Poppies...help needed

[moondancer]

Hi all! Hope someone can help me out here... got a generous package of poppy seeds from a garden buddy on the west coast, I'm in NJ, border of zones 6-7. I believe this is the time to plant them, anyone know for sure? Have never grown them before, but have a nice sunny empty lot that I want to let go to a wildflower field, seems the poppies would be a great start.

Is this a good time to plant them? Any tips on growing them would be appreciated! TIA

[The Helpful Gardener]

Poppy seeds from Cali makes me wonder. Are these Californa poppies? (I believe it's Eschcholzia). These are annuals so hardiness is not really an issue; these plants and seed won't survive below 20 degrees so that is...

Many folks find it strange that we tend to sling the Latin lingo, but it is the only good way to give good answers. Please let me know what genus and species you have there so I can give you a sound answer

[moondancer]

Hiya Helpful, thanks for the reply. That's the problem, I don't know if they're calif. poppies, the person giving them doesn't know. She said they're all different colors - red, pink, orange - other than that, I don't know nor does she.

She said she read they should be refrigerated, she sent them to me last month, which I did. Anything I've read says plant them in October, sandy soil okay, that's about all I've gotten.

Can't find much in my books, and articles on the net seems to deal (no pun intended) with opium

No problem with the Latin lingo, use it myself when I know it! Lol.

[grandpasrose]

Scott, California Poppy is "Escholtzia Californica". But there are also "Papaver Nudicaule" - Iceland Poppy, and "Papaver Orientale". These are all known as just "Poppy", and they all come in the color ranges that moondancer reports. I don't think you can tell what they are until they are planted and you see what comes up! The are all very distinctive from each other once they are grown.
VAL

[moondancer]

So I'll need to wait till they - hopefully - bloom to identify them.

Any suggestions on planting them ... now? Just scatter them on the soil? I'm really lost here!

[Chad-K]

I know nothing about poppies, other than that I think they are a wonderful flower. I've photographed some.

I would do a little testing. If you have a good amount of seeds. Try planting some now and wait till spring for the rest.

[grandpasrose]

All of the varieties of poppy are very easy to grow from seed. You could plant them now, and wait for them to come up in the spring, or wait and plant in the spring, or do as Chad suggest and do both.
They just need to be sprinkled onto the soil, with a very light covering of soil covering them.
Once there are a few leaves on them, let us know, cause they are even quite identifiable by their leaves. Then we can probably tell you which one you have! Good Luck!
VAL

[moondancer]

Thanks All!

Good idea... some now, some later.

Will be sure to keep you posted!

[The Helpful Gardener]

The color range does make me think P. nudicaule, but your right Val, there are now color selections on P. californica (p[robably gotten by crossing with the Icelandics, to further confuse the issue).

I think Vals advice is sound; plant them now and see what develops. If they aren't California poppies, you should get them back year after year...

If you get nothing then they were probably California poppies...

Scott