Hallo, and welcome to the forum. California poppies, aka Escholtzia, are annuals, half-hardy in the UK. You can grow them from seed, but they need warmth and light to germinate. Then you keep them indoors, in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill, until there is no likelihood of frost, then plant them in a sunny spot.
A couple of years ago, I was given one tiny, scrawny plant in a pot, I planted it in a south-facing border and it performed its socks off. They don't grow tall, but this one made a dense, bushy plant that covered about two square feet, and had hundreds of flowers all summer long. I was hoping it would self-seed, but no such luck. Last year I bought a packet of seed but didn't succeed, I have only a little plastic greenhouse. I'm going to try them on the kitchen windowsill this year.
They grow fast, so you can wait until the weather is a bit warmer, probably April and then just scatter the seed where you want them to grow. They will still give you a ggod show all summer.
The nice thing is, once you have them, you have them forever, as they quite happily self sow. I bought a packet over 20 years ago and have never needed to buy more.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
a.schofield2468
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A couple of years ago, I was given one tiny, scrawny plant in a pot, I planted it in a south-facing border and it performed its socks off. They don't grow tall, but this one made a dense, bushy plant that covered about two square feet, and had hundreds of flowers all summer long. I was hoping it would self-seed, but no such luck. Last year I bought a packet of seed but didn't succeed, I have only a little plastic greenhouse. I'm going to try them on the kitchen windowsill this year.
I bought a packet over 20 years ago and have never needed to buy more.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border