Common Evening Primrose. In the first year, this biennial typically produces a basal rosette of light green to olive green leaves but no flowers. In the second year, a stiffly upright, rough-hairy, purple-tinged flower stem (usually a single stem but sometimes multiple stems) with spirally arranged leaves rises from the centre of the rosette 100 to 150 cm tall. Flowers bloom from summer to autumn in a multi-flowered terminal panicle. Flowers open at dusk and close again in the morning when hit by the sun, hence the common name of evening primrose. They are fertilized by night-flying moths which are attracted by the mild lemon flower fragrance and by bees in the early morning before closure.

Narrow seed pods split open when ripe to release numerous seeds. Plants die after setting seed, but will remain in the landscape through self-seeding. This plant naturalizes easily and works well planted along borders or makes an excellent addition to a wildflower, cottage, or herb garden. It is highly drought tolerant.

The whole plant is edible. The leaves can be cooked as a vegetable and the flowers make a pretty salad garnish. Evening Primrose is well known for its medicinal properties.

Our plants will be 2 years old and ready to flower when purchased.