On my visit to the Amador Flower Farm among all the daylilies, I found a plant I did not recognize, it is the horned poppy. Not knowing anything about it, except it had brilliant orange flowers on very tall stems and silver- gray leaves, I had to take it home with me.
Once I was home and started to learn about this plant, I found out it is also known as “sea poppy” and belongs to the genus Glaucium and is one of approximately 25 plants in this genus.
But then confusion set in, some information said it grows by beaches, so I wondered why would a nursery in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains sell them? Sunset Western Garden Book says it grows in zones 8-24, so I was ok with that. I guess my question is, according to the USDA it is an invasive plant, but looking at the California invasive plant list I didn’t see it. Does anyone know for sure if this is an invasive plant, if so it is going into the trash!
Aside from that, I did learn horned poppy blooms from late spring to mid-summer, the blooms only last one day, but it is a continuous bloomer. The green seed pod is narrow and as long as the stems which are 12 inches long they turn brown at maturity. Part of this plant is poisonous if ingested.
So if I find out it is invasive, well it was fun to have it for a short time.
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