Growing perennial evening primrose from seeds, the subtleties of planting and care

Perennial Enotera is a beautiful and unpretentious plant that is increasingly planted in gardens. It is not difficult to grow it, and it is definitely worth doing: the original flower garden will provide an upbeat mood for the owners of the site and everyone who is nearby.

Enotera is the Latin name for a large genus from the Cyprian family. The botanical name is primrose, but we have more common poetic folk definitions: a night candle, evening or night primrose, even a night violet - this is how the biennial evening primrose is called for its enchanting flowering.

Description

Enotera is a plant of the American continent. It entered Europe at the beginning of the 17th century and has since spread to the east of Asia. Annuals, biennials and perennials are outwardly similar, from 30 cm to 2 m in height.Enothera has a powerful root system located at a depth of 25 cm. bluish tint. They serve as an excellent backdrop for bright yellow poppy flowers.

The buds are formed in the axils of the leaves one at a time, sometimes they form a bunch. Enotera is decorative almost all summer, starting from the second half of June. Flowers with a diameter of 2 to 10 cm open constantly every evening or during the day in cloudy weather, live for several hours, emit a delightful aroma. Pollinated at night. Tiny seeds ripen in capsules, their germination capacity lasts up to 3-4 years. Petals of different types are yellow, white, pink. Florists have created many amazing hybrid forms.

Types and varieties

Several types of evening primrose are more suitable for growing in the middle lane: beautiful, shrub, Missouri, stemless. These flowers are easy to plant and maintain, and are quite hardy.

Biennial, or large-flowered

The romantic evening primrose flower, or night candle, impresses with its rapid transformation from a blue-green bush into a bright garland of large yellow flowers exuding a delicate fresh scent. Propagated by seeds. Erect stems rise up to a meter or more. Flowers of intense lemon-yellow color, 4-5 cm in diameter. They open in a matter of seconds, emitting a slight rustle.

After the emergence of seedlings in the first year, the seedlings form a leaf rosette. The peduncle appears next summer. This species is beautiful in the background of a flower garden or in a strip planting along buildings. A romantic partner for tall delphiniums, astilba, daylilies. It can reproduce by self-seeding, but rarely.

The most common varieties:

• Evening dawn - plant up to 90 cm, flowers up to 4-4.5 cm;
• Pinocchio - grows up to 120 cm, fragrant flowers - up to 5 cm.

Enotera "night candle" will be a wonderful companion for evening walks if you place it along the path.

Missouri

Low-growing creeping perennial evening primrose Missouri grows up to 40 cm. Oval or lanceolate leaves are very densely arranged, and also have a peculiar picturesqueness. Single flowers appear from June to September. Large, up to 10 cm, at dusk or in partial shade "shine" due to the intense yellow color. With good care, they practically hide the leaves.

There are several popular varieties of Missouri evening primrose.

• Solveig - height 20-25 cm, bright yellow flowers.
• Gold - up to 25 cm, blooms until the end of August.
• Night candle - up to 30 cm, pale yellow petals.
• Yellow River - very low stems, 20 cm. Corollas 5 cm in diameter, abundant flowering.

Evening primrose Missouri is harmoniously combined with ground cover plants, low aquilegia and irises, petunias, marigolds.

Bushes do not tolerate winter well or simply degenerate. You need to take care of reproduction and new plantings in advance in a cozy place. For the winter they cover with a 10-15-centimeter layer of sawdust, spruce branches, and peat.

Shrub

Evening primrose stems branch and form a dense bush up to a meter high. Leaves are oval, dark green in color, grow dense. Flowers 3-5 cm in diameter, yellow, open in June-August. The bush is very decorative, not only in summer, during flowering, but also in autumn, thanks to the crimson leaves. The plant is unpretentious to care for, hardy, winter-hardy. Having cut off the stems for the winter, you can cover the bush with foliage or spruce branches.

When planting evening primrose in a flower garden, you need to organize enough space for its spreading roots (up to 50 cm). The shrub variety is limited by a metal sheet or slate barrier.

Beautiful

A weakly resistant plant, subject to rapid degeneration, but the delicate velvet rug of fragrant white or light pink flowers with a yellow center makes a great impression. In sunny places it blooms for 2-2.5 months until mid-August. It grows up to 30-40 cm. The stems bend low to the ground, the leaves are lanceolate, serrated. Flowers up to 5 cm in diameter.

Good for growing from seeds that are sown in March. Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the fall, followed by careful shelter or a year later, in the spring. Planting new plants and cuttings.

Suitable for growing in containers. An earthen lump with a rhizome is brought into the basement for the winter. Looks spectacular in the edging of a flower garden or on borders in a company with ageratum, veronica and lobelia.

Several varieties of beautiful evening primrose have been bred.

• Pink dream - up to 25-40 cm, flowers are pink and white, bloom in the year of sowing.
• Coquette orchid-pink - up to 20 cm, delicate shade of petals.
• Evening rose - height up to 40 cm, captivates with a charming aroma and white-pink petals. With early sowing, the seeds can bloom in the first year.
• Free wind - height 50 cm, large snow-white flowers.

How to grow evening primrose?

All types of evening primrose reproduce by seeds. They are sown for seedlings in March. Before sowing, the seeds are treated with a fungicide in the form of a powder, poured into a bag and shaken several times. Then, in a damp cloth, they are placed in the refrigerator for stratification until sprouts appear. Without germination, the seeds will sprout in 15-20 days.

For evening primrose seedlings, peat tablets are well suited. Sow and in a container with a substrate from equally taken garden soil, sand and peat. Small seeds are mixed with sand and evenly spread over the surface. Sprinkle on top with a 5 mm layer of soil and moisten. The containers are covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place (temperature 18-20 ^°C).

Seedlings are kept at the same temperature, they need additional lighting with daylight devices or phytolamps for up to 12-14 hours a day. Sprouts dive into separate pots when 2-3 leaves appear. Water sparingly, make sure that the substrate does not dry out. In May, the sprouts are hardened by bringing the pots to the balcony.

They are planted in a permanent place after establishing a stable heat. In the case of sowing in open ground from mid-May, flowering will occur the next year. Podwinter sowing is also practiced.

Prepare a place for a flower garden in advance. Planting and caring for evening primrose should be placed in a sunny or semi-shady area with good drainage. The ideal soil would be neutral loam with deep groundwater. The mineral complex is introduced at 30-40 g per 1 m² and 3 kg of humus. Sand is added to heavy soil.

Planting evening primrose in the shade will give you the opportunity to admire the luxurious flowers during the day.

Care secrets

• Plants are drought-resistant, during the summer 2-3 abundant watering of 15-20 liters per 1 m is enough².
• Before flowering, they are fed with superphosphate, 20 g per 1 m, or potassium sulfate, nitrophos, wood ash.After fertilization, abundant watering is needed.
• Faded stems are not removed, you can pluck withered flowers for the sake of aesthetics of the compositions.
• The entire aboveground part is cut off before winter.
• Once every 3-4 years, perennials rejuvenate by dividing the bushes.
• The unpretentious evening primrose tolerates transplanting during flowering.
• A little sick if the requirements of planting and care are met.

The amazing beauty of evening primrose will reward the labor of growing seedlings. A beginner can also take care of a flower. The garden, illuminated by bright blooms, will acquire a special charm and an atmosphere of peace.