Enotera flower: planting and care in the open field, description of varieties, preparation for winter

Decorative evening primrose attracts gardeners and landscape designers with its unpretentiousness and variety of species. The perennial flower has a large number of varieties that are found both in the south and in the north. Most of them have a breeding origin, but invariably include such a feature as bright numerous inflorescences. The popular evening primrose flower, planting and caring for which will be described later, is called an aspen in botany. In addition, the plant is called night candle or evening primrose.

Description and features

Enotera inflorescences are the main advantage of the plant, the flowers have a white, yellow, red or blue tint, and are also striped.The creeping rhizome produces tough, pubescent shoots, the height of which depends on the variety. The leaves are always arranged alternately, and the shape is varied. The peculiarity lies in the fact that flowering occurs in the evening, and the buds do not close even in cloudy rainy weather. Evening primrose varieties have a one-year, two-year or multi-year growing season.

Gardening

Enotera is effortlessly grown in garden plots. The bush does not need to be replanted often, the plant does not require special dressings and sophisticated care. The flower perfectly coexists with other cultures, has strong immunity and tolerates bad weather conditions well.

Seedling method

Small evening primrose seeds are more suitable for seedling sowing method. In small containers, place the usual soil mixture for seedlings. In each, a small depression is made up to 5 mm and seeds mixed with sand and earth are poured out.The soil is sprayed with water to prevent waterlogging and decay. It takes up to 14 days to germinate.

Timing

You can sow evening primrose for seedlings from January to March. The exact dates will be indicated on the package with seeds, as they depend on the variety. Seedlings are planted no earlier than the beginning of May. The soil should warm up well, be moistened with melt water and have time to dry. Young plants should preferably be protected from possible frosts

Soil Requirements

The composition of the soil is not particularly important for the cultivation of evening primrose. Varieties bloom beautifully on any type of soil, with the exception of poor heavy clays. The plant reacts normally to acidity, but grows more actively on neutral loose loams rich in nutrients.

Temperature conditions

Immediately after sowing the evening primrose, the containers must be tightly covered with polyethylene so that the seedlings receive enough heat.

Ventilation

After 8-10 weeks after sowing, the seedlings must be hardened off. To do this, you need to take the containers outside during the daytime. The necessary conditions are sunny weather and the absence of frost. You can start with 10-15 minutes and gradually increase the time spent in the air.

Thinning

After 10-15 days, the seedlings must be thinned out. Excess shoots are carefully removed, but it is recommended to simply plant them in another container. Some of them will take root and be used for planting in the future. Particularly relevant is the thinning of plants sown in one large container.

Transplanting in open ground

By May, seedlings grow the required number of true leaves and have a developed root system. Plants are planted in moist wells one at a time, completely immersing the roots in the planting hole. The distance between the bushes is at least 50 cm.

Seedless way

On light soils, such as sandy, it is possible to grow evening primrose from seeds in open ground. Before planting, the earth must be dug up, sand is added and, if desired, organic fertilizers are added. In the first year of planting, the plant will grow the root system and is unlikely to bloom.

Timing

The landing time depends significantly on the ambient temperature. When the air warms up to 16 ° C, you can prepare the soil for planting seeds. After 14 days, they start sowing if the spring cold does not return.

Select site

The main criterion for choosing a site for planting flowers is illumination. The degree depends on the variety, as there are plants that prefer the sun, partial shade and maximum shade. Soil moisture should not be too high, the flower tolerates a short drought more comfortably than stagnant water.

Seed planting scheme

Seeds are sown in groups at a distance of up to half a meter from each other, as evening primrose will grow over time. The second landing option is tape. To do this, you need to make grooves up to 50 mm deep in loose soil, pour water over it, then evenly pour out the seeds and cover with soil. After that, the earth is lightly tamped.

Thinning

Thick seedlings need to be thinned out to give the plants room to grow. Sprouts are removed with a thin knife so as not to damage the roots. In this case, excess plants can be planted elsewhere.

Care

Enotera is not a demanding plant, but the bush should be provided with elementary conditions. These include:

• timely abundant watering;
• weeding;
• fertilization;
• pruning the dry parts of the plant;
• loosening the soil;
• mulching;
• tying up.

Irrigation

Enotera prefers well-moistened soil and reacts negatively to dry sunny weather. To achieve the maximum level of flowering, it is necessary to water the plants at least 2 times during the growing season. For each square meter of planting, 15 to 20 liters of water are required.

Weeding

Regularly loosen the primrose root circle to remove weeds and increase oxygen access to the roots. The abundance of weeds leads to poor growth and poor flowering, and also contributes to the spread of fungal infections and pests.

Feeding

Low requirements for soil fertility allow you to fertilize evening primrose 1 time during the growth period. There are 2 options for fertilizing the soil:

1. During flowering, the soil is enriched with potassium sulfate and superphosphate at the rate of 15 mg of dry matter per square meter.
2. At the stage of bud formation, add wood ash powder or nitrophoska to the soil.

Cutting

Immediately after flowering, sluggish flower stalks must be removed from the plants. This increases the nutrition level of the greenery and helps keep the flowerbed attractive. At the end of the growing season, which usually occurs in late autumn, wilted shoots are cut along the ground line.

Transfer

Long-term cultivation of evening primrose in one place leads to degeneration, crushing of flowers on growing bushes. At the first sign of deterioration in the appearance of the inflorescences, the plant must be divided by dividing the bush and planted in another place. The procedure is carried out infrequently, the period of stable growth should be at least 4 and not longer than 5 years.

Preparing for winter

Additional shelter of evening primrose for the winter is not required, as the flower is resistant to frost. Before the onset of frost, the above-ground part of the plants is cut off, and then an abundant mulching of the area with plantings is carried out. The height of the protective layer should be 50 mm. Crushed peat, compost, spruce branches or fallen leaves will optimally preserve the roots

Diseases and pests

Enotera has good immunity, especially rarely susceptible to fungal infections. When spots appear, you need to remove the damaged leaf and destroy the neighboring plant, which was the source of the disease. Fungicide treatment and preventive spraying are not required. Insects attack evening primrose much more often. The main danger is the aphid, which must be destroyed with insecticides immediately after its appearance.

Reproduction

There are several types of reproduction of evening primrose: seed and vegetative. In order to get your own seeds, you need to save the inflorescences until the formation of fruits and the maturation of the seed material. However, if you miss the time of collection, evening primrose will dissipate naturally. In autumn, it is recommended to propagate the bush vegetatively.

Self-seeding

Enotera perfectly reproduces on its own by dispersing seeds. This method is natural for annual species. Seeds around the plant fall out of the fruits in autumn, and fresh shoots appear in spring. It is required to thin them out or transplant them to the right place. Dividing the bush

This is the easiest way to propagate evening primrose that is already growing in the garden. In this case, it is not necessary to dig out the whole bush, you can cut off a part with a shovel and move it to a new place. For quick rooting, it is necessary to keep a lump of soil on the cut off rhizome.Reproduction is possible both in spring and autumn.

Application in landscape design

In horticulture, excellent-looking evening primrose varieties are planted in contrasting combinations. Bushes will create bright areas on green lawns, look good in flower beds with constant partial shade. Plants adorn the northern slopes of alpine hills, fill well and mask imperfections. In the design of the borders and the foreground of the flower beds, low-growing varieties of primrose are used.

Neighbours

To form a contrasting bright effect, it is preferable to plant next to evening primrose:

• lobelia;
• ageratum;
• Veronica;
• astilba;
• bells.

These flowers have different hues from the primrose when blooming, and the leaves are quite different in texture.

Healing properties

Oenothera is often used in folk medicine due to its rich chemical composition. The rhizome serves as the basis for the preparation of decoctions against respiratory diseases and tuberculosis. Oil is pressed from the seeds of the plant, which prevents vascular thrombosis, and is also used to treat eczema, dermatitis, diabetes, cirrhosis and rheumatism.

An infusion of the green part of evening primrose is an effective anticonvulsant, is part of folk remedies for heart and kidney ailments, and has an antimicrobial effect when used externally.

Use in cooking

American Indians used evening primrose for eating. Dishes were prepared both from shoots and flowers, and from dense rhizomes. The latter is rich in starch, protein and mineral compounds. The root is peeled, and the resulting pulp is eaten seasoned with vinegar or stewed as part of a stew.

Views

The genus of evening primrose or aspen includes at least 150 plant species. Most of them are ornamental plants that are actively used in landscape design and alternative medicine. Some varieties are also used in cooking.

Missouri

This type of evening primrose is also known under the epithet large-fruited, it is characterized by:

• height no more than 40 cm;
• leaves are oval or strongly tapered;
• large flowers up to 10 cm in diameter;
• golden inflorescences are located very low above the ground.

Stemless

One of the most striking types of evening primrose is characterized by:

• lanceolate leaves form a heaped rosette;
• funnel-shaped flowers are large, up to 7 cm in diameter;
• flowers have a light yellowish tint.

Shrub

Features of shrubby evening primrose:

• height up to 120 cm;
• rich green leaves with long oval shape;
• yellow flowers are large, not less than 5 cm.

Perennial

Common in North America, the species has been cultivated since the mid-18th century. and has the following differences:

• very small height of 25cm;
• leaves of narrow lanceolate shape up to 1.5 cm wide;
• inflorescences are formed like an ear;
• yellow flowers of small size do not exceed 1.5 cm.

Quadrangular

A species also native to the eastern United States, known as the Fraser evening primrose. The plant has natural features:

• average bush height 70 cm;
• oval leaves have a blue-green sheen;
• plant turns reddish in autumn;
• flowers are very fragrant;
• flowers are yellow.

Beautiful

Features of beautiful evening primrose:

• undersized shrub 40 cm high;
• oblong leaves with a carved serrated edge;
• flowers are cup-shaped with a radius of 2.5 cm;
• fragrant inflorescences are white or pinkish.

Two year old

Characteristics of evening primrose biennial:

• height up to 120 cm;
• leaves 2 cm long have sparse teeth along the edge;
• flower diameter 5 cm;
• florets in a lemon yellow palette.

Fragrant

This species is characterized not only by its bright aroma, but also by the following features:

• shadyness;
• height up to 100 cm;
• flowers of large size, yellow;
• flowers do not curl during the day.

Pale

Characteristics of evening primrose:

• large white flowers;
• bush height within 50 cm;
• night bloom accompanied by a pleasant aroma;
• grown in cold climates.

Colorful

Features of evening primrose:

• height up to 120 cm;
• bright orange flowers;
• compact bush size.

Lamarck

Enotera Lamarck is also called red sepal and has the following differences:

• height up to 100 cm;
• leaves are oval rather than lanceolate;
• greenish plants have branched straight shoots;
• flowers are exceptionally yellow.

Drummond

Characteristic features of evening primrose Drummond:

• height 30-80 cm;
• large strong stem with strong branching;
• pointy lanceolate leaves;
• plant color dark green;
• inflorescences are yellow, large, fragrant.

Popular varieties

Each kind of evening primrose has 5-6 varieties. Such a significant variety distinguishes the flower from other garden plants. You can easily choose the right one, based on the size of the bush and the shade of the inflorescences.

Evening Dawn

The variety is short, reaching a height of 30 cm. The plant is perennial, unpretentious, prefers light loams with good drainage. The variety is planted in a sunny area. Flowering with large yellow buds lasts from July to September.

Pinocchio

High grade up to 120 cm prefers full sun and partial shade. Regularly shaped flowers have a lemon-yellow hue and large size. Perennial evening primrose is resistant to drought and frost, propagated by seedlings.

Solveig

Unpretentious bushes 30-40 cm high have single large golden flowers that bloom in the evening and at night. The variety is resistant to frost and drought, does not lose growth on poor calcareous soils.

Gold

Low bushes up to 25 cm high are designed for planting in partial shade. The color of the flowers is yellow, and the diameter is 7-10 cm. When planting a variety, it is enough to observe a distance of 30 cm between plants.

Night Candle

Low evening primrose 30-40 cm tall with light yellow flowers prefers partial shade. The variety requires dense shelter for the winter, blooms from June to August only in the evening. Seeds are planted in open ground.

Yellow River

Biennial variety of small growth does not exceed 25 cm. The bush blooms in the second year from June to September. The inflorescences are bright yellow and consist of 5-7 buds.

Pink Dream

Shrub with a height of 25 to 40 cm is distinguished by a small number of pink or white flowers in the bud. Seeds can be planted in open ground or a cold greenhouse. The variety easily tolerates winter under a light shelter of fallen leaves and spruce branches.

Coquette orchid pink

Perennial stunted variety does not reach more than 40 cm. Cup-shaped pinkish-white flowers appear from the end of June and disappear after mid-August. For the winter, it is recommended to mulch and cover with a film.

Evening rose

Perennial shrub reaches a height of 40 cm. In the second year it is covered with white flowers with a pinkish tint. The variety is grown in seedlings, unpretentious in care, but requires high-quality drainage.

Free wind

The variety belongs to medium height, has straight stems up to half a meter high. White flowers bloom singly in the evening and at night. The plant is suitable for planting on alpine slides.

Care Secrets

Features of evening primrose care:

1. High degree of drought tolerance allows watering the plant no more than 3 times a year.
2. Before watering, it is permissible to apply mineral fertilizers.
3. Every 4 years the bushes need to be rejuvenated.
4. Enotera can be transplanted even during the flowering period.

High flower immunity does not require preventive spraying with pesticides.

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