#810 Oenothera speciosa Common Names: pink evening primrose, showy evening primrose, white evening primrose, pink ladies Family: Onagraceae (evening primrose Family) Get link to this Profile or click for Datasheet Wallpaper Gallery (1 images)

Opening in the evening, the flowers of the pink evening primrose start out white and then age to pink.

Location
Pink evening primrose comes from the south-central United States. It is native to the rocky prairies and savannas of the lower Midwest, but now commonly seen along roadsides and in disturbed areas over a much broader region.

Culture
Pink evening primrose will grow nicely in poor soil. Plants are late to emerge in the spring, so their locations should be marked. They may not be just where you planted them though! Evening primroses tend to be surreptitiously invasive. They send their roots far and wide during the winter when no top growth is visible, then pop up everywhere in the spring.
Light: Full sun.
Moisture: Plants are likely to die of root rot if the soil is not well drained. They do fine in high humidity.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 - 9.
Propagation: Pink evening primroses are easy to grow from seed. Sow them outdoors late summer to fall or in early spring or sow indoors in early spring. The seeds can simply be scattered outdoors where they are to grow if the ground is not too hard or densely vegetated. Indoors, keep the planting medium moist and at a temperature between 68ºF (20ºC) and 86ºF (30ºC). Seedlings should appear in 2-3 weeks. Pink evening primrose also can be propagated vegetatively by dividing the root clumps in spring

Evening primrose grows in low mounds that are perfect for edging woodland trails.

Features
Pink evening primrose is a wonderful wildflower for roadside beautification! It will readily form showy colonies on rocky highway rights of way and gravelly driveway edges. The flowers also attract bees, moths, and hummingbirds.

WARNING
Pink evening primrose can be an invasive species. Given a rich, moist site, it can turn into an aggressive weed!

Linda Conway Duever 9/20/00; updated 01/05/01, 4/19/04

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