Description

Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose, also known as Sundrops, are hardy perennials which were discovered in North America and brought to Europe in the early 17th century where they quickly became a cottage garden favorite because of their showy yellow flowers which burst into bloom just as the sun was preparing to set. The original favorites were Oenanthera macrocarpa, a 3-4 foot plant which produced brilliant yellow 3 inch flowers. The French liked to eat the first year roots, preparing them as if they were salsify. The macrocarpa eventually fell out of favor because of their size and the room they needed in the cottage garden and were replaced by Oenanthera fruticosa, the 18 inch high, yellow flowering variety that we are familiar with today. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, described five varieties of Evening Primrose varying in size from 6 inches to 4 feet in height with yellow or white flowers. He stated, “All the species succeed well in any common garden soil, and easily propagated from divisions of the root, and from seed when it can be obtained.”