Bobbie Stephenson, Newsletter Editor & Chapter Secretary
A couple of years ago a rosette of leaves came up among some day lilies that persist near the porch at the front of my house. “Hmm,” I mused, “that looks familiar”, so I let it grow. I hadn’t planted it or dispersed any seeds of such a plant. In the spring, an inflorescence shot up and I had my first Hooker’s evening primrose (Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri) flowers.
I was warned that this species would be a problem as the plants would take over my yard and I would have to remove them so that other species could grow. The seeds from this one plant reveled in the dampness of a small water leak from the house, and, sure enough, they grew. And they grew up to 12 feet tall! The ones closest to the house stood straight up because they were growing through the branches of a dead pyracantha bush. The others became top heavy and fell over, just tumbling down the slope. The plants next to the sidewalk were much shorter, having received less water.
The flowers were stunning! A neighbor stopped by while I was working in the yard one day and said that she comes out to see flowers in the evening when the flowers are open because they remind her of the ones her grandmother used to grow. People were amazed at how many flowers these plants produced! They literally glowed in the evening!
In the summer my husband and I had the water leak fixed, and my evening primroses suffered from lack of water and they started drying up (below).
Then in September, the evening primroses surprised us again! Troops of lesser goldfinches came into our yard to eat the seeds! Tiny little bundles of energy they were, as they pecked the seeds from pods on the swaying branches and from the ground in the early mornings.
I have lots (and lots!) of seedlings now growing and ready to bloom next spring. A problem? Not for me – I look forward to seeing how well they grow, and to seeing the flocks of lesser goldfinches that will come visit us next fall!
Note: Hooker's evening primrose is a native perennial herb in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family that grows primarily along the coast between San Francisco and San Diego and northern Baja California. It is fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 5 feet (or taller!), with active growth during the summer.