Californian Poppy 'Carmine King' (Eschscholzia californica) seeds

Gaudily beautiful Californian Poppy variety with petals of a richly luminous pink and a golden yellow centre that transfixes the gaze. These flamboyant flowers contrast strikingly with the fern-like, blue-green leaves. Californian Poppy is an annual, but a very worthwhile summer plant for the garden, producing its beautiful flowers all through the season.

As its name suggests, Californian Poppy originates from North America. There, because it readily self-seeds, you can see whole areas covered with its luminous flowers – a truly magical sight.

As a member of the poppy family, Californian Poppy forms the tap root typical of this plant type. This means it’s best to sow the seed directly where you want it to grow, as it doesn’t like being transplanted. In every other respect Californian Poppy is low-maintenance and very easy to care for. It copes well with dry conditions and flowers all season long – from June right through into autumn. This delicate but robust plant is a favourite in natural gardens, rockeries, prairie and grassland plantings, and cottage gardens. Unfortunately it is not suitable as a cut flower – the blooms wilt as soon as they are cut.