Featured Plant

Among California wildflowers there could be no bigger blossom, nor a taller or more elegant specimen than the Matilija Poppy. Its seven-foot stem supports flowers that are five inches across with six crinkly snow-white petals and numerous orange stamens in their center. The leaves are soft and grey-green in color. Often called the "fried egg poppy," Matilija arrives in the world sunny-side-up!

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Matilija is endemic to the chaparral of southern California and Baja California, Mexico. It is named for Chief Matilija of the Chumash, a tribe that inhabited this area for thousands of years before the arrival of the missionaries. The poppy thrives in hot, sunny places with sandy soil. Once established, it becomes a vigorous colonizer by means of its rhizomes. It flourishes with little water and can become invasive in small gardens. Winter, when Matilija becomes dormant, is the best time for transplanting.