I saw many tall red oriental poppies in Oregon, and was very impressed with them.

The article on the home page, "All About Oriental Poppies" made me want to try them again, but
when I did ~20yrs ago, the plant had one bloom, but didn't get taller than a few inches.

Is it possible to grow them here in Southern California (Escondido) if I refrigerate them when they go dormant?

You should be able to grow oriental poppies in zone 9b. I grow them in zone 9a, and I think they're in parts of the garden that might be classified as 9b. Also, you don't have to refrigerate them. I pour trays of ice cubes over plants that need colder temps in winter. I've never had to do that for the poppies, but I do it for the peonies.

zuzu said:You should be able to grow oriental poppies in zone 9b. I grow them in zone 9a, and I think they're in parts of the garden that might be classified as 9b. Also, you don't have to refrigerate them. I pour trays of ice cubes over plants that need colder temps in winter. I've never had to do that for the poppies, but I do it for the peonies.

Thanks, Zuzu.
Where do you get them?
How tall do they get for you?

I haven't success with peonies or hostas either, but I may try
the oriental poppies again.

Annie's Annuals used to be a good source for them, but there aren't any Papaver orientale cultivars listed in this year's catalog. High Country Gardens also sells them, but I've never bought any poppies from that nursery.

The height varies. Beauty of Livermere is probably the tallest -- over 3 feet tall. Most of the others are between 2 and 3 feet tall.