I've been trying to grow poppies at various times over the past two
months on a couple of bare plots in my front and back yards. The
climate is the San Francisco Bay Area, and California poppies are
found all over my neighborhood.

I tried some sort of hybrid ("California Twister" from Burpee) sown
directly into a small plot, but only two seedlings managed to come up,
and not where I directly planted them. I don't know if these are
actually California poppies (eschscholzia californica) or some similar
species. The way they've come up doesn't look like what I thought
California poppy seedlings would look. I tried a different mix
("Tropical Sunset" California poppies from Renee's Garden) and I
couldn't get any of the seeds to germinate when sown directly.

I had plenty of seeds, so I tried putting them in a 4" pot to
transplant, and then in some small pots left over from when I
transplanted some potted marigolds. I could get them to germinate,
but most of the young seedlings succumbed after transplanting. One of
my original transplants is still there. It's now got four small
bluish-green shoots, and I expect that it will eventually sprout up
the main plant from the middle. The other transplants either wilted
or got trampled by deer. Some of the deer trampled ones looked pretty
healthy until they got stepped on. I thought of transplanting them at
a later stage, but I understand that they'll almost surely die if
they're transplanted that late.

Anyone have luck with poppies germinated in peat pots? I got a pack
of Jiffy-7 peat pellets as well as some of the 2-1/4" peat pots. I
thought that if I do it this way, I could see how healthy they are
before transplanting. I'd rather transplant without heavily
disturbing the roots. I tried cutting out pieces of soil around the
transplant, but I inevitably exposed the root. With the pellets, I
don't think I'll need to remove the bag. I've researched the peat
pots, and many of the recommendations seem to involve cutting out the
bottom (to let the root extend) before transplanting and trimming the
sides before planting.

I don't anticipate that any of the poppies are going to grow terribly
well this late in the year, although we've got warm weather late in
the year. I'm just hoping that the roots stay alive with our mild
winters, as I hear they're typically perennials where it doesn't
freeze.

On Jun 2, 1:46 pm, y_p_w wrote:
I've been trying to grow poppies at various times over the past two
months on a couple of bare plots in my front and back yards. The
climate is the San Francisco Bay Area, and California poppies are
found all over my neighborhood.

I tried some sort of hybrid ("California Twister" from Burpee) sown
directly into a small plot, but only two seedlings managed to come up,
and not where I directly planted them. I don't know if these are
actually California poppies (eschscholzia californica) or some similar
species. The way they've come up doesn't look like what I thought
California poppy seedlings would look. I tried a different mix
("Tropical Sunset" California poppies from Renee's Garden) and I
couldn't get any of the seeds to germinate when sown directly.

I had plenty of seeds, so I tried putting them in a 4" pot to
transplant, and then in some small pots left over from when I
transplanted some potted marigolds. I could get them to germinate,
but most of the young seedlings succumbed after transplanting. One of
my original transplants is still there. It's now got four small
bluish-green shoots, and I expect that it will eventually sprout up
the main plant from the middle. The other transplants either wilted
or got trampled by deer. Some of the deer trampled ones looked pretty
healthy until they got stepped on. I thought of transplanting them at
a later stage, but I understand that they'll almost surely die if
they're transplanted that late.

Anyone have luck with poppies germinated in peat pots? I got a pack
of Jiffy-7 peat pellets as well as some of the 2-1/4" peat pots. I
thought that if I do it this way, I could see how healthy they are
before transplanting. I'd rather transplant without heavily
disturbing the roots. I tried cutting out pieces of soil around the
transplant, but I inevitably exposed the root. With the pellets, I
don't think I'll need to remove the bag. I've researched the peat
pots, and many of the recommendations seem to involve cutting out the
bottom (to let the root extend) before transplanting and trimming the
sides before planting.

I don't anticipate that any of the poppies are going to grow terribly
well this late in the year, although we've got warm weather late in
the year. I'm just hoping that the roots stay alive with our mild
winters, as I hear they're typically perennials where it doesn't
freeze.

Nothing ventured...you may as well give it another try - at this point
in the season, just scratch the ground where you want them and direct
sow. I'd forget the peat pots - lord I hate those wretched things. Be
careful you don't overwater - that may have been the reason your
transplants croaked. As for poppies being a perennial in the Bay Area,
mine always went to seed and died back as the summer wore on. It was
actually their babies that sprouted and bloomed the next year.

Nancy T

On Jun 2, 5:24 pm, ntantiques wrote:
On Jun 2, 1:46 wrote:



I've been trying to grow poppies at various times over the past two
months on a couple of bare plots in my front and back yards. The
climate is the San Francisco Bay Area, and California poppies are
found all over my neighborhood.

I tried some sort of hybrid ("California Twister" from Burpee) sown
directly into a small plot, but only two seedlings managed to come up,
and not where I directly planted them. I don't know if these are
actually California poppies (eschscholzia californica) or some similar
species. The way they've come up doesn't look like what I thought
California poppy seedlings would look. I tried a different mix
("Tropical Sunset" California poppies from Renee's Garden) and I
couldn't get any of the seeds to germinate when sown directly.

I had plenty of seeds, so I tried putting them in a 4" pot to
transplant, and then in some small pots left over from when I
transplanted some potted marigolds. I could get them to germinate,
but most of the young seedlings succumbed after transplanting. One of
my original transplants is still there. It's now got four small
bluish-green shoots, and I expect that it will eventually sprout up
the main plant from the middle. The other transplants either wilted
or got trampled by deer. Some of the deer trampled ones looked pretty
healthy until they got stepped on. I thought of transplanting them at
a later stage, but I understand that they'll almost surely die if
they're transplanted that late.

Anyone have luck with poppies germinated in peat pots? I got a pack
of Jiffy-7 peat pellets as well as some of the 2-1/4" peat pots. I
thought that if I do it this way, I could see how healthy they are
before transplanting. I'd rather transplant without heavily
disturbing the roots. I tried cutting out pieces of soil around the
transplant, but I inevitably exposed the root. With the pellets, I
don't think I'll need to remove the bag. I've researched the peat
pots, and many of the recommendations seem to involve cutting out the
bottom (to let the root extend) before transplanting and trimming the
sides before planting.

I don't anticipate that any of the poppies are going to grow terribly
well this late in the year, although we've got warm weather late in
the year. I'm just hoping that the roots stay alive with our mild
winters, as I hear they're typically perennials where it doesn't
freeze.

Nothing ventured...you may as well give it another try - at this point
in the season, just scratch the ground where you want them and direct
sow. I'd forget the peat pots - lord I hate those wretched things. Be
careful you don't overwater - that may have been the reason your
transplants croaked. As for poppies being a perennial in the Bay Area,
mine always went to seed and died back as the summer wore on. It was
actually their babies that sprouted and bloomed the next year.

Seriously - I can't get them to germinate outdoors. I have heard of
some people refrigerating their seeds before sowing in order to trick
them into thinking they've survived a really cold night. I haven't
had to do this when germinating indoors. I've also been reading that
commercial seeds aren't the same as wild seeds. I believe wild
varieties tend to germinate at about a 15% rate in the first season,
while cultivated ones are bred for up to 85% germination. I suppose
the wild versions have a delayed germination in order to survive
shocks or drought that could wipe out one season.

I also see a lot of ants in this little plot, so I think that they're
digging away and carrying many of the seeds that I planted.

I'm not sure what to do with the peat pots then. I went ahead and
planted them anyways. Perhaps I'll just pull back the netting before
transplanting. Or maybe rip off the pot before planting. My wife
thinks I'm a little bit obsessive.

On Jun 3, 10:32 am, y_p_w wrote:
On Jun 2, 5:24 pm, ntantiques wrote:



On Jun 2, 1:46 wrote:

I've been trying to grow poppies at various times over the past two
months on a couple of bare plots in my front and back yards. The
climate is the San Francisco Bay Area, and California poppies are
found all over my neighborhood.

I tried some sort of hybrid ("California Twister" from Burpee) sown
directly into a small plot, but only two seedlings managed to come up,
and not where I directly planted them. I don't know if these are
actually California poppies (eschscholzia californica) or some similar
species. The way they've come up doesn't look like what I thought
California poppy seedlings would look. I tried a different mix
("Tropical Sunset" California poppies from Renee's Garden) and I
couldn't get any of the seeds to germinate when sown directly.

I had plenty of seeds, so I tried putting them in a 4" pot to
transplant, and then in some small pots left over from when I
transplanted some potted marigolds. I could get them to germinate,
but most of the young seedlings succumbed after transplanting. One of
my original transplants is still there. It's now got four small
bluish-green shoots, and I expect that it will eventually sprout up
the main plant from the middle. The other transplants either wilted
or got trampled by deer. Some of the deer trampled ones looked pretty
healthy until they got stepped on. I thought of transplanting them at
a later stage, but I understand that they'll almost surely die if
they're transplanted that late.

Anyone have luck with poppies germinated in peat pots? I got a pack
of Jiffy-7 peat pellets as well as some of the 2-1/4" peat pots. I
thought that if I do it this way, I could see how healthy they are
before transplanting. I'd rather transplant without heavily
disturbing the roots. I tried cutting out pieces of soil around the
transplant, but I inevitably exposed the root. With the pellets, I
don't think I'll need to remove the bag. I've researched the peat
pots, and many of the recommendations seem to involve cutting out the
bottom (to let the root extend) before transplanting and trimming the
sides before planting.

I don't anticipate that any of the poppies are going to grow terribly
well this late in the year, although we've got warm weather late in
the year. I'm just hoping that the roots stay alive with our mild
winters, as I hear they're typically perennials where it doesn't
freeze.

Nothing ventured...you may as well give it another try - at this point
in the season, just scratch the ground where you want them and direct
sow. I'd forget the peat pots - lord I hate those wretched things. Be
careful you don't overwater - that may have been the reason your
transplants croaked. As for poppies being a perennial in the Bay Area,
mine always went to seed and died back as the summer wore on. It was
actually their babies that sprouted and bloomed the next year.

Seriously - I can't get them to germinate outdoors. I have heard of
some people refrigerating their seeds before sowing in order to trick
them into thinking they've survived a really cold night. I haven't
had to do this when germinating indoors. I've also been reading that
commercial seeds aren't the same as wild seeds. I believe wild
varieties tend to germinate at about a 15% rate in the first season,
while cultivated ones are bred for up to 85% germination. I suppose
the wild versions have a delayed germination in order to survive
shocks or drought that could wipe out one season.

I also see a lot of ants in this little plot, so I think that they're
digging away and carrying many of the seeds that I planted.

I'm not sure what to do with the peat pots then. I went ahead and
planted them anyways. Perhaps I'll just pull back the netting before
transplanting. Or maybe rip off the pot before planting. My wife
thinks I'm a little bit obsessive.

Like I said, nothing ventured...Do have a thought about the deer
trampling your seedlings...Have learned it's well worth spending some
time observing deer traffic patterns before committing new plants to
the ground. Took us a while to adapt, but we co-exist fairly
successfully with a small herd that beds down in the woods behind our
house.

Most mornings they saunter up the driveway, hang a left, and gather in
the front yard for a nosh on the lawn before marching up the bank that
separates the large front gardens from a meadow/orchard area. 90% of
the time they take the same routes and I've learned the hard way not
to plant anything tender (or delicious) in their path.

When I've been hellbent on planting in a vulnerable area, I've had
good results planting in big wine barrels - they're tall enough that
the deer just walk around them and could work well for poppies. If you
go that route, I'd suggest planting deer resistant companion plants
like lavender & creeping thyme so you have something to enjoy when the
poppies fade.

Nancy T

On Jun 3, 12:16 pm, ntantiques wrote:
Like I said, nothing ventured...Do have a thought about the deer
trampling your seedlings...Have learned it's well worth spending some
time observing deer traffic patterns before committing new plants to
the ground. Took us a while to adapt, but we co-exist fairly
successfully with a small herd that beds down in the woods behind our
house.

It's a little plot next to my driveway next to some junipers. I
usually park my car down the center and I'm thinking the deer are
going around.

Most mornings they saunter up the driveway, hang a left, and gather in
the front yard for a nosh on the lawn before marching up the bank that
separates the large front gardens from a meadow/orchard area. 90% of
the time they take the same routes and I've learned the hard way not
to plant anything tender (or delicious) in their path.

The first thing my wife wanted to put in that plot was a flat of
petunias. I just dropped them there to see how they took to the
location before transplanting. We left for the day and she thought
someone had stolen them. I backed up and noticed that the flowers
were all gone. At first I was thinking maybe the wind, but they were
clean gone, and I'm sure the deer got to them. I've been trying a
couple of pots indoors, but they're not growing terribly well. I
think I might be able to plant a hanging basket from an overhang above
our deck. I planted marigolds (Bonanza) at the suggestion of a
neighbor, but something ate them. Doesn't have the bite marks (they
look like they've been cleanly clipped) of deer, so I think it could
be birds.

I've told this story before on another forum. I was coming back from
the Tahoe area with my (now) wife on US 50 near Placerville. As I
went around a turn at the speed limit in the left lane, we noticed a
deer in the right lane. I'm hoping that it doesn't move and I get
past it. It doesn't move, but I notice a full-sized Dodge pickup
moving faster than us in the right lane. The deer leaves my field of
vision, but I hear this loud sound like a gunshot, and as the Dodge
speeds up ahead of us, we notice that its bumper is now hanging at a
strange angle. Also as we got home that night, a deer in the driveway
ran off. Spooked us out.

When I've been hellbent on planting in a vulnerable area, I've had
good results planting in big wine barrels - they're tall enough that
the deer just walk around them and could work well for poppies. If you
go that route, I'd suggest planting deer resistant companion plants
like lavender & creeping thyme so you have something to enjoy when the
poppies fade.

Anything that would deter the deer would block my driveway or the
sidewalk. There's plenty of lavender around the neighborhood; the
deer will have nothing to do with them. I went for the non-standard
poppies because I really wanted to plant something a little different
than any of our neighbors. Maybe I'll try some lavender from seed.

I'm just hoping my planting of non-orange California poppies doesn't
contaminate the gene pool of the naturally growing varieties in my
neighborhood. In any case, even the orange varieties sold as seed are
supposedly cultivated.

On Jun 3, 1:43 pm, y_p_w wrote:
On Jun 3, 12:16 pm, ntantiques wrote:

Like I said, nothing ventured...Do have a thought about the deer
trampling your seedlings...Have learned it's well worth spending some
time observing deer traffic patterns before committing new plants to
the ground. Took us a while to adapt, but we co-exist fairly
successfully with a small herd that beds down in the woods behind our
house.

It's a little plot next to my driveway next to some junipers. I
usually park my car down the center and I'm thinking the deer are
going around.

Most mornings they saunter up the driveway, hang a left, and gather in
the front yard for a nosh on the lawn before marching up the bank that
separates the large front gardens from a meadow/orchard area. 90% of
the time they take the same routes and I've learned the hard way not
to plant anything tender (or delicious) in their path.

The first thing my wife wanted to put in that plot was a flat of
petunias. I just dropped them there to see how they took to the
location before transplanting. We left for the day and she thought
someone had stolen them. I backed up and noticed that the flowers
were all gone. At first I was thinking maybe the wind, but they were
clean gone, and I'm sure the deer got to them. I've been trying a
couple of pots indoors, but they're not growing terribly well. I
think I might be able to plant a hanging basket from an overhang above
our deck. I planted marigolds (Bonanza) at the suggestion of a
neighbor, but something ate them. Doesn't have the bite marks (they
look like they've been cleanly clipped) of deer, so I think it could
be birds.

I've told this story before on another forum. I was coming back from
the Tahoe area with my (now) wife on US 50 near Placerville. As I
went around a turn at the speed limit in the left lane, we noticed a
deer in the right lane. I'm hoping that it doesn't move and I get
past it. It doesn't move, but I notice a full-sized Dodge pickup
moving faster than us in the right lane. The deer leaves my field of
vision, but I hear this loud sound like a gunshot, and as the Dodge
speeds up ahead of us, we notice that its bumper is now hanging at a
strange angle. Also as we got home that night, a deer in the driveway
ran off. Spooked us out.

When I've been hellbent on planting in a vulnerable area, I've had
good results planting in big wine barrels - they're tall enough that
the deer just walk around them and could work well for poppies. If you
go that route, I'd suggest planting deer resistant companion plants
like lavender & creeping thyme so you have something to enjoy when the
poppies fade.

Anything that would deter the deer would block my driveway or the
sidewalk. There's plenty of lavender around the neighborhood; the
deer will have nothing to do with them. I went for the non-standard
poppies because I really wanted to plant something a little different
than any of our neighbors. Maybe I'll try some lavender from seed.

I'm just hoping my planting of non-orange California poppies doesn't
contaminate the gene pool of the naturally growing varieties in my
neighborhood. In any case, even the orange varieties sold as seed are
supposedly cultivated.

Petunias = deer candy. We found that out the hard way too...painful
lesson, isn't it? Suspect snails got your marigolds...they used to
inhale mine in CA - now I just have to fight off gigantic Oregon
slugs.

Think you may find lavender is not so easy to grow from seed, but is a
snap to grow from cuttings. One pot from the nursery to plant now will
give you stock to grow more from cuttings. Am told the deer don't
generally munch zinnias - I've started some a while back and will be
testing that theory next week.

You may not have thought about bulbs, but that might be a nice choice
for next year - deer don't eat daffodils. They utterly ignore all of
my varieties of iris and daylilies. A small Stella D'Oro daylily
would give you a bright burst of color and several months of blooms.

If all else fails, think about something walkable - once established,
my thymes and Corsican mint have stood up to hoofs and filled in bare
areas nicely. Whatever you put in is going to require some protection
until it gets going if that's only route the deer can take.

Nancy T

On Jun 3, 5:28 pm, ntantiques wrote:
On Jun 3, 1:43 pm, y_p_w wrote:



On Jun 3, 12:16 pm, ntantiques wrote:

Like I said, nothing ventured...Do have a thought about the deer
trampling your seedlings...Have learned it's well worth spending some
time observing deer traffic patterns before committing new plants to
the ground. Took us a while to adapt, but we co-exist fairly
successfully with a small herd that beds down in the woods behind our
house.

It's a little plot next to my driveway next to some junipers. I
usually park my car down the center and I'm thinking the deer are
going around.

Most mornings they saunter up the driveway, hang a left, and gather in
the front yard for a nosh on the lawn before marching up the bank that
separates the large front gardens from a meadow/orchard area. 90% of
the time they take the same routes and I've learned the hard way not
to plant anything tender (or delicious) in their path.

The first thing my wife wanted to put in that plot was a flat of
petunias. I just dropped them there to see how they took to the
location before transplanting. We left for the day and she thought
someone had stolen them. I backed up and noticed that the flowers
were all gone. At first I was thinking maybe the wind, but they were
clean gone, and I'm sure the deer got to them. I've been trying a
couple of pots indoors, but they're not growing terribly well. I
think I might be able to plant a hanging basket from an overhang above
our deck. I planted marigolds (Bonanza) at the suggestion of a
neighbor, but something ate them. Doesn't have the bite marks (they
look like they've been cleanly clipped) of deer, so I think it could
be birds.

I've told this story before on another forum. I was coming back from
the Tahoe area with my (now) wife on US 50 near Placerville. As I
went around a turn at the speed limit in the left lane, we noticed a
deer in the right lane. I'm hoping that it doesn't move and I get
past it. It doesn't move, but I notice a full-sized Dodge pickup
moving faster than us in the right lane. The deer leaves my field of
vision, but I hear this loud sound like a gunshot, and as the Dodge
speeds up ahead of us, we notice that its bumper is now hanging at a
strange angle. Also as we got home that night, a deer in the driveway
ran off. Spooked us out.

When I've been hellbent on planting in a vulnerable area, I've had
good results planting in big wine barrels - they're tall enough that
the deer just walk around them and could work well for poppies. If you
go that route, I'd suggest planting deer resistant companion plants
like lavender & creeping thyme so you have something to enjoy when the
poppies fade.

Anything that would deter the deer would block my driveway or the
sidewalk. There's plenty of lavender around the neighborhood; the
deer will have nothing to do with them. I went for the non-standard
poppies because I really wanted to plant something a little different
than any of our neighbors. Maybe I'll try some lavender from seed.

I'm just hoping my planting of non-orange California poppies doesn't
contaminate the gene pool of the naturally growing varieties in my
neighborhood. In any case, even the orange varieties sold as seed are
supposedly cultivated.

Petunias = deer candy. We found that out the hard way too...painful
lesson, isn't it? Suspect snails got your marigolds...they used to
inhale mine in CA - now I just have to fight off gigantic Oregon
slugs.

I didn't see any slime trails.

Think you may find lavender is not so easy to grow from seed, but is a
snap to grow from cuttings. One pot from the nursery to plant now will
give you stock to grow more from cuttings. Am told the deer don't
generally munch zinnias - I've started some a while back and will be
testing that theory next week.

I'm now addicted to growing from seed. ;-)

You may not have thought about bulbs, but that might be a nice choice
for next year - deer don't eat daffodils. They utterly ignore all of
my varieties of iris and daylilies. A small Stella D'Oro daylily
would give you a bright burst of color and several months of blooms.

If all else fails, think about something walkable - once established,
my thymes and Corsican mint have stood up to hoofs and filled in bare
areas nicely. Whatever you put in is going to require some protection
until it gets going if that's only route the deer can take.

Well - I checked this morning and found hoof prints in the same area.
None of the seedlings were outright stepped on, but some of the soil
was displaced. I might be better off trying to block off the area,
but I'm not sure with what. I'm also getting promising results from
the peat bags. I planted them Mon and by Wed morning some of the
seeds are already germinating. I'm also moving just germinated seeds
around to different pots.

The only surviving seedling from my first transplant attempt is coming
up nicely. I can see the main plant sprouting up from between the
leaves.

On Jun 3, 12:16 pm, ntantiques wrote:
Like I said, nothing ventured...Do have a thought about the deer
trampling your seedlings...Have learned it's well worth spending some
time observing deer traffic patterns before committing new plants to
the ground. Took us a while to adapt, but we co-exist fairly
successfully with a small herd that beds down in the woods behind our
house.

I've been replanting more seedlings that germinated indoors. I
probably shouldn't have during a hot sun, but they don't seem to have
wilted. Ovenight I noticed three deer prints. Two of the prints
seemed to have trampled some seedlings, including two that was coming
along very nicely. I've got several seedlings which are starting to
show the little ruffled leaves. I can sort of tell this is going to
happen when the color changes from a grass-like green to a darker blue-
green.

I can get some bamboo stakes. Maybe that will make the deer think
that they should walk around this little plot.

I'm also trying to condition some of the seedlings before
transplanting. I place them outdoors and see how they survive in the
heat. I've also tried placing them next to window in the garage.
They're coming out slanted as the direction of sunlight.

Quick update.

On Jun 3, 5:28*pm, ntantiques wrote:
On Jun 3, 1:43 pm, y_p_w wrote:



On Jun 3, 12:16 pm, ntantiques wrote:

Like I said, nothing ventured...Do have a thought about the deer
trampling your seedlings...Have learned it's well worth spending some
time observing deer traffic patterns before committing new plants to
the ground. *Took us a while to adapt, but we co-exist fairly
successfully with a small herd that beds down in the woods behind our
house.

It's a little plot next to my driveway next to some junipers. *I
usually park my car down the center and I'm thinking the deer are
going around.

Most mornings they saunter up the driveway, hang a left, and gather in
the front yard for a nosh on the lawn before marching up the bank that
separates the large front gardens from a meadow/orchard area. 90% of
the time they take the same routes and I've learned the hard way not
to plant anything tender (or delicious) in their path.

The first thing my wife wanted to put in that plot was a flat of
petunias. *I just dropped them there to see how they took to the
location before transplanting. *We left for the day and she thought
someone had stolen them. *I backed up and noticed that the flowers
were all gone. *At first I was thinking maybe the wind, but they were
clean gone, and I'm sure the deer got to them. *I've been trying a
couple of pots indoors, but they're not growing terribly well. *I
think I might be able to plant a hanging basket from an overhang above
our deck. *I planted marigolds (Bonanza) at the suggestion of a
neighbor, but something ate them. *Doesn't have the bite marks (they
look like they've been cleanly clipped) of deer, so I think it could
be birds.

I've told this story before on another forum. *I was coming back from
the Tahoe area with my (now) wife on US 50 near Placerville. *As I
went around a turn at the speed limit in the left lane, we noticed a
deer in the right lane. *I'm hoping that it doesn't move and I get
past it. *It doesn't move, but I notice a full-sized Dodge pickup
moving faster than us in the right lane. *The deer leaves my field of
vision, but I hear this loud sound like a gunshot, and as the Dodge
speeds up ahead of us, we notice that its bumper is now hanging at a
strange angle. *Also as we got home that night, a deer in the driveway
ran off. *Spooked us out.

When I've been hellbent on planting in a vulnerable area, I've had
good results planting in big wine barrels - they're tall enough that
the deer just walk around them and could work well for poppies. If you
go that route, I'd suggest planting deer resistant companion plants
like lavender & creeping thyme so you have something to enjoy when the
poppies fade.

Anything that would deter the deer would block my driveway or the
sidewalk. *There's plenty of lavender around the neighborhood; the
deer will have nothing to do with them. *I went for the non-standard
poppies because I really wanted to plant something a little different
than any of our neighbors. *Maybe I'll try some lavender from seed.

I'm just hoping my planting of non-orange California poppies doesn't
contaminate the gene pool of the naturally growing varieties in my
neighborhood. *In any case, even the orange varieties sold as seed are
supposedly cultivated.

Petunias = deer candy. *We found that out the hard way too...painful
lesson, isn't it? *Suspect snails got your marigolds...they used to
inhale mine in CA - now I just have to fight off gigantic Oregon
slugs.

Well - I tried to get tricky with more petunias. I found a really
nice hanging pot for $6. Looked great too. Only I forgot to water
for maybe 3-4 days in the hottest time of the year. They're looking
pretty bad now (not completely dead bu close), but I guess I could
always go back and get another one. And the hanging pot has to be
worth $3 on its own.

The marigolds (some came up with a really rich red on yellow - darker
red than I remember when I bought them) come up periodically, look
great, and then get eaten by something. Nothing with a slime trail,
so I doubt it's snails or slugs. Deer chewing seems to rip off the
flowers/foliage, so I doubt that too. Really - I think it's birds.

Think you may find lavender is not so easy to grow from seed, but is a
snap to grow from cuttings. One pot from the nursery to plant now will
give you stock to grow more from cuttings. * Am told the deer don't
generally munch zinnias - I've started some a while back and will be
testing that theory next week.

You may not have thought about bulbs, but that might be a nice choice
for next year - deer don't eat daffodils. *They utterly ignore all of
my varieties of iris and daylilies. *A small Stella D'Oro daylily
would give you a bright burst of color and several months of blooms.

Maybe daffodils next Spring. I've got sandy soil in the back yard
plot, but clay soil in the front yard.

The poppies are coming around nicely. Many shoots are giving away to
main foliage. Some are well established. Some of the foliage seemed
to have been eaten by something. And I see a lot of seedlings
sprouting where I don't think I planted any. They're either from the
seeds that I planted earlier (I've turned the soil quite a bit
transplanting seedlings germinated indoors) or previously ungerminated
seeds from the transplanted pots. Their color seems to be different -
generally darker and almost black. I've been thinning out the ones
that grow too close to more mature seedlings but letting others fill
in previously uncovered areas. In the end, it might be a little bit
dense, but I like that look.

And deer continue to trample the area. There's an expressway to the
back yard. Once I was transplanting seedlings into the back yard,
when a buck ran right by me. I don't normally fear deer, but a buck
with 24 inch antlers gives me worries about being gored or kicked as a
defensive response.