Oenothera biennis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun to shade
• Soils: Dry, sandy
• Bloom Time: Yellow in July, August, September
• Size: Size: 2-6 feet in height; 3 foot spread
The lemon-scented large yellow flowers open in the evening and close by noon. Grows vegetatively its first year then flowers its second year but does not persist. Seeds germinate if soil is disturbed. Can become weedy but it is an important native plant with a long and late bloom time supporting many insects. Drought tolerant and good for naturalizing.
Garden Companions
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for the pink Primrose Moth (Schinia florida).
• Attracts wide variety of other moths, birds, hummingbirds and specialized bees.
• Birds eat seeds – especially goldfinches.
• Small mammals eat roots and leaves.
Native Habitat
Occurs in meadows, fields, floodplains, river or lake shores.