Who does not know the evening primrose? It is a herbaceous plant that is in fashion, since the oil extracted from it has numerous medicinal properties. Also, why not say it? Its flowers are really precious.
The only drawback is that its life cycle is biennial, that is, during the first year it germinates and grows, and the second one blooms, bears fruit ... and dries up. But no, not everything is so bad: seeds germinate very easily 😉. Get to know it thoroughly.
Origin and characteristics of evening primrose
It is, as we said, a biennial herbaceous plant native to central and eastern North America, specifically you can find it growing wild from western Alberta (in Canada) to southeastern Florida and southwestern Texas; Also, you should know that it has become naturalized in temperate and subtropical regions, so it would not be unusual for you to see it growing and surviving without problems outside the American continent. Its scientific name is Oenothera biennis, and is known as enotera, ass grass, wine grass or evening primrose.
Reaches a height of between 30 and 150 centimeters, with lanceolate leaves 5 to 20cm long by 1-2,5cm wide that form a basal rosette the first year. Throughout the following spring, it produces a long spike of yellow or orange flowers measuring 2,5 to 5cm in diameter, and consisting of four petals. These open at dusk and close around the following noon.
The fruit is a capsule 2 to 4cm long by 4 to 6mm wide., which contains numerous seeds 1 to 2mm long that are released when the fruit opens into four sections or valves when it finishes maturing.
What are the care it requires?
If you want to have a copy, we recommend you take care of it as follows:
Location
Ideally, it should be in full sun, but it can grow in semi-shade as long as the area is bright (that is, there is more light than shade).
Earth
It is not demanding, however we advise the following:
- Flower pot: mix universal substrate with perlite in equal parts. You can get the first here and the second by here.
- Garden: grows very well in fertile, well-drained soils. In the event that yours has a great tendency to compact or that it has very poor water absorption and filtration capacity, make a planting hole of about 50 x 50cm, cover its sides with a shading mesh, then put a layer of about 5cm of fine gravel (about 3-5mm) or clay stone (for sale here), and finally finish filling with the mixture of substrates mentioned above.
Irrigation
Rather little. It is a plant that fears excess humidity, and that, on the other hand, resists drought relatively well. To avoid taking unnecessary risks, check the soil moisture before watering, at least the first few times.
You can do it with the classic stick (if when you take it out it comes out clean, it will be time to water), or if you have your evening primrose in a pot, weighing it once watered and again after a few days.
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Taking into account that it has medicinal properties, and that its flowers are pollinated by a wide variety of insects as beneficial as bees, we recommend paying it with organic and ecological products.
If you grow it in a pot, liquid fertilizers are perfect, since precisely because they are liquid, they do not worsen the drainage of the substrate, like liquid guano (for sale here) or seaweed compost (for sale here), always following the instructions specified on the package. In the event that you have it on the ground, you can use granulated or powdered ones, such as herbivorous animal manure, compost, etc.
Multiplication
Evening primrose multiplies by seeds in spring, following this step by step:
- First, fill a seedbed (it can be a seedbed tray (for sale here), a pot with drainage holes, milk containers (make a hole in the base), or another) with substrate for seedlings (for sale here).
- Then, water and place a maximum of two seeds in each socket or seedbed.
- Then cover them with a thin layer of substrate.
- Then water with a sprayer to moisten the surface layer of the substrate.
- Finally, place the seedbed outside, in semi-shade.
So will germinate in about 10 days, as long as the substrate is kept moist.
Planting or transplanting time
En spring, when the risk of frost has passed.
Rusticity
Evening primrose is resistant to -8ºC.
For what do you use it?
Ornamental
It is a very decorative plant, which can be kept in pots, planters or in the ground. It does not require much care, and as it resists frost and high temperatures (not extreme) it lives in a wide variety of climates.
Medicinal - Evening primrose oil
From the seeds, after cold pressing, an oil rich in essential fatty acids is obtained that the human body is not capable of producing but which are necessary to us, such as linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid.
This oil has analgesic properties during menstruation, and helps relieve symptoms of menopause. But according to studies carried out by the Mayo Clinic (in the United States), its use is contraindicated in people suffering from epilepsy.
Where to buy evening primrose?
You can buy it in nurseries, garden stores, or from here:
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