I love this pushy little flower! Call me eccentric, but I appreciate a plant that likes to romp around my garden and make a big statement.
Showy evening primrose does make a big statement...Some gardeners might say it makes too big a statement!
But, not me.
Flowers and plants that can thrive in my shallow, clay soil are very much appreciated.
Oenothera speciosa does that and more. It is a pink ground cover that lights up the Susans garden mid-spring and combines beautifully with the foliage of later blooming wildflowers.
I like
rough and tumble plants that can take care of themselves and
colonizing plants that make a big show and
Oenotheras are rough and tumble colonizers. Many gardeners think they're aggressive or thuggish and if the idea of plants romping here and there doesn't appeal then you might want to steer clear of this pretty in pink beauty.
In the right circumstances (dry rocky soil) it can spread aggressively in your garden and be nearly impossible to eradicate.
I have a wet winter garden and they still manage to romp about....mostly down slope, not up! I rip out the plants before they set seed, they look messy anyway, but, getting all the root is nearly impossible so every year, they return.
Again, I don't mind them in my garden. They're pretty and pink, they smell sweet, and pollinators love them...They're nectar and pollen rich and it has been suggested that based upon the size of the stamens and styles that large butterflies, day flying sphinx moths and hummingbirds may be pollinating them. (
source)
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| X marks the spot for pollen and nectar |
Although, I haven't seen hummers or sphinx moths nectaring on Showy evening primrose, it is popular with small bees and bumbles.
It's a good thing I like them a lot, they're in my garden for good and most likely forever!
xoxogail
PS Originally a native plant of the south-central United States and the rocky prairies and savannas of the lower Midwest, it is now commonly seen along roadsides and in disturbed areas over a much broader region. It is available in the nursery trade and has been a pass-along plant for generations! (
source)
Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at
Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.
