Evening Primrose

Oenothera Missourensis
Family: Onagracae (Evening primrose family)
Genus: Oenothera
Species: missourensis

Note to readers: Master Gardeners are such a knowledgeable and helpful lot! Thanks to alert readers Marla Morrow and Frank Crosby, I am well on my way to learning about Stevia and Azteca. I will feature these plants in October.

Photo courtesy Colorado State University Cooperative Extension

I recently visited the wonderfully whimsical Blossoms & Bloomers in Spokane, just before it closed its doors to the public. This nursery has been a labor of love for Gerry Krueger, who’s retiring from the business end of the trade so she can give her full attention to tending her many heritage roses and other treasured plants. The nursery is literally in her own back yard, and she maintains that she just didn’t have enough time to do what she loves most: work in her own garden! If you’ve never visited her, don’t despair: Blossoms & Bloomers will be featured in an upcoming issue of Better Homes & Gardens.

There are many other horticultural delights in Spokane. Private gardens throughout the city are spectacular, and the absolute jewel in the Inland Empire’s horticultural crown is the fabulous Manito Park. This public space includes a breathtaking formal garden, a fascinating conservatory filled with tropical and sub-tropical plants, gardens featuring only roses and lilacs, and a tranquil Japanese garden. I spent hours in the Joel E. Ferris Perennial Garden, which contains more than 300 species, beautifully arranged and well labeled. I was surrounded by other plant lovers, all of us scribbling in our notebooks and emitting “ooohs” and “ahhhhs” at regular intervals. The competition for our attention was fierce! Many perennials were at their showy best. But one plot attracted more visitors than any other, and that was the one devoted to the genus Oenothera. On that relatively gray day, the bright blossoms of the evening primrose, formally known as Oenothera missourensis and colloquially as Ozark Sundrops, made a field of sunshine for our viewing enjoyment. On the spot, this chipper little plant won its place as the August Plant-of-the-Month.

Oenothera missourensis is a prostrate perennial with soft, velvety, simple leaves and stems tinged with red. Its flowers, each with four sepals and four petals, are clear, brilliant yellow. They open in late afternoon to about six inches wide and are borne on stems that rise nine or ten inches from a foliage base that is only about four inches high. As its name implies, it is native to the Great Plains and does best in dry climates. This is of course a disadvantage here, but O. missourensis can be grown successfully in Bellingham. Plant yours in a dry site in full sun, perhaps in a rock garden with very good drainage, or in a raised bed. Consider placing it at the most visible edge of the area, so that the flowers, in view from June to August, will attract the attention they deserve. The blossoms are followed by attractive, pinkish tan seed capsules that do fine service in dried arrangements. The entire plant dies back in the fall, although it is quite hardy and will emerge again in the spring if you’ve given it a good site. In fact, it may self-sow very enthusiastically, but the new seedlings are easily hoed out. It spreads slowly by runners. Divide any clumps in the early spring, and feed according to the standard regimen for perennials.

Oenothera missourensis is a drought tolerant, low maintenance plant, subject to few pests, that will bring “ooohs” and “ahhhhs” to your very own garden. Its family includes fuschias and clarkias, so it has some very attractive relatives. It can hold its own in any garden scheme; and on even a gray summer’s day, it will bring a bit of sunshine to its surroundings and a smile to anyone who happens upon it.