When I lived in California I noticed these poppies would overwinter and bloom again. The only question is, why hasn't it bloomed already this year? Did you have a late spring?

I have trouble getting it to bloom at all. On the few occasions they've germinated, they disappeared again without coming to anything. Anyone know the secret? I've direct sowed in winter, spring and summer. Do they prefer alkaline soil?

Wardw, I should imagine that spring generally comes a good deal earlier in California, particularly southern. Whether the plant is coming into bloom late for this country, I don't yet know.

Garden Nerd, the reason I have just one plant is that I sowed most of the seeds direct, and the same happened to me. They didn't seem to survive past the tiny seedling stage if they germinated at all. Could have fallen victim to snails or got dug up by cats, I suppose. Then I tried germinating a seed in a pot and transferred it later. That was my one success, which grew and bloomed nicely for quite a long time. If I try growing any more from seed again I will ignore the 'sow direct' instructions.

I'd not expect them to be flowering for about a month yet

Resin

Ah, thanks, lori. I assumed, being poppies, that they would not like root disturbance. I also think they like to self-sow THEMSELVES. Obviously independent-minded plants, so will try to get just one to flower and drop seed directly, as I've found that other poppies keep themselves going in my garden in this way. It might also be a question of the seed needing to be really fresh for best results.
I think I'll try sowing a large seed tray full and planting them out as a mat. The lazy gardener's way!

Eschscholzia is a complex genus which contains both annuals and perennials, plus some biennials. Many of the latest cultivars are hybrids, so god knows what behaviour you should expect. They grow and flower from seed in a few weeks in the right conditions, but lack of sun here seems to slow them down a lot so they don't flower until late spring. They flower in April in the wild. The good news is they can keep going all summer if you deadhead and keep them watered, but in the wild they are history after a few weeks.

my california poppies normally bloom for 2 years. the second being better then the first. i live in alabama, us, zone 7b.

If you have a nice shingly area that gets plenty of reflected heat and all day sun they'll probably do their best.

They do well beside airport runways, along state highways, river beds and waste ground. Not bad in a mixed 'wildflower' sowing for these conditions.

The colours-not-orange will probably go for a couple of years but the soft living gets them in the end.

yes, I have been lucky with these; I've had some survive the winter and they do flower again. They self-seed an awful lot as well.
Garden Nerd re."I have trouble getting it to bloom at all. On the few occasions they've germinated, they disappeared again". The answer may be that they like poor soil. Perhaps you're pampering them too much (i.e being a good gardener!). Works with everything else but these don't like it and they like poor soil.

I have had caifornia poppies in my garden for years. I brought the seed home with me from a friend over there. I promptly lost the seed when I got home, then found it the following year. I didn't think they would germinate but thought what the heck, I think just about every one did. I now have drifts of them each year. They self seed but the plants themselves seem to do 2yrs. They flower from about mid May on here, don't let them dry out completely though or they will dissapear. Good luck!

Here too, not in flower yet. They self-seed very easily - in fact I have more success that way than by actually sowing the seeds myself, though I do chuck half a packet of seeds onto the ground every year! They overwinter very well, in spite of our -10°C temperatures, and flower again the following year. Am not really sure whether each individual plant lasts more than two years. They are in full sun (which is quite hot here, south of Lyons), and get no watering except when it rains. As someone said above, I believe, they seem to be rather independent, and like to do it their own way! Nice plants, though, plenty of colour.

Just as an update on this topic, thanks for all the answers. I'm glad I asked because it's flowering fantastically well in its 2nd year, much better than last. I shall take 'annual' labels with a pinch of salt in future unless I see the thing dying off in winter. I am not deadheading in the hope that it self-seeds this time around.

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