May 9, 2017
Finding and Planting Matilija Poppies – Romneya coulteri
Finding and Planting Matilija Poppies- Romneya coulteri!-
Bob Sussman
These are matilija poppies alright- now the bigger question is where can you find them, buy them to plant. When and how should you plant them – how to maintain – and what to expect? Ok, it’s been my experience that you can pretty much plant these out any time except summer. The key to successfully planting these is to place them in the hole (after you’ve dig the hole/filled it with water/and let the water drain out) is to NOT BREAK THE ROOTS!!!!. Plant them in a sunny spot and water them – so the water gets down to the roots – about 1x per week. If they just sit and sit and sit and sit until they just begin to grow in late winter you’ve to a good job.
Should you plant them from a 1-gallon nursery pot or a 5-gallon nursery pot? We’ll we have both in inventory but I think I’d plant them from a 1-gallon container- for a couple of reasons. 1st the 1-gallon pots are less expensive $10 vs $25 – and the 1-gallon pots are physically easier to work with. 2nd- once winter rolls around and we get some rain the grow pretty fast- the larger 5-gallon pot may start bigger but they’ll quickly end up the same size. Both sizes are shown below- the 1-gallon pot and the 5-gallon pot.
1-gallon matilija poppies
5-gallon matilija poppies
Now, what to expect? If you plant them now from either a 1 or a 5 gallon pot you should pretty much expect to have flowers next spring. It’s that simple. Note that in sandy soils they can spread, maybe a good thing. They are also excellent in flower arrangements too!
Good luck and as they say “while supplies last”- sold at the nursery only.
