I have to admit…after the fun I had with my presidential candidates inspired native plants I am struggling to continue the series. I love it, but I need to make it more interesting and fun. I am drawing visitors from all over the world so I am asking for your help. Email me you favorite native plant from your state or country and I will put together a write up on it. If you are a fellow blogger, I will also feature your site in the write up. Here are the guidelines that I have given myself for this series:
Must be a native of the state or country.
Must be a good landscape plant – no obscure, puny or hard to grow things…
Try to have some style, grace, particular beauty or interesting feature.
Best if it speaks to a place….like when I see floppy orange poppies…I think of California.
And if you have an interesting story or history to tell about the plant…all the better.
So please join in…I will do all the hard work, I just want to hear from you and get your input.
So on with California. California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are on the simple side when it comes to poppies. The flowers are solitary on long stems with four petals. Their color ranges from yellow to orange and they flower from February to September. Dead easy to grow.
1. diversity is good, 2. California Poppies, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, 3. California Poppy – Closed for the Evening, 4. California Poppies
I am looking forward to a someday visit to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
I am a poppy and daisy type of girl. (and there is a poppy and daisy type). When I got married, I was a pretty easy bride…I had few directives…I just wanted a poppy daisy bouquet. I ended up with wildflowers, because I refused to go silk and poppy- daisy bouquets are difficult.
This is what I was thinking of at the time….
Do you love Poppies and Daisies too? Here are some poppy and Daisy inspired Links.
Great picture of a Swedish poppy and daisy field at pomp and serendipity.
Jamie Oliver (whom I love) named his first two daughters Poppy and Daisy – I love those names!
Poppy and Daisy Liberty Fabric….Liberty may be one of the things I miss most about living in London.
I think artist Nichola Gibbs might also be the poppy daisy type…check out her online gallery.
May I suggest blackfoot daisy as a native for the xeric garden?
How about bluebells for Scotland? Most people associate the thistle with the Scots, but bluebells are also a traditional flower as in this old song:
Oh where, tell me where did your highland laddie dwell?
Oh where, tell me where did your highland laddie dwell?
He dwelt in bonnie Scotland where bloom the sweet bluebells
And it’s oh! in my heart I rue my laddie well.
By the way, I wanted to call my daughter Daisy but ended up calling her Nevada. How’s that for a bit of transatlantic cross-fertilisation?
For California:
Tree: redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
Shrubs: toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca)
Subshrub: Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii)
Perennial: Zauschneria (Epilobium canum)
Annual: Mountain garland (Clarkia elegans)
California’s plant diversity is one of the greatest in the world, and there are many more good garden plants.
These are very pretty flowers. You do good work .
I went to see the poppies for the first time this year. As nice as these picture are; they do not do it justice. It was amazing!!!
Live in Nova Scotia, Canada where the growing season is considerably shorter from that of
California. Fell in love with California poppies (and other things!). I found on Bing an amazing
website of Queen Elizabeth’s formal dresses. When she visited California, (60’s) she wore an
exquisite gown embossed with California poppies. Breathtaking! You will find the time looking
for the dresses well taken.
I visited California this past April,2016, Felt very much at home and would love a return visit.