Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), also known as the woodland poppy, is a member of the poppy family (Papaveraceae). This herbaceous perennial wildflower is native to eastern North America, including parts of Canada and the east-central United States. It is not widely available as a landscaping plant but it can be easily grown in the home garden, if provided ideal growing conditions.
This poppy is related to the more familiar bright orange California poppy and the brilliant red common poppy, both of which are sun-loving and drought-tolerant. This variety, in contrast, loves plenty of shade and moisture and would be an ideal option for a moist woodland garden or rain garden.
It blooms early in the year, welcoming spring with its cheerful, pure yellow flowers. Use this shade plant as a spring-blooming companion to your other woodland perennials. It can be easily incorporated into colorful arrangements of other wildflowers, ferns, and foliage plants, all nestled under a group of mature shade trees.
If you have a shaded location with moist soil, celandine poppies might be an ideal option for your landscape. Keep reading for more information about these beautiful flowers and how to best grow them in your own garden.
Overview
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Natural History
Celandine poppy inhabits moist, deciduous forests along streams and ravines.
The somewhat uncommon wildflower grows in the central-eastern United States and Canada. It inhabits moist, deciduous forests, typically at lower elevations. It most commonly grows along woodland streams and ravines in rich, fertile soils.
In its natural environment, the celandine poppy is easily out-competed by invasive species and is highly sensitive to habitat loss. Although it can grow into dense colonies, these colonies are rare and localized.
In optimum conditions, these plants will spread readily by self-seeding. Eventually, they will form vast colonies on the forest floor. As the days get warmer and the soil dries out, they go dormant until the following winter and spring, when they re-emerge with vigor. These perennial wildflowers are long-lived in favorable conditions.
Characteristics
The bright yellow flowers appear early in spring with bristly stems and fuzzy seed pods.
Celandine poppy plants have deeply cut, wavy-edged, geranium-like leaves that emerge in late winter or early spring. Shortly after leaf-out, the flowers bloom in mid to late spring.
Each flower is between one and three inches across and typically has four petals. The flowers are entirely bright yellow and very showy, particularly as they are one of the first wildflowers to bloom each spring. The leaves and stems are all covered with a sparse layer of tiny, bristly hairs.
The flowers attract pollinators, and pollinated flowers develop showy seed pods. The seed pods are oblong and shaped like a little green football. These pods are covered with little whitish hairs, which give them a somewhat furry appearance. At maturity, the pods split open to reveal several tiny, shiny black seeds.
Propagation
Propagation is easiest if you already have a healthy colony. Mature plants can be easily divided. You can also start them by seed or dig out young seedlings around your mature plants.
Seed
Keep seedlings moist until several true leaves have developed.
Celandine poppy seeds can be purchased or gathered from your own plants. If gathering your own seeds, wait until the summer when the seed pods turn brown. When they are fully ripe, they will crack open and you can gather fresh seeds.
These seeds require a cold, moist stratification in order to germinate. Store them in moist sand or soil in the refrigerator during the winter and direct sow them in the spring. Alternatively, direct sow in the fall and allow them a natural stratification. If the seeds stay cool and moist for several weeks, they will germinate in the spring.
Young plants will be very tender and sensitive to drying out, so this is a critical time to keep your seedlings moist. Continue to watch them closely and keep them moist until they have developed several true leaves. Plants started from seed early enough in the season have a chance to bloom during their first year. If they don’t bloom in their first year, they will certainly be mature enough to bloom in their second year.
Division
Mature clumps can be divided into individual crowns with intact roots.
If you start with one celandine poppy plant, within a few years, you will have several. You can easily allow your plants to naturalize and form a large colony, but you can also divide larger clumps and transplant them into new areas or pass them along to your gardening friends.
To propagate by division, dig out a clump of several plants. Using your hands, carefully separate individual crowns with their attached roots, being careful to keep the roots intact as much as you can. Immediately re-plant your freshly separated plants and water them well.
Don’t allow the roots to dry out while you are transplanting them. If you aren’t ready to transplant them immediately, you can keep them temporarily in a pot until you are ready to move them elsewhere. Just keep the pot well-watered and in a shaded location.
Transplanting
Transplant in early spring or fall by digging a hole larger than the roots.
Transplanting celandine poppies is simple. The only tools you will need are a pair of gardening gloves and a shovel or trowel. The best time to do your transplanting is in early spring, while the weather is still cool. Fall is another excellent time for transplanting perennial wildflowers, but it’s less likely you will find these plants available in the fall because they will already be dormant.
Identify the site where you will transplant your poppy and dig a hole slightly larger than the root mass of your plant. Gently remove your plant from its pot and place it into the hole. Backfill the space around the roots with fresh soil and water it well.
Add a thin layer of organic, biodegradable mulch around your plant to help retain soil moisture and block weeds. Then, keep your plant well-watered for the first several days to help it overcome transplanting shock.
How to Grow
Celandine poppies are easy to grow in their preferred conditions. All they really need is a mild climate with plenty of shade and moist soil. If this describes your location, you can dig right in and start growing your own!
Sunlight
Plant in a shady spot with minimal direct sunlight.
Celandine poppies need a shaded location. Partial to full shade is best, including dappled sunlight, as long as your plants are not in any harsh, direct afternoon sunlight. These plants will do very well with less than two hours of sunlight each day.
Water
They need moist, well-drained soil and supplemental water during drought to avoid premature dormancy.
Provide medium to high moisture soil. They perform best with well-drained soil, but tolerate occasional wet conditions. Offer your plants some supplemental watering during times of drought or any prolonged period without rain. Dry plants will go dormant prematurely, and extended dry periods may kill these plants entirely.
Soil
Fertile, wet soil with a pH of neutral to slightly acidic is ideal.
The soil around your celandine poppies should be organically rich, moist, and fertile. These plants will tolerate a variety of soil types as long as the soil stays moist. The soil pH should be slightly acidic to neutral.
Climate and Temperature
USDA zones 4–9, with cool, humid weather provide the ideal growing conditions
Celandine poppies perform well in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4 through 9. They withstand freezing temperatures just fine but do not like arid climate conditions or overly hot summers.
Even though they grow naturally in several southeastern states, they are found only in cooler, shaded forest ecosystems and are best adapted to these cooler, moist conditions.
Fertilizing
Fertilization is unnecessary if the soil is rich in organic matter.
One benefit of growing native wildflowers is that they typically don’t need any extra fertilization. Celandine poppy plants will perform quite well in organically rich soil and don’t need extra soil amendments. Adding leaf mulch or other natural biodegradable mulch around your plants will help enrich the soil.
Maintenance
Regularly deadhead plants to prevent self-seeding and promote more flowers.
- Deadheading your plants after flowering will help prevent them from self-seeding and also encourage them to send up more flowers. It is possible to prolong their blooming season by deadheading spent blooms before they are allowed to set seed.
- Mulching around your plants will help preserve soil moisture and also deter weeds.
- Pull weeds regularly to help maintain your plant’s vigor and also improve the overall health, well-being, and attractiveness of your flower gardens.
- Thinning your celandine poppies may be a regular part of your maintenance regime if you are trying to keep your plants from spreading. For the showiest spring floral display, allow your poppies to naturalize and spread as much as they want, but if they interfere with other plants or walkways, they are easy to thin and control.
Garden Design
Pair with ferns, hostas, or other wildflowers for diverse shade garden beauty.
It can be difficult to find flowering plants that grow well in the shade. Luckily, there are wildflowers like the celandine poppy to fill that niche. Anywhere you have shade, even heavy shade, you can try growing one of these plants.
Shade gardens and woodland gardens are the perfect match for a patch of celandine poppies. They will emerge in the early spring to bring a bright splash of color and life to your landscape. Since they are fairly low-growing plants, place them in a location where they won’t get swallowed up by larger vegetation. A patch of these poppies would look lovely growing under some larger shade trees in a moist part of your yard.
Since celandine poppies tend to go dormant during the summer and stay out of sight until the following winter and spring, it’s a good idea to grow them near some other plants that provide longer seasonal interest. Be prepared for your plants to spread over time and even form large colonies. You can easily allow them to naturalize or do some annual thinning to remove unwanted seedings if the colonies grow too large.
If you need some complementary plants to grow alongside your celandine poppies, try some of the following ideas:
- Ferns add long-season foliage to any shade garden, so you will always have some greenery, even after the spring ephemeral wildflowers go dormant in the summer.
- Hostas are an excellent foliage plant to keep your shade garden interesting throughout the growing season and add their own splash of mid-season floral color.
- Intermix with other spring ephemeral wildflowers, such as bluebells and bleeding hearts, for an intensely showy spring floral display. Other shade-loving wildflowers include green and gold and columbine.
Varieties
The native celandine poppy and other non-invasive species suit shade gardens best.
The genus Stylophorum contains two other species, both of which are native to China and are not readily available commercially. The greater celandine poppy (Chelidonium majus) is native to Europe and western Asia. It is considered a weedy and invasive species in the United States and should not be planted.
If you are looking for wildflowers for your shade garden, stick with the native celandine poppy and other native and non-invasive species.
Wildlife Value
The bright yellow blooms attract early-season pollinators and later provide seeds for wildlife.
The flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. These plants are especially valuable for early-season pollinators before the summer wildflowers start blooming.
Later in the season, insects, birds, and small mammals may come along to forage on the seeds. This plant would be a worthwhile addition to your wildlife-friendly landscape. Celandine poppy plants are not bothered by deer or rabbits.
Common Problems
Healthy patches of celandine poppy are generally quite trouble-free. Your biggest concern may simply be keeping the soil around your plants moist. Otherwise, healthy poppy plants rarely have issues with insect pests or diseases, but keep an eye out for slugs.
Slugs
These mollusks may nibble on celandine poppies but usually won’t harm them significantly.
Slugs are common garden pests. If you have slugs in the area, it’s possible you will find some feasting on your celandine poppy plants. You probably won’t see the slugs themselves during the day, but if you notice chunks of leaves missing and tell-tale slime trails left by slugs, you will know these pests are the culprits. Slugs generally won’t cause your plants too much trouble, however, so even if you notice slugs around, you will still have a healthy population of poppies.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it’s technically possible to grow them in a container or raised bed, it’s not recommended. Containers and raised beds are great for some plants, particularly those that like well-drained soil, but it can be difficult to keep the soil moist throughout the year. Plus, the smaller size of a container isn’t ideal for a plant that goes dormant in the summer. You would probably prefer to have interesting foliage and flowers to admire for the duration of the growing season. Try using some different plants for your shaded container garden.
In ideal growing conditions, individual plants are long-lived perennials that will reliably sprout every spring for many years. When growing conditions are favorable, your plants will also spread. You may find yourself more concerned with controlling the growth of new plants rather than losing older plants. But don’t worry, they are not invasive and won’t try to take over your garden.
As beautiful as these plants are, they are not widely available commercially. If you live within their native range, check out your local botanical garden or arboretum for a list of reputable native plant growers. Native plant clubs and garden clubs are also good resources for native plant sources. Do not, however, dig your own wildflowers from their natural habitat as this disturbs the natural ecosystem and threatens the natural populations of these plants.
Final Thoughts
Celandine poppies are beautiful native wildflowers that thrive in moist, shaded woodlands. They bloom in the spring and brighten the landscape with their perfectly yellow flowers. When the flowers are finished blooming and foliage goes dormant, use other shade plants to fill in the space and keep your shade garden looking great for the whole year.
