Evening primrose, or, as it is also called, a night candle, is one of the most amazing plants. There are several varieties, among them the long-term evening primrose of Missouri stands out. The golden beauty, like all other species, begins to bloom in the evening and continues throughout the night. By morning, her flowers will fade, but new buds appear, which will open again only in the evening. Today we will talk about long-term evening primrose. Planting and plant care have their own nuances, and if you have never encountered this species, but want to decorate your garden with it, we suggest reading this article.
Description of colors
One of the yellow varieties of evening primrose is called Missouri. This plant is stunted, perennial, with flowering, which occurs from June until the first frost, it exudes a pleasant aroma, citrus notes are guessed in it. The flowers of the Missouri evening primrose are resembling glossy calyxes; they can be up to four centimeters in diameter, collected in elegant inflorescences with a diameter of about ten centimeters. Gardeners love this variety for decorative. The yellow evening primrose bushes grow well, they can decorate the whole territory with their lush and plentiful flowering.
Planting place
Enotera is a very demanding flowering plant. On any soil, it may grow, but it will not bloom. Particular attention should be paid to the presence of drainage. Also, the evening primrose of Missouri will not develop in hard, heavy earth, it must be stably loosened. So, we will choose the ideal place for planting evening primrose and for its full growth, flowering.
The soil must be perfectly permeable, it is not allowed that water stagnates in the soil, excess moisture is harmful to the root system. The area where the plant is planned to be planted should be in a well-lit place, but it can be either a shadow or a penumbra. The yellow bloom of evening primrose will please the yellow if all the necessary fertilizers are in the soil. This is a short variety, they can decorate garden paths and flower beds.
It is recommended to feed the soil even before planting the plant, for this you need nitrophoska and humus. Fertilizers are taken exactly according to the rules: for one square meter, you need to make two tablespoons of nitrophosk and three kilograms of humus. After this, the soil should be well dug to a depth of about twenty centimeters, all roots of the weed grass should be removed, well watered so that top dressing begins to work.
Perennial evening primrose can be planted in several ways. Planting and care will be described later. If you decide to grow a flower yourself, starting with seeds, then buy planting material only from a good company.
Sowing seeds
In this way, it is best to plant a perennial. Enotera of Missouri refers precisely to such species, therefore it is ideally suited. The seeds of the plant are very small, it is first necessary to mix them with a small amount of sand and plant them on the prepared site to a depth of not more than five millimeters.
In the first year, one should not expect flowering, only stalks with leaves will appear. Missouri begins to bloom evening primrose from the second year of life.
It is possible to plant seeds in open ground only when the earth warms up to +15 degrees, there will be no danger of frost. When the shoots appear and get a little stronger, it will be necessary to thin out.
Seedling method
To achieve the flowering of a night candle (evening primrose of Missouri), you need to prepare seedlings. Seeds are planted in cups made of peat or plastic (filled with fertile soil) with good drainage at the end of February, shoots will appear in the period from a week to four. Keep the air temperature at about 20 degrees, water if necessary. In May, when the seedlings are strong, there will be no threat of frost, it can be planted in the garden. Read how to do it right below.
Bush division
This is the easiest way to propagate and plant Missouri evening primrose flowers on your site. If your friends have these plants, then ask them for a bush. It’s quite simple to divide the flower, you need to dig a plant in spring or autumn along with a root and a lump of earth, lower it into water for safer separation - this will damage the root system less. There is an opportunity to do without digging a bush, many give lateral shoots that can be carefully removed from the soil without damaging the main plant. Evening primrose of Missouri tolerates transplantation even during flowering.
Landing
Evening primrose is an original flower, when planting it in the soil, every little thing needs to be taken into account, because the adaptation of the plant to the new soil depends on it. If you do everything right, you will soon receive beautiful flowers that will decorate your territory at night.
- When planting seedlings, prepare the holes, the distance between them should be at least half a meter, since this plant quickly develops and takes root over a large distance. The pits should be exactly the depth at which the plant grew in pots or in the ground (when dividing a bush or thinning seedlings in open ground).
- Put drainage at the bottom, ordinary rubble or gravel will play the role of removing excess moisture perfectly.
- Place the seedling in the hole, sprinkle with fertile soil to the level to which it grew in the container or soil, this is very important.
- After all these manipulations, seedlings are watered.
After planting, do not forget about proper care of the plant. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the basic rules that must be observed for the active growth and flowering of evening primrose. The complete process will not take you much effort and time, the care is quite primitive, practically no different from what is required to care for other flowering perennials.
Watering
Only young plants need to be irrigated. Adult evening primrose does not tolerate excessive moisture. Stagnant water can cause root decay, and this can lead to the death of the plant. If there is enough rain in a season, then watering is not required at all.
In the dry period, when the earth is completely dry, it is worth moistening the soil around the bush.
Fertilizers
Only a planted plant does not need nutrition throughout the year. He will have enough of the mixture that was introduced into the soil before planting. From next year, you need to make compost once a season, it will increase growth, and when flowering, treat evening primrose with potassium sulfate and wood ash. The main thing is not to overdo it, it is strictly necessary to feed potassium sulfate according to the instructions, without increasing the dosage.
In order for the appearance to be aesthetic, in the morning it is necessary to remove wilted flowers so that they do not spoil the appearance of the plant and do not interfere with new inflorescences.
Soil loosening
The main care for evening primrose consists in frequent loosening. This will allow the soil to be more saturated with oxygen, to get rid of excessive moisture. In addition, weeds must be removed, they can reduce the growth of evening primrose, although it itself perfectly clogs all the growing grass and crops around. That is why it is not recommended to plant it with other ornamental plants.
Missouri evening primrose in the fall should be completely cut off - at the very root. To protect the roots in the winter, you need covering material, spruce paws will do just fine for this.
Pests and the fight against them
By growing evening primrose, you are unlikely to encounter problems such as plant disease or pest attacks. This flower is very resistant to all these undesirable factors. If the care rules are not followed or if the season is excessively rainy and the moisture stagnates, some fungal diseases may appear, but they are quickly treated with fungicides.
Pests rarely infringe on evening primrose, but can still notice it. If this happens, treat the plants with insecticides. Some insects will have to be collected by hand, removing from flowers.
Observing these simple rules, you will get a beautiful meadow that will be dotted with "moon flowers" every night .