Wood Poppy
Stylophorum diphyllum
Golden two-inch poppies glow in spring shade over blue-green lobed leaves. Blooms with bluebells, then self-seeds gently into colonies.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Brilliant golden-yellow flowers that glow in the shade garden in April. combined with the fact that it persists and self-seeds to naturalize, it's one of the most rewarding native spring perennials.
Wood poppy brightens the spring shade garden with 2-inch bright golden-yellow flowers that open over deeply lobed, blue-green leaves in April and May. The color is warm and saturated, a true yellow-gold that glows in dappled light the way only yellow flowers do in shade. It blooms at the same time as Virginia bluebells and trout lilies, and the combination is one of the classic spring woodland scenes in eastern North America. Unlike most spring ephemerals, wood poppy doesn't fully go dormant in summer: the foliage persists (though it may look ratty in drought), and in good conditions it self-seeds gently to form spreading colonies over time. A beloved native for the shade garden that's still less common in cultivation than it deserves to be.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown wood poppy propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant wood poppy instead of Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna). Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 1–1.5 ft · 12–18 in wide
- Bloom time
- Late spring
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States (OH, PA, TN, KY, VA)
Care notes for wood poppy.
Part shade to full shade in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Best in consistently moist woodland conditions. Allow to self-seed to form natural colonies. Deadhead to reduce spread if preferred. The milky yellow sap is a skin irritant; wear gloves when handling. No serious pests.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside wood poppy.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.