Limestone" blog. It is always on the fourth Wednesday of the month.