Calirhoe digitata

Looking like a wine-colored cosmos, this native perennial stands tall rather than sprawling along the ground like the typical poppy mallow. My dad, Les Owens was the first to introduce me to this species. He and my mom brought me a sample from a ditch along highway 101 in rural Sequoyah County. I wasn’t familiar with the plant but looked it up and fell in love with it. Tall Poppy Mallow is easy to grow, giving you lots of 2″ flowers from mid-spring to September. Sometimes called Fringed Poppy Mallow and Standing Winecup, it can be grown in the front or back of flower beds due to its see-through canopy.