Description

Yellow wood poppy is a spring ephemeral with four-petaled, yellow flowers. The flowers are pretty, but I love the leaves: blue-green above and silver below, and pinnately lobed which gives a delicate, ruffled appearance. The flower is produced atop a leafless stem except for two leaves underneath the flower. The remaining leaves are basal. Fertilized flowers produce fuzzy, four-chambered fruits. Seeds are shiny black with a distinctive ridge of white hairs. When ripe, seeds drop to the ground, where they are dispersed by ants. The stems contain a bright yellow sap. There is so much detail to be appreciated within this little beauty!
 
Flowers may be deadheaded to encourage more blooms.  Plants will go dormant in early summer if soils dry out. Will naturalize easily by self-seeding in optimum growing conditions. Once established, plants survive for many years, forming dense clumps if not thinned. May be divided in the spring; be sure to include a growing point with each piece. 

Height: 1-1.5 ft.
Spread: 0.75-1 ft.
Family: Papaveraceae
Bloom time: April to June
Sun: part shade to full shade
Water: medium to wet
Deer resistant

photo credit: Kristine Paulus