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Pink Evening Primrose

Oenothera speciosa

Pink evening primrose smothers itself in cup-shaped pink flowers in late spring, each one opening near dusk and lasting a single day. It spreads enthusiastically by both rhizome and seed — genuinely aggressive in good soil, and the main thing to weigh before planting it. Poor, dry ground keeps it in bounds and it flowers just as heavily there, so a lean site is a feature rather than a compromise. The flowers are worked by hawkmoths at dusk and by bees the following morning, unusual for an evening primrose. It goes dormant and disappears in midsummer heat, often returning with a lighter flush in fall. It is a larval host for several sphinx moths.

Family

Onagraceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

0.75–2 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

alkaline, neutral

Bloom

February, March, April, May, June, July

Bloom colors

white, pink

Wildlife value

songbirds, pollinators, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~16 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, IA, KS, LA, MO, MS, NC, NE, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT