Perennial evening primrose flower is widely used in garden and landscape design. However, many gardeners are not well acquainted with the features of this flower. In order to be able to fully use it, you need to learn more about its varieties and features of cultivation.
Evening primrose legends and other names
Evening primrose is a flower that grows in the wild in Central America and Europe. Evening primrose belongs to the family of Cypriot. The genus Oenothéra includes more than a hundred species. Among them there are both one- and two-year, and perennial varieties.
Evening primrose shrubby
The name comes from the Greek words "oinos" and "ther", which in translation, respectively, mean "wine" and "wild beast." This name comes from a belief associated with the miraculous power of this plant. It is believed that if a wild animal sniffs a plant moistened with guilt, then this will make it tame.
It is interesting that evening primrose has several names: "Night candle", "Night primrose", "Evening star", "Evening color", "Lunar yellow", "Summer star". Perhaps the reason for this is due to the fact that after sunset the evening primrose flowers open one after another. Looking at them, you can liken the flowers to a garland that glows in the dark.
Important! But the people got the name "Donkey", which probably owes its origin to the similarity of leaves with donkey ears.
Stems of various species can be either erect or creeping. Their length can range from 20 centimeters to two meters. The leaves are lobed or oval-elongated. Leaves and stems pubescent.
Depending on the varieties of perennials, flowers can have a different color and are:
- white
- pink
- reddish
- blue
- bright yellow.
A typical time for flowering is at night or during bad weather. However, in some varieties, flowering occurs throughout the day.
Each flower opens only once. After it fades, in its place a box with seeds is formed, which contains up to 3000 pieces. They retain good germination for four years.
Species and varieties
The following is a small description of the most popular species and varieties of Gemini.
- Oenothera fragrant Oenothera odorata
This flower is often grown in shady corners of gardens and parks. It grows to a height of 1 meter.
Yellow flowers create a pleasant and clearly distinguishable aroma.
Flowering in this variety occurs during the daytime.
- Evening primrose quadrangular Oenothera tetragona
This plant has straight stems. They can reach 70 centimeters in height. The oval foliage has a blue-green color. In thyroid inflorescences, yellow flowers are arranged in groups. Flowering begins in June and lasts until the end of August.
- Enoter Drummond Oenothera drummondii
This species is a two year old. It grows to 80 centimeters. Leaves have a light green color. The diameter of the flower is 7 centimeters. Evening flowering time begins in early June and ends with the onset of frost.
- Oenothera multicolored Oenothera versicolor
This variety is biennial. The flower can grow up to one and a half meters in height.
Flowers have a yellow-reddish color. The plant has low reddish stems and dark orange flowers that bloom in mid-summer.
For reference: Sunset Boulevard is the most popular variety of this species. This variety forms compact bushes with a diameter of 30 centimeters and is not able to grow greatly in breadth.
- Enotera beautiful Oenothera speciosa
Enotera Orchid in one year creates several shoots with a height of 20 to 60 centimeters. It looks like a lacy pillow of leaves, strewn with cup-shaped flowers that have a white or pink color.
Evening primrose blooms from July to mid-August. This species requires that he be provided with shelter for the winter. To do this, you can dig it out of the ground and put it into the room during the winter period.
- Oenothera biennial Oenothera biennis
This species is very popular. The flower grows two-meter erect stems. The shrub is covered with lanceolate leaves up to 20 centimeters long.
This evening primrose is yellow; its large flowers have a lemon tint. Flowering time begins in June and ends in October.
Especially popular is the variety Onothera Biennis or "Evening Dawn." Its height is 90 centimeters, and the flowers are golden with a reddish tint.
This variety is not suitable for cultivation in areas with cold climates.
Evening Roots
- Evening primrose shrub Oenothera fruticosa
The variety is considered the most unpretentious. Its height is 120 centimeters.
The stems of this shrub are powerful and branched. The flowers are golden in color and have a pleasant aroma.
Evening primrose foliage Lamarck has a small size and oval-elongated shape. It grows, forming a dense crown. In summer, the leaves have a dark green color. In autumn, a crimson hue appears on them.
- Oenothera Missouri Yellow Oenothera missouriensis
This creeping species has lodging stems. Flowers in appearance resemble a bowl with a diameter of 10 centimeters. They have a golden yellow color.
The Solveig variety belongs to this species. When intense flowering occurs, a faint smell resembling citrus fruits can be detected.
Flowering begins in mid-June and until the first frost occurs.
- Enothera stemless Oenothera acaulis
This plant has almost no stems visible. With the onset of darkness, it is covered with beautiful and rarely arranged flowers. They appear from a rosette consisting of lanceolate leaves.
Flowering in this variety of evening primrose occurs from late June to early September. This variety is unpretentious in care and has a good winter hardiness parameter.
Beneficial features
Perennial fritillary has a number of useful properties related to various fields of use.
The medicine
This plant is used in medicine to create medicines. For this purpose, the seeds and roots of bush evening primrose can be used. You can use oil made from them. It is considered an effective remedy for eczema, it can help in case of allergic reactions, it helps the vessels to increase the tone of the walls, it can normalize the level of cholesterol in the blood.
For women, this drug can improve well-being when critical days come. The oil allows you to take care of the skin, has a rejuvenating effect, is able to improve the elasticity of the skin.
Important! Use of the product is prohibited for those who suffer from glaucoma.
It is allowed to use crushed plant seeds instead of oil. They are used for the same symptoms. For treatment, take a teaspoon two or three times a day. If it is necessary to tackle the prevention of these diseases, then half the teaspoon that is taken daily is enough.
Healing power is possessed by roots, which are collected from annual plants. It is possible to take aboveground parts from two-year-olds. Infusions that can be prepared from them are effective in the treatment of kidney stones, diarrhea, cough, asthma. This composition helps to normalize the body. It is useful for the stomach, spleen, liver, has a relaxing effect on the heart muscle in the presence of neuralgia.
Attention! A decoction of the roots can be used to wash wounds or bruises.
Cookery
The roots contain a large amount of vitamin C. They are rich in insulin, starch. If you dig them up in early spring, then you can use them as part of salads.
Enotera of Missouri
Evening primrose in landscaping or landscape design
Gumdrops are often used as a contrast element. If we are talking about tall plants, they will look spectacular in the background, and undersized ones in the foreground.
Enotera found its application on alpine hills, terraces, for decorating borders, on quadrangular flower beds.
When evening primrose is planted on a flower bed, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of a particular variety. Some plants can grow quickly, while others do not do this at all. In some cases, there is a powerful root system; in other types of evening primrose, it is relatively small.
When deciding what type of evening primrose to use, you need to take into account its features so that it can bloom and get along with other plants in the flowerbed.
For example, when planting a tall plant, it is recommended to cut off the side shoots so that it looks neater.
Attention! It should be borne in mind that evening primrose propagates well by self-seeding, so you need to make sure that it does not grow too much on the flowerbed.
When it blossoms, it goes well with a bell, peony, veronica, ageratum and some other types of plants.
Evening primrose breeding methods
First of all, such knowledge is useful:
- With seed propagation in the first year, leaf rosettes are formed. The plant begins to bloom after another year.
- To create seedlings, it is convenient to plant plants in February in a greenhouse. In this case, the seeds do not need to be buried. When growing, they provide regular watering and a temperature equal to 20 degrees Celsius. In May, seedlings should already be ready. It is planted in open ground. Flowering is expected to occur during the first year of plant growth.
- You can propagate the plant using division. In this case, one of the shoots is separated along with a piece of root. Then they transplant him to a new place. The method is not popular.
When planting seedlings, it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the bushes is at least half a meter. When planting, you need to feed the plant.
Evening primrose in the flowerbed
Evening primrose from seeds at home
It is necessary to withstand the seeds in a stimulating solution for several hours. For this, you can, for example, use Kornevin. After that, they begin to grow seedlings.
It is necessary to prepare the soil - it is made from a mixture of sand, peat and turf. They put seeds there and provide watering. Over time, sprouts appear, which are planted. For this purpose, you can use round or tetrahedral peat pots.
Evening primrose seeds are very small. Therefore, they are not put in separate holes. And mixed with soil. In this case, it is enough to make a deepening of 5 millimeters. When they begin to germinate, thinning is performed.
It is necessary to provide the sprouts with regular watering and moderate heat. High humidity is obtained by covering the greenhouse with a film. Every two days it is necessary to carry out airing.
Important! Before landing, airing is carried out daily. And time is increased until it reaches 8-10 hours.
After this, the seedlings are planted in open ground.
Choosing a landing place
This flower prefers to have good lighting. It is insensitive to the composition of the soil - it will grow well on almost any land.
However, it is better to make a certain amount of humus. For 1 square. a meter will need 2.5 kilograms. Then the site is carefully dug up. A few hours before planting, the soil is watered.
Care
Landing and caring for the perennial evening primrose is not difficult, but some rules must be observed.
Fig. 5 evening primrose
- Fertilizer and fertilizer
Evening primrose does not need regular feeding. However, if you apply complex fertilizer once or twice a season, this will help the plant grow well.
- Watering Rules
Regular and plentiful watering is not required. However, when hot and dry weather sets in, it is necessary to maintain the plant and to supply it with additional moisture.
It should be remembered that stagnation of moisture in the roots can cause them to rot.
Important! A young plant recently planted in open ground should be watered once a week. This is done until it is visible that the plant has grown stronger.
- Rejuvenation and transplantation
Since shrubby evening primrose grows well, after a few years old shoots remain in the center, and young shoots along the edges. In order for the plant to maintain a decorative appearance, it is recommended to transplant using the division of the bush.
- Evening primrose pruning and preparation for winter
Most types of evening primrose are able to tolerate winter normally. However, it will not be superfluous to help them by covering the plants from frost.
A simple and effective way is to cut the shoots under the root before the onset of winter. After this, the roots must be sprinkled with sawdust and dry foliage.
Diseases and pests of an oslinik
If you take care in accordance with the rules, then the chances that the evening primrose will fall ill or be attacked by insect pests are close to zero.
In practice, almost no one creates ideal conditions, so there are diseases with a fungus or an aphid attack. In the first case, a probable cause is waterlogging. In order to cure the plant, it is necessary to remove the part infected with the fungus.
Important!If aphids attacked the evening primrose, then you need to carefully inspect the leaves and clean them from pests. After this, it is advisable to wash the leaves with a mild soapy solution.
This plant not only original blooms, but also has a special beauty, and can also help to improve health and at the same time is suitable for food. Of course, modern flower lovers are unlikely to eat such a beautiful specimen, but nobody forbids admiring them.
