Eschscholzia californica 'Orange King'
Californian poppy
- approx 500 seeds
- £1.86 £2.19
- In stock (shipped within 2-3 working days)
- 3 × packets of seeds
- £5.10 £6.00 £1.70 each
- In stock (shipped within 2-3 working days)
Delivery options
- Seed Packets (only) £2.99
- Position: full sun
- Soil: poor, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: June to September
- Hardiness: hardy annual
Fabulous for a feast of fiery orange blooms with delicate silvery-grey foliage, ‘Orange King’ is a popular, long-flowering, bushy hardy annual providing months of colour. Scatter this gorgeous Californian poppy around path edges and border gaps, or sprinkle seed into pots and containers and enjoy months of vibrant colour.
Choose a site in full sun with well-drained soil; they thrive in poor, sandy ground and don’t need enriched compost or ground. Water sparingly once established, as they are drought-tolerant and dislike waterlogged soil. Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering. Little to no feeding is required, as too much fertiliser encourages leaves rather than flowers.
Prepare the bed well and sow Californian poppy seeds shallowly into drills from from March to May where they are to flower. When large enough to handle thin out the seedlings to 10-15cm (6in) apart, taking care not to damage the tap roots of the retained seedlings. Water when necessary, but avoid excessively wet conditions. Seeds sown in late summer and early autumn will flower earlier than those sown in spring.
