I have always loved Mexican Evening Primroses (oenothera berlandieri). They are a pretty little native in our area that blooms profusely for months, are very drought tolerant and self-cleaning. Unfortunately they have a reputation for being invasive, especially when they are given more water than nature provides. Because I have a large garden in Laguna that has a "wild" section where they can ramble forever, this does not bother me. I also use them at the base of my roses and they bloom for months easily. In SJC I have them contained in a planter that is very dry with some other natives and they put on a show for months too. Oddly enough I rarely see them growing anywhere but in gardens so I don't know why they are considered to be so invasive. They do spread somewhat but not to the extent of smothering other plants. Sometimes I think invasive is synonymous with happy and prolific, something I admire in a plant!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Easy Natives
I have always loved Mexican Evening Primroses (oenothera berlandieri). They are a pretty little native in our area that blooms profusely for months, are very drought tolerant and self-cleaning. Unfortunately they have a reputation for being invasive, especially when they are given more water than nature provides. Because I have a large garden in Laguna that has a "wild" section where they can ramble forever, this does not bother me. I also use them at the base of my roses and they bloom for months easily. In SJC I have them contained in a planter that is very dry with some other natives and they put on a show for months too. Oddly enough I rarely see them growing anywhere but in gardens so I don't know why they are considered to be so invasive. They do spread somewhat but not to the extent of smothering other plants. Sometimes I think invasive is synonymous with happy and prolific, something I admire in a plant!
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4 comments:
What a good bloomer! Firstly, I thought it was a campanula.
They are pretty, but after spending two whole weekends helping a neighbor pull them from her property, I'm happy to enjoy them from afar. They covered almost everything, except the family dog! I'm glad you have space to let them ramble. They certainly don't belong in the average small urban garden though
Curbstone, it must be the different climates or something because mine never get further than a few feet from where I plant them. I have had them for at least twelve years and never had to pull any up. Maybe it is not warm enough here to make them too at home!
I have them spreading a bit too but they are easy to pull so I'm glad for their flowers when they find an empty place.
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