Oenothera biennis, Evening Primrose, is wildflower native to Michigan and the UP. It is a biennial, but readily reseeds in exposed soil. It can reach 6 feet tall in ideal conditions, but a more typical Upper Peninsula height is 3 feet.
It prefers medium to dry loamy sites, but can tolerate poor gravelly or sandy soils, making it well suited to many difficult areas. Once established, avoid overwatering. In a dense planting or unamended soils, it stands nicely upright with a long stalk, or multiple stalks, of yellow flowers in the second year. Rich soil, shade, or too much space can make it sprawl. Primrose is particularly well suited to naturalizing into meadows. Prefers full to part sun.
The blooms are fragrant and go from early summer until frost, sometimes persisting after the first light frosts! The dry stalks with four-chambered seed compartments spiralling upwards add winter interest to your landscape.
