
The Dendromecon rigida is a bush or tree poppy and is a native chaparral that can be found through California’s Sonoma county to Baja California. It is considered a true shrub growing up to 10 ft tall and rarely reaches heights of 15 or more feet tall. This giant poppy is a fantastic candidate for gardens and landscapes that acquire characteristics of the ideal “postage stamp” garden. This plant is known to light up an entire hillside with its bright yellow glowing blossoms. Once this shrub is established it can spread its growth a few feet in circumference but is more restrained in its growth than that of its relative D. harfordii wich can easily spread to 15 feet overpowering all smaller plants in its path.
These bush poppies can blend with other shrubs in a landscape if they have enough space, such a large country or commercial landscape setting. In a smaller residential setting these poppies will be certainly be the dominant feature and if not restrained can become the only feature due to the vigorous nature of the growth of these shrubs. Nevertheless these plants are still irresistible to many gardeners who are willing to maintain these plants by curbing their growth though pruning at regular intervals.
The bush poppies are dryland plants that are adapted to thrive in rocky and sandy soils. When cultivated these plants guarantee drought and heat tolerance which can make them a great choice for the hot central valley where we experience hot summers with little to no rainfall. These plants once established are quite easy to grow, as there is no need to fertilize them when they can thrive in very lean sandy or rocky soils. The bush poppies are only slightly bothered by insects and animal pests, such as spider mites which can cause a cosmetic problem by discoloring the foliage.
While these plants may be challenging to find in a commercial setting because they can be difficult to distribute because of challenges to vegetative propagation, a quick google search yields many results for plants that are available to purchase by delivery. Another option is to grow the plants from seeds yourself, but that will take longer to establish the plants in your landscape than if you buy the plants that are already a year or more old.