Red Chief California Poppy Seeds – Non-GMO Heirloom 1oz

Grow Fiery Scarlet Blooms from Heirloom, Non-GMO Red Chief California Poppy Seeds

Red Chief turns the familiar golden California poppy a rich, glowing scarlet. Our heirloom Red Chief California poppy seeds (Eschscholzia californica) grow into low mounds of feathery blue-green foliage topped with silky, cup-shaped red blooms that open in the sun and close at dusk. This 1 oz bulk pack holds over 21,000 seeds, enough to paint a whole bed, slope, or meadow strip in red.

Who it's for

Perfect for gardeners with dry, sunny, difficult spots, and for anyone who wants a big drift of color with almost no work. It is a favorite for rock gardens, gravel beds, pollinator patches, and low-water landscapes, and it reseeds itself gently year after year.

How & when to plant

Sow directly where the plants will grow, since poppies dislike transplanting. Scatter the seed in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked, or in fall in mild-winter areas, and press it lightly into the soil surface. Keep the bed moist until seedlings appear in about 10 to 15 days, then thin to 6 to 8 inches apart. See our Red Chief California poppy growing guide for details.

Growing & care

Give Red Chief full sun and lean, well-drained soil. Rich soil and heavy feeding produce leaves instead of flowers, so hold back on fertilizer. Water young seedlings, then let established plants ride on rainfall. Shear the plants back after the first flush to trigger a second round of bloom.

Harvest

For a fresh vase, cut the buds just as they begin to open and sear the stem ends. To keep the show going next year, let a few seed pods ripen and dry on the plant; they split and scatter seed on their own, or you can collect the pods once they turn tan.

Benefits & uses

Red Chief brings rare true red to sunny borders, edging, containers, and wildflower plantings. The open cups are a busy stop for bees and other pollinators, and the plants shrug off heat and drought once established.

Why gardeners love our Red Chief California poppy seed

Our Red Chief seed is heirloom, non-GMO, and untreated, chosen for strong germination and packed fresh by a licensed seed dealer based in the USA. The bulk 1 oz pack gives you plenty for broadcasting large areas and for saving seed from your best plants year after year.