Fried Egg Poppy

A few years ago when I was planning the south garden a very knowledgeable woman named Helen recommended that I try to find some “Fried Egg Poppies” after I had shown her pictures of my house and the area to be planted.  She said they would do really well with the heat and sun next to the retaining wall, and would fit with what I was trying to do.  I went away with the name in my head and began my search for the Romneya Coulteri or Matilija Poppy.

All of the information I encountered at first indicated that it would not be easy to propagate.  They don’t transplant well.  They don’t want soil that is too rich or wet.  The seeds require unusual and special conditions in order to germinate.  They  thrive in areas where wildfire has occurred because of the effect of the smoke and the fire on the seeds and soil. Some determined gardeners have triggered the seed to germinate by planting them in soil in a pot and burning sawdust on top of the soil.  Some people claim you can achieve this same result by soaking the seeds in unleaded gasoline for one night.  The seeds must be drained and left out so the gasoline can evaporate before planting.

All of this sounded way too iffy and difficult to me.  I like to keep it simple in the garden.  Life is already complicated enough,  so I called Swanson’s and asked them to find some starts for me.  I think I paid around $12.00 per gallon pot – not cheap but you won’t need to buy more than a couple if you put them in the right place.  I planted them so that they have a sunny and hot southern exposure.  I watered them a bit the first year, but now I never water them, ever.  The picture tells the rest of the story, right?  My only worry about them now is that they will take over the entire border.

Matilijas Gone Wild

Romneya Coulteri (also known as California Tree Poppy) is a perennial and native of California. Unlike other varieties of the poppy, it is smooth with grey-green stems and foliage.  It spreads by means of runners and can become invasive once they are established.  They can reach a height of around 7 feet. The blooms have a subtle sweet fragrance to them, but you may not even notice it unless you get up close. I am going to experiment with potting up some of the runners and see if I can propagate them for some other areas of the garden, as well as give some away.

In May this year it was fun to watch my neighbors walking by and see their faces light up at the sight of the giant fried eggs blooming at almost eye level.  Now it’s almost August and they are still going strong, towering as high as the sunflowers.  I will cut them down early next spring and they will come back even more prolific and bushy.