Suburban Wildflowers

Pink Evening Primrose on the Curb

About 20 years ago, before I mowed my yard for the first time in the spring, I had a single Pink Evening Primrose come up on the curb next to the street in the front yard. I assume a seed must have blown in on the wind. Martha would not let me cut it down, and we watered it through the spring and summer and fall and winter. Well, you get the picture, we took care of it. The next year there were a few more, and the next year more, and so on. You can see what has happened. I now mow about half of them down at the first mowing. Next year I may let them all bloom and see what the yard looks like.

Oenothera speciosa
(Click on the photo and scroll down to see the closer flowers)

I mow them in the fall when they quit blooming and reclaim my full lawn for a few months. They actually seem to like the mowing, as it spreads new seeds, and doesn’t harm the old plants. Much of the plants’ leaves grow close to the ground in the grass.

They are also known by the names Pink Ladies, Showy Primrose, and the all-inclusive Buttercup. Nodding buds open into pink or white flowers about two inches across. We have never had white ones, since it all started with a single seed. (Small Acorns into Mighty Oaks grow). I guess that’s true. It turns out that watering is not that necessary since it is a drought resistant plant. They are blooming all along the highways here in north Texas now.

Troy and Martha
Martha’s Flowers