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About 500 years ago, in the 16th century, a ship with gold miners landed on the shores of North America. Travelers have heard about the lands "filled with gold". Back on the coast, treasure hunters saw a bright golden glow. But when they got there, they were very disappointed. After all, the blooming flowers of Eschsholzia turned out to be the source of the radiance. Since then, in Spain, this plant has been called "Copa de Ora", which means "golden bowl".
Description of the plant
Eshsholzia received its name in honor of the Russian zoologist, doctor, naturalist and biologist I.F. von Eschsholz. After all, it was he who brought the first seeds of these unusually beautiful flowers to Russia.
Many gardeners have already fallen in love with a beautiful foreigner for their unpretentious care, beautiful flowers and a long flowering period. The flowerbeds on which Escholzia grows adorn the front gardens from the beginning of June until almost until winter.
Each flower opens its petals within 3-4 days. But to replace the withering inflorescence, several more bright buds bloom.
The Escholzia flower belongs to the Poppy family. It has several other names - "California Poppy" and "Wormwood". The homeland of flowers is sunny California, on the territory of which more than ten species of plants belonging to the Poppy family grow.
Over the past few decades, thanks to the efforts of breeders, many new varieties of Escholzia have appeared, which delight flower growers with bright inflorescences of a wide variety of shades.
The Escholzia flower is a herbaceous, bushy, perennial plant with a tap root system. The average height is up to 40 cm. On the territory of Russia it is grown as an annual.
The flower is distinguished by thin and numerous shoots. Openwork leaves of a faded green color are located on long petioles.
Escholzia bushes are covered with numerous single, bowl-shaped flowers. The size of flowers in diameter reaches 8-10 cm, depending on the variety. Simple, double, white, matte, orange, red or yellow - the look and color of each variety is amazing!
A special feature of Escholzia flowers is their flowering. In sunny weather, the buds open and give flower growers the opportunity to enjoy the enchanting beauty. But in bad weather or with the onset of evening, its petals are tightly closed.
After flowering, in place of the wilted bud, a seed box with a diameter of 3 to 9 cm is formed, in which there are small Escholzia seeds.
You can collect and harvest flower seeds yourself. For this, the seed pods are harvested at maturity and dried in a dry, dark place.
Types and varieties of flowers
In the wild, the flowers of Eschscholzia are golden in color. Petals in the amount of 4-6 pieces are arranged in the form of a bowl. But at the moment, thanks to the hard work of breeders, many new varieties have appeared, differing not only in a variety of colors, but also in inflorescences. There are varieties with double and double flowers of orange, yellow, red, white, burgundy tones. Look at the photo, how beautiful are grown from the seeds of Escholzia.
Ivory castle
Russian size Gold (terry grade)
Apple blossom
Californian Mikado
Cranberry juice
Pink champagne
Pink chiffon
Pay attention to the following varieties that have recently appeared on the market, but have already gained popularity:
- Carmine King - bright pink flowers with a white center;
- Terry dwarf - double flowers of 2-3 shades with bright flashes;
- Ballerina - delicate white flowers with silky petals;
- Plum wine is simple, purple-violet flowers.
It is possible to list the varieties of Eschsholzia for a long time. But not a single photo can fully reflect the enchanting beauty and delicate tremor of flowers.
Growing secrets
Despite the fact that the flowers are unpretentious, there are still several secrets of growing Escholzia from seeds, which every florist needs to know about:
- Before planting, the seeds of the California poppy must be subjected to mandatory stratification;
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You can sow seeds in the fall, which is called "before winter". Thus, the seeds will undergo natural, that is, natural, stratification. But you can plant flowers in early spring, or grow by seedling.
- The root system of flowers is very fragile. Therefore, when growing seedlings, the picking process is excluded.
- Flowers react very painfully to excess moisture. The roots begin to rot and the plant may die.
- The site for Escholzia should be sunny.
In general, it will not be difficult to grow Eschsholzia. And even a novice florist can cope with this.
Sowing Eschsholzia in autumn
Sowing flowers outdoors in autumn is one of the easiest ways to grow Escholzia from seed, when planting the plants does not take you much time and effort.
The advantages of planting flowers in autumn are as follows:
- During the winter, the seed material will undergo natural stratification.
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In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, friendly, green shoots will appear on your flower beds.
- Eschsholzia, planted before winter, blooms much earlier than spring or grown with seedlings.
- Autumn planting greatly facilitates the process of planting and caring for flowers.
Before planting Eschsholzia with seeds in the fall, determine a sunny area for the future flower bed. It is very important that melt water does not stagnate in the chosen place. Finding a suitable site is very simple - remember where the snow melts fastest in spring. Plant flowers at this place.
Escholzia loves light, sandy, fertile soil. It is advisable to add a little sand (3-5 kg per m²) and humus or peat (2-3 kg per m²) to the soil before sowing. Dig well and level the area a week before planting so that there are no pits and bumps on it.
Sow seeds in dry or slightly damp soil. Make shallow, 6-8 cm deep grooves. Eshsholzia seeds must first be mixed with sand so that later plantings are not too thickened. Sow seeds, line the grooves, and mulch the area with dry leaves, peat, spruce branches.
In the spring, you only need to thin out the seedlings, if necessary.
When planting Eschsholzia in open ground in the spring, it is not necessary to mulch the plantings. But if there is a threat of frost, cover the plantings with lutrasil or film.
Growing flowers by seedling method
If you decide to start growing Echscholzia from seeds at home, put the seed material in the bottom compartment of the refrigerator. In this way, you will both preserve the seeds and stratify them.
Do not forget that when growing Escholzia flowers for seedlings, the picking process is excluded. This is due to the peculiarity of the root system of the California poppy.The slightest damage to the roots - and the plant will inevitably die.
Therefore, experienced gardeners, when growing Escholzia, when it is time to plant seeds, prefer to use peat tablets, plastic disposable or collapsible cups for growing seedlings, as in the photo.
The main thing is to preserve the integrity of the root system during transplantation.
Growing seedlings
Planting Eshsholzia for seedlings is not particularly difficult. When sowing flowers in peat tablets, you need to properly prepare containers:
- Place the tablets in a plastic container.
- Pour water into the pan and wait for the tablets to absorb the water. Top up with water if necessary.
- The peat tablets will be ready to use when they no longer absorb moisture. Drain excess water from the pallet and start planting.
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Eschsholzia's seeds are very small. It is very convenient to place them in planting containers using a wet toothpick. Place 2 seeds in each tablet, and sprinkle them with a small layer of soil.
- Irrigate the plantings with a spray bottle and place in a warm, bright place. It is undesirable for the seedlings to be exposed to direct sunlight.
When sowing Eschsholzia for seedlings in plastic or collapsible glasses, the planting method is no different from planting other flowers.
Water the seedlings as the soil dries up. In no case should you fill in the plantings. Watch the microclimate of the room. Optimum air temperature + 21˚С + 23˚С, humidity - no more than 40% -55%.
The first green shoots will delight you in 1.5-2 weeks. If you wish, you can feed the seedlings of Eschsholzia flowers with complex mineral fertilizers 15-20 days after the germination of the seeds.
At least 2-3 weeks before the intended transplant of Eschsholzia in open ground, the seedlings must be hardened. Accustomed to home conditions, grown from the seeds of Echscholzia is not resistant to frost and sudden changes in ambient temperature.
Hardening should begin with an open window, at which boxes or pallets with seedlings should be placed. Subsequently, the planting must be taken out to the veranda or balcony. At first, the "walk" time is 30-40 minutes. Gradually increase the duration up to 3-4 hours. After hardening, the seedlings will be able to withstand a temperature drop down to -5˚С.
Open ground transplant
You can transplant Eschsholzia into open ground when the air temperature warms up to + 18˚С + 22˚С. The optimal planting dates in the southern regions of Russia are in the second half of April. But in regions with a more severe climate, you should not start a transplant before the second half of May.
The flower garden must be prepared in advance. Add sand and humus and dig up the soil thoroughly. Prepare small holes 15-20 cm deep. The distance between the planting holes should be at least 30-35 cm, as Eschsholzia bushes grow rapidly.
Carefully, trying not to disturb the earthen lump, arrange the seedlings in the planting pit. Fill the voids with soil. At the base of the flower, compact the soil and water the future flower garden.
It is advisable to water Escholzia from a watering can, in the early morning or late afternoon. Make sure that moisture does not accumulate in large quantities in the flower beds.
The first buds on young bushes will appear within 30-40 days after sowing.
Follow-up care
After planting in open ground, Eschsholzia flowers do not require special care. Every florist has long known such activities as weeding and loosening.
It is not necessary to water the flower beds with Eschsholzia too often.Thanks to the long roots, the plant can absorb moisture from the deep layers of the soil. Therefore, watering is required for flowers only during the dry season. In normal weather, the California poppy has enough moisture, which comes with rain and dew.
To stimulate abundant and prolonged flowering, you can fertilize Escholzia with mineral fertilizer, which contains potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. The feeding scheme is as follows:
- 1st time - during open ground transplant;
- 2nd time - in 3-4 weeks.
As soon as the first buds appear on the bushes, fertilizers should be discarded.
In the absence of mineral fertilizing, you can fertilize the soil with ash during the transplantation of Escholzia flowers. Just add a handful of ash to each well.
Having grown Escholzia once, you can admire its bright, unique buds every year. Flowers reproduce beautifully on their own by scattering seeds. If you do not plan or for some reason do not want Escholzia to grow erratically, remove wilted buds every week.
When the Californian poppy bushes have completely faded, remove the old shoots from the flower bed - the wormwood grows very quickly. In place of the old plant, young shoots will soon appear, which will bloom magnificently in a few weeks.
Diseases and pests
Despite the unpretentiousness in care and high resistance to many diseases and pests, when growing Escholzia flowers from seeds, it is important to strictly adhere to the recommendations of flower growers.
Like all plants, Escholzia can be attacked by the bean aphid in June. The drug "Commander" will help you to cope with these insects.
In sultry, dry summers, many flower beds are attacked by spider mites, which you can remove with the help of Actellik insecticides.
Excessive watering will invariably lead to rotting of the root system and the aerial part of the plant. When the first signs of decay appear, stop watering and remove damaged foliage. It is better to remove heavily damaged bushes of Eschsholzia entirely in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
In case of flower disease with powdery mildew, plants should be treated with sulfur.
How to collect seeds
Collecting Eschsholzia seeds makes sense if you want to share it with someone or want to plant it elsewhere. For this, thin, cotton bags are put on the seed pods. After the seeds ripen, that is, about a month after the buds wither, cut the boxes off the bush.
At home, you need to gently shake out the seeds from the bags and seed pods and dry. Fold the finished seed material in paper bags and place in the refrigerator in the lower drawer. Seed material should be stored there until spring. Eshsholzia flower seeds remain viable for 3-4 years.
If you want to admire the delicate and beautiful flowers of Escholzia without much hassle and next summer, in the fall, before the frost, remove the old bushes and dig up the soil. In the spring, dense, strong shoots will appear in the flower garden. A couple of weeks after the seeds germinate, you only need to thin out the plantings and apply fertilizer to the soil.
In about a month, your flower beds will again be decorated with the tremulous and beautiful flowers of Eschsholzia.
More about the features of growing Escholzia from seeds: when to plant and how to care, the author of the video will tell you:
Conclusion
The rules of agricultural technology for growing Escholzia from seeds are so simple that even a novice florist can cope with this matter. With the help of these uncomplicated, but eye-catching flowers, you can not only decorate your personal plot, but also make up various compositions in landscape design.
