It will take full sun where you live... but keep it from any other plants.... it reseeds itself into pots, into other gardens... you will never be rid of it. I thought the same, many years ago... but I am thoroughly sick of removing it from all sorts of places.

Thanks, that's why I came here, I thought if anyone would know they'd likely be here.

Do you know of any way to keep it confined? If I put it in a pot I'm thinking the seeds will just go outside the pot. What if I put it in a raised bed, dead center? Is it possible to keep it deadheaded enough to prevent seeding? Hmmmmmmmmmm..... Maybe I'll plant it to compete w/the neighbors Artemisia limelight that's just on the other side of the fence. Nah, paybacks aren't fun and they have a way coming back to bite.

Here's what I have on it:

Very easily cultivated by seed or division. Seeds need light to germinate and will grow if scattered on the surface of disturbed soil. Ideal germinating temperature is 20C, and they should germinate within about 2-4 weeks. Will grow in almost any well-drained soil. Drought-tolerant. Prefers sun. Leaves may discolour when grown in shade. Too much fertiliser may result in a deformed plant. May become invasive in some areas if it self-seeds.

The only way to prevent it from becoming a weed, is to remove the flowers before they have time to produce seeds. Which rather takes away the pleasure of growing such pretty things, doesn't it? But you have been warned - it really is an absolute garden THUG once it takes hold.

Wow. Well, it's a pretty thug at least. It's already flowering and that was what got it home with me. I may regret planting it, but if it gets too bad I guess I can move. ???????? Thanks! And yes, I have been warned. I guess that means you don't want to hear me whine when I'm sick of it? :D

And evening primrose gets HUGE! One of mine (which seeded itself about 60 feet from the original) is 6 feet high and at least that wide. But, eat the flowers to keep it from reseeding and you've gained health benefits as well.

Whole plant can be harvested at any time for culinary purposes. The flowers are the preferred parts for medicinal purposes, but all parts are useful. Best time to collect plants for medicinal use is when the plant is in flower in autumn. The essential oil is readily available in commercial products.

Culinary Uses: Whole plant is edible as a vegetable. Add flowers to salads, or use them as a garnish. Use leaves in salads. Seeds can be chewed, or cooked in breads and biscuits, or steamed, or roasted in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 180C and sprinkled on food like pepper. Leaves and roots can be eaten fresh. The roots are sometimes eaten like olives as an after-dinner treat, or boiled like potatoes.

For medicinal purposes, it is usually the essential oil obtained from the seeds which is used.

Warning: Expert supervision is recommended when using the essential oil for medicinal purposes. Do not use this herb if suffering from epilepsy.

And yes, it usually gets to about 2 metres tall. Which means it can throw its seeds considerably further afield than a shorter plant!

Veal with Evening Primrose
8 thin veal cutlets, fat removed (chicken or pork will do)
flour
2 tablespoons butter
16 very small evening primrose plants, including roots
pinch salt
1/2 cup Madeira wine
1/2 cup water
lemon slices to garnish

Coat the veal in flour, shake off excess flour. Melt the butter in a frypan until it begins to foam, immediately add the veal and brown quickly on both sides. Add evening primrose to the pan with the salt, Madeira, water. Simmer slowly, covered, for 10 minutes until the evening primrose is tender and the sauce reduced. Serve with pan juices poured over and garnished with lemon slices.

There are several kinds of Oenothera, which are we talking about here?

I have Oenothera speciosa (aka Mexican Evening Primrose), which is white to pink in blossom, is extremely invasive, and, both reseeds itself and has rhizome runners. It is only 8-12" tall and rather gangly. I would not recommend that anyone let this get started in any garden.

I think we are mainly talking about Oenothera biennis. Certainly, I am, because that's the one recommended for medicinal and culinary purposes.

I have Oenothera berlandieri, which I found also as Mexican evening primrose, according to the label with the plant. I couldn't find the stick that came in the pot so didn't have the name, now I found it. Thanks again.

Purple Rainbow, that's hilarious!! We used to make up "headlines" all the time for silly stuff. Yeah, the evening primrose is fighting with the mullein for height. And as I was over in the perennial border thinking, "My goodness, the evening primrose has seeded itself here, here and here", I followed the stems back and realized it was just one mother plant! Like a botanical octopus. Cue Jaws music...

I've found other people in my zone who say the only way their Oenothera berlandieri is invasive is by rhizome and suggested containing it with a bottomless bucket. Maybe I have a less aggressive variety?

Ok, I've read all of your comments with apprehension, after purchasing 8 plants. My question is: does it need some kind of support since it is tall? I do have a bank area that it could go wild in, literally, but am wondering if it will need support.

Oenothera biennis is the really tall one. It has yellow flowers that are pretty in and of themselves, but the percentage of huge green plant with lots of spent flowers and only two or three fresh blooms a day make it of little ornamental value. It does seed easily. Oenothera speciosa, Mexican Primrose, or Pink Ladies, is extremely beautiful but takes over underground, and when I decided it didn't work in one bed it took about three years to eradicate all the roots, pulling and spraying Glyphosate. The well-behaved beauty of the family, which I have killed because my soil here is so heavy and clay, is Oenothera missouriensis, the Ozark Sundrop. I have never known or heard that it is invasive. It deserves a place in your perennial bed if you can grow it.

I hate evening primrose & rue the day i planted it

it's even taking over my newly planted grass & i'm super bummed, just can't figure out how to get rid of it

any suggestions?

maybe i'll start a separate threat re: how to get rid of primrose

I need HELP. I have been fighting this plant for several years and have had to remove my jasmine border, now my lawn has been invaded, and as much as I've sprayed the Round-Up on emerging little plants in the neighbor's yard, it has appeared this week alive and well. What is a final solution for this beast? I'm afraid I'm going to end up with the expense of replacing my whole yard as well as hers.

Primrose here will die in direct sun. I wasted money on these plants, and even though they looked pretty, they didn't last a single summer month outside.

Glad I found this post. I have a packet of seeds for evening primrose, for medicinal purposes, and aren't they pretty? Now I know to be careful, as though I'm inclined to use them for herbalism, don't want it to take over! Will be very careful. I thought they liked direct sun, dryish soils? Never use any chemicals to kill plants, organic garderner. daisyduckworth and herbalbetty, you rock! If we use the seeds, will it still be a garden thug? Or will that reduce the spreading invasive habit?

How long does an evening primrose take to grow fully? I need to know for a science project.

I assume you mean Oenothera biennis, common evening primrose? If so, it is a biennial which means it completes it lifecycle in 2 growing seasons.

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia - Oenothera biennis

If properly trained and well-maintained, mexican evening primrose makes a nice tough durable ground cover.

There's a simple remedy to cut down the invasiveness of this plant-- Around the plant, dig all the plants and grass out at LEAST a foot and a half from the primroses, and place a thick layer of mulch over the bare soil.

Keep this mulch moist, but avoid watering the primroses too much, this species prefers dry, well-drained soil, so excessive moisture AROUND the plant will help contain it.

any seeds that sprout in the mulch will damp-off (die), due to the overtly wet condition of the barrier.

Some basic pruning skills are required for maximum enjoyment.

I found this thread after searching "evening primrose'. I had this mystery plant in my garden with yellow flowers, when I uploaded a pic someone identified the plant as evening primrose. Can't imagine where it came from unless it was in the wildflower mix I planted in spring of 2011.
It's really a nice looking plant that fills up the gaps where I had planted canna & dahlia last year ( what did I know...they were annuals. I'm a newbie.)

From what you guys are saying, I should just 'get rid of them'? Do they take over a garden space, or reseed somewhere else by wind? If I pull them out in the fall/winter, will more of them come back?

I've never had it take over any place. I find it quite controllable. If it dropped seed, you may get more volunteers.

FataMorgana

We have evening primrose growing wild all around the area (Etowah, NC) (in full sun) especially along the roadsides. however i haven't noticed it growing anywhere else like it does here. maybe a young indian squaw planted some and she couldn't get rid of it either. as long as it is kept cut down and mowed (like in lawns)it eventually dies away. we tend to have the same problem with blackberry brambles and that is how hubby and i rid ourselves of them

My Mexican primrose (pink flowers, red kinda 'wirey' stems) IS invasive if left alone... I carefully keep just a small patch of it contained but I do like it! The Missouri primrose though has pretty yellow flowers & is NOT invasive & I have it with asclepsia tuberosa (butterfly weed)& verbena 'Homestead purple' for a pretty corner cluster.
So carefully choose your variety of primroses ... some are just fine & others ... contain them & keep a watchful eye on them!

Is there another weedy plant that looks just like Oenothera biennis, once its blooms are spent? After the power company cut a swath of destruction at the back of our property, weeds and vines if all kinds quickly filled the void. Poison ivy and ticks kept me away from the area for months, and as it is below a hedge of Rose of Sharon, we couldn't see what was happening. Recently I found many huge plants that are structured exactly like Oenothera biennis; although I never saw them in flower, I was sure that's what they were. Now about three weeks later, I am seeing alarmingly great clouds of chaff arising from that area. I discovered it all floats up from these plants, which are exploding with fluff. None of you have mentioned chaff, so I must have misidentified it. Any ideas what mine could be?

Evening primrose doesn't produce seed with pappus that I'm aware of. Pappus is the fluffy, parachute like stuff on dandelions and other wind-blown seed. I would suggest that it is something else. Look next season for it to come up or all the scattered seed to come up for identification.

Of course, a picture or two now may let us to perhaps ID what you have.

FataMorgana

Today I found a few spent blossoms on one of the plants. Turns out it's blue lettuce. I found it before it bloomed, then missed the whole bloom time, so I didn't realize the blossoms would be/were blue instead of yellow. I'm sad I missed it; it must have been really pretty.

Today I found a few spent blossoms on one of the plants. Turns out it's blue lettuce. I found it before it bloomed, then missed the whole bloom time, so I didn't realize the blossoms would be/were blue instead of yellow. I'm sad I missed it; it must have been really pretty.

Is this Yellow Evening Primrose, or something else?

Here is a link that might be useful: Evening Primrose?

This isn't very helpful, but last year when asking about my (pink) low invasive primrose, I remember someone misunderstanding and replying about her yellow Texas primrose. So maybe it is. Google texas yellow evening primeose and see if u get any results.

Also, since this post is so old and long, many may not read thru to get to ur post. Try posting in Name that Plant (or is it Plant ID?) forum.

Bonnie

Just for what it's worth, American species of bats find use of this plant in their lives, so to those of you who would like to see a return of an voracious, insect-eating, helpful member of the mammal species that does humans good, grow (and contain, if you;'re that scared) some evening primrose, and add a bat-house to your property....

I bought this plant late last year along with a Hellaborus! A MAJOR seed company sold me a special as a Missouri Primrose with beautiful Yellow flowers! I planted it in grass barren yard under the edge of a large pine to let it groundcover under the rest of the Pine! BUT the starting of my Hosta Garden is just 2 1/2 feet to the brick edging it with the first really nice Hosta there now and the 20 starter plants ready to transplant into it going north away from the Pine and MP!

Should I dig this thing up while it is still new and put it in Yard Waste??! It is a small handsome plant right now! Is it aimed at raping my Hosta Garden of the Future?

I forgot to mention! Because of the pine, this Missouri Primrose is in NO Sun, but at least at the start it is Thriving!! Do you think I have found the secret to its Invasiveness? It's seeds can't sprout so it can't spread according to the one gentleman!

birdhunter2711