In the first year, the mostly biennial evening primrose (Oenothera) forms only a low rosette of leaves. In the second year, the perennial grows taller and shows its usually bright yellow flowers between June and August. With its intense scent, the plant attracts numerous butterflies and other insects. It can be easily propagated by seed, cuttings or division.
There are several ways to propagate evening primroses
Propagating evening primrose by seeds
Between June and August you can sow the seeds of the evening primrose directly outdoors or, if sowing in a specific location is not so important to you, you can also wait for self-sowing. From March, a preculture on the home windowsill is also possible. The seeds should be placed about two centimeters deep in the ground and later isolated as seedlings at a distance of about 25 centimeters. The young plants can stay outside over the winter as evening primroses are hardy.
Propagation by cuttings
However, seed propagation does not make sense in all cases. Modern hybrid varieties, for example, cannot be propagated from a single variety by sowing: In this case, everything possible would certainly come out, just not the mother plant. Instead, propagation by cuttings can help. For this purpose, take a few semi-mature cuttings from non-flowering shoots in early summer (i.e. around June to July). You can also plant these approximately ten centimeter long cuttings in the garden.
propagation by division
In the second year, the perennial can also be propagated and rejuvenated by division. To do this, you must first dig up the evening primrose, but you should not injure any roots. Evening primroses form taproots that can reach quite deep. Make sure that each section has enough roots and several shoots. All torn and injured plant parts should be removed, otherwise they can serve as a target for fungi and other pathogens.
tips
If you collect the seeds of the evening primrose or want to sow them yourself, protect the seed pods from hungry birds - after all, evening primrose seeds are not only very popular with people, poultry also know what is good for them.