Evening primrose is a beautiful plant that has not yet gained popularity among domestic gardeners and florists. And it is completely in vain, because with its delicate flowers the plant is able to give a lot of positive emotions. It is extremely easy to care for him - even those who have never grown flowers will gladly plant evening primrose at home.
The amazing thing about this flower is that it blooms at night. Evening primrose opens buds only when the sun has set below the horizon. At the same time on one bush there are many flowers. By the light of a flashlight, this is an unforgettable evening sight.
Origin
Evening primrose plant a yellow candle comes from America. It is characterized by the presence of creeping stems, growing no more than 90 cm in height. Shoots die off during the onset of winter cold, but grow back in the spring. Evening primrose is a perennial plant and, under favorable conditions, lives for about 10 years.
Evening primrose
It begins to bloom in June, you can enjoy the flowers before the onset of autumn frosts.
Interesting. Each next year, the plant blooms even more abundantly and intensely.
Under natural conditions, evening primrose blooms like a weed on a river bank, at the edge of a forest.
Plant flower description
The size of evening primrose flower reaches 10 cm in diameter. At home, it will be smaller.
Types and varieties of evening primrose
In Russia, the following types of evening primrose are common:
- Biennial - a tall plant with lemon flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs in the second year throughout June - October.
- Missouri - perennial herb up to 40 cm high, with strongly smelling flowers with a diameter of about 10 cm. Blossoms from June to August.
Missouri evening primrose
- Multi-colored - a herbaceous plant over 1 m with red or orange flowers. It does not always tolerate cold winters.
- Quadrangular - cold-resistant plant with stems of medium height. The flowers are yellow, smelling pleasantly (the smell is similar to an orchid).
- The stemless evening primrose has a garden shape. Her leaves are collected in a rosette, where a yellow flower appears, much larger than that of a primrose, with a diameter of about 7 cm. It blooms from early July to late September.
Transplant after purchase in open ground
The choice of the optimal place, the availability of appropriate soil allows you to grow beautiful evening primrose bushes, to extend its flowering. The plant does not require special conditions. The main thing you need is the presence of a healthy seedling.
The flower is unpretentious and feels good anywhere with any composition of the soil. It can be a sunshine or, conversely, a shaded place. Evening primrose is well resistant to various diseases.
The earth must be loose, permeable. Avoid places where water stagnates as a result of spring snowmelt or summer floods. In wetlands, young plants fall ill and die quickly.
When sowing, they perform the following actions:
- at the end of May, put the seeds directly on the soil, close them up about half a centimeter;
- regularly monitor soil moisture;
- seedlings after the appearance of the third pair of leaves are planted at a distance of about 10 cm;
- for the winter they are covered with leaves.
Evening primrose seeds
When planting seedlings, you need to dig a small hole where to place the plant. The seedling is gently sprinkled with earth and watered. It is important not to overfill the plant - it can die from this.
Breeding
Evening primrose can be propagated by seed or using cuttings. In the northern regions, it is best to purchase seedlings and plant them in open ground when the threat of spring frost has passed.
Cuttings
Cuttings are obtained by dividing the bush. It is performed around the beginning of the last month of spring. The plant is dug up, the bush is carefully torn so that each part has at least one root.
In exactly the same way, young offspring are separated from a large bush. They can be carefully dug up, then transplanted to another place. Cuttings grow rapidly.
Seed cultivation
The plant has small seeds. They do not differ in high germination, in addition, shoots are sparse. Growing evening primrose of the Missouri night candle from seeds is best done in the south - they give excellent seedlings here.
With early planting and compliance with care requirements, evening primrose produces seeds in the first fall. Next year, an amateur gardener will have excellent seed.
Evening primrose seedlings
When growing seedlings, seeds need to be sown in a greenhouse around February. Seedlings for planting in the ground will be ready around the beginning of May. This is the best time for it to take root and form flowers, which in the fall will give seeds with high germination.
Evening Primrose Care
The plant is undemanding to special care. Nevertheless, adhering to certain recommendations, you can extend the flowering time of evening primrose and keep it in a healthy well-groomed form. The plant needs to be watered, fertilized, mulched with humus or manure.
Watering mode
The plant needs watering immediately after transplantation. It tolerates a dry period. Watering the plant is necessary only on the driest days, when the heat is.
Note! With its drooping leaves, the plant shows that it needs to be watered.
Excessive watering of evening primrose should be avoided. The leaves will begin to fade from this, and the roots will rot.
Top dressing
Potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are suitable for evening primrose. During the growing season, the plant is fertilized several times:
- when the kidneys swell;
- when buds form;
- when evening primrose grows plentifully.
Dosage is selected based on the instructions.
During flowering
During flowering, mulching of the soil is important. It is advisable to carry it out after a steady heat sets in, and the threat of frost return returns. As mulch, manure is used, humus. The optimum layer thickness is not more than 6 cm.
Watering evening primrose
When the plant blooms, it is important to timely remove inflorescences that are dried. This measure significantly lengthens the flowering time.
During rest
When evening primrose has finished flowering, it is necessary to reduce the number of irrigations. As a rule, at this time the weather becomes cooler and the plant does not feel such a great need for water. At the same time, evening primrose should not be fed.
Evening primrose flower
In autumn, you need to remove all dry and dead parts of the plant. If necessary, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment of evening primrose against parasites.
Winter preparations
Before the cold comes, you need to cut the stems almost completely. Then the fallen snow will cover the underground parts of evening primrose. If for some reason the snow is not enough, it is necessary to cover the plant with fallen leaves. In colder climates, lapnik can be used as a shelter.
Enotera is a beautiful unpretentious plant that can unrecognizably change a summer or garden plot. It grows rapidly, and in a few years the garden or cottage will turn into one large flower garden. Some varieties have an exquisite fragrance that will give pleasant emotions.
