The crayola box colors have come out to play in the garden which means Summer is upon us. Williamsburg weather has done it's typical sprint from seventy degrees straight through to ninety degrees this week. Oenthera fruticosa 'Sundrops' or Evening Primrose is a little bit of cheery yellow in a sea of blue and purple blooms in my garden. Much like peonies, Sundrops do not show their stuff for very long, but I anticipate their flowers in the late spring none the less. They may take a little bit of work to keep them going the first year or two. After that they will provide a steady display year after year, requiring little maintenance other than deadheading them at the end of their bloom cycle. Mine are a wonderful middle of the border plant that spread a little each year, but don't get out of hand like their counterpart Oenthera berlandieri (Mexican Evening Primrose).
Close by to some of my Sundrops is Gaillardia, aka blanket flower. I bought this flower years ago because it is known for being a tough, full sun, drought tolerant plant. It blooms as a weed on the side of the road in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. You can't get more full sun, dry as a bone condition than that location! However, this is a flower that stayed stagnant, never blooming in my full sun, dry as a bone garden. Okay, maybe it would have one flower on it every other year. Still, I have a hard time giving up on a flower as long as it puts out green leaves each spring, so I never pulled the blanket flower out. Well, wouldn't you know, last year I actually had a few blooms. This year it has tons of blooms on it and it seeded itself in a couple spots! The bright yellow Sundrops pair nicely with the blanket flower's yellow and red combination.
The crayola box colors have come out to play in the garden which means Summer is upon us. Williamsburg weather has done it's typical sprint from seventy degrees straight through to ninety degrees this week. Oenthera fruticosa 'Sundrops' or Evening Primrose is a little bit of cheery yellow in a sea of blue and purple blooms in my garden. Much like peonies, Sundrops do not show their stuff for very long, but I anticipate their flowers in the late spring none the less. They may take a little bit of work to keep them going the first year or two. After that they will provide a steady display year after year, requiring little maintenance other than deadheading them at the end of their bloom cycle. Mine are a wonderful middle of the border plant that spread a little each year, but don't get out of hand like their counterpart Oenthera berlandieri (Mexican Evening Primrose).
Close by to some of my Sundrops is Gaillardia, aka blanket flower. I bought this flower years ago because it is known for being a tough, full sun, drought tolerant plant. It blooms as a weed on the side of the road in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. You can't get more full sun, dry as a bone condition than that location! However, this is a flower that stayed stagnant, never blooming in my full sun, dry as a bone garden. Okay, maybe it would have one flower on it every other year. Still, I have a hard time giving up on a flower as long as it puts out green leaves each spring, so I never pulled the blanket flower out. Well, wouldn't you know, last year I actually had a few blooms. This year it has tons of blooms on it and it seeded itself in a couple spots! The bright yellow Sundrops pair nicely with the blanket flower's yellow and red combination.
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