(Eschscholzia californica ‘Ivory Castle’)
Ivory Castle California Poppy is a native cool-weather short-lived perennial flower that grows in open areas, hillsides, and along roads throughout the western United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 12-16” and features bluish-green fern-like leaves and 3” 4 petal cup-shaped white flowers with pale yellow centers. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, is resistant to deer, tolerates drought, is both edible and medicinal, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!
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General Information
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Germination
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Seedlings
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Harvesting
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Seed Saving
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Culinary
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Medicinal
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Companion Planting
Genus: Eschscholzia
Species: californica
Variety: Ivory Castle
Native to: California, Mexico Northwest, Nevada, Oregon, Washington.
Introduced into: Alabama, Algeria, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Baleares, Belgium, Bolivia, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, Chile Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colorado, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, France, Illinois, Juan Fernández Is., Kentucky, Korea, Madeira, Magadan, Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Morocco, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Peru, Primorye, Queensland, Romania, Rwanda, South Australia, Tasmania, Tristan da Cunha, Victoria, Western Australia.
Ease of Growing: Easy
Grown as: Cool Weather Annual: Zones: 4-7
Tender Perennial: Zones: 8-10
Bloom: Spring or early summer
Light: Full Sun
Water: Water seedlings occasionally, but decrease watering as the plants mature; poppies tolerate drought well and will only need watering in periods of extreme dryness.
Soil Moisture: This plant tolerates most soils that drain well.
Attracts Beneficial Insects: Yes. The flowers attract Bees and Butterflies and are resistant to Deer.
Containers?: Yes. Poppies grow well in containers, partly because they are drought tolerant. They add an airy aspect to pots, which gardeners usually pack with plants for eye-catching designs. Use them sparingly so they act as accents rather than focal points. Select large containers with drainage holes in the bottom or sides to prevent waterlogged soil. Fill the pot with a packaged potting mix, not garden soil. Garden soil, in addition to containing weed seeds, becomes very heavy when wet. You can sow seeds directly in the planter, but it is easier to arrange your design if you use transplants. Set the potted poppies and other plants on top of the soil before unpotting; rearrange them until the design suits you. Because many of the plants will not be mature or in flower when you do this, your imagination will need to fill in colors as well as the ultimate heights and spreads of your selections. Unpot the plants and set them in the container at the same level they were growing originally. Try to disturb the roots of the poppies as little as possible. Water the planting well. Water the containers as needed. In hot summer weather you may find yourself watering every day, depending on the plants you combine. Deadhead spent blooms on all plants to keep the plants producing new flowers and to keep the planting attractive.
Height: 16”
Spacing: 10-12”
Sow Depth: 1/4"
Produces: bluish green fern-like leaves and 3” 4 petal cup-shaped white flowers that have pale yellow centers.
USDA Grow Zone: 4-10
Suggested Varieties
(Centaurea cyanus ‘Dwarf Blue’)
Dwarf Blue Cornflower is an annual flower native to Europe that grows in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!
(Centaurea cyanus ‘Tall Blue’)
Tall Blue Cornflower is an annual flower that is native to Europe that can be found growing in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is great as a cut flower!
(Centaurea cyanus ‘Tall Pink’)
Tall Blue Cornflower is an annual flower native to Europe that grows in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!