The stunning, bright yellow evening primrose has a way of casting a spell on you—it’s the kind of plant that makes you want to start a whole little nursery of your own! Before you dive in, you should know that these beauties are experts at self-seeding. In fact, they’re so good at spreading on their own that some unsuspecting gardeners have actually mistaken them for fast-growing weeds.
Propagating Evening Primrose from Cuttings
If you want to take matters into your own hands, spring is the absolute best time to take cuttings. Right after the first new growth appears, snip off some strong, healthy tip cuttings about the length of your finger. Strip off the lower leaves, leaving just two or three at the very top.
Rooting your cuttings in a sand-soil mix
Stick the cut end of the stem into a 50/50 mix of seed-starting soil and sand. To give them the best start, cover them with a plastic dome or some clear wrap to keep the humidity nice and high. After about eight weeks, you can use a dibber or a small stick to gently lift them out and move them into their own little pots. You’ll know they’ve successfully rooted when you see fresh new leaves starting to sprout!
Easy Division for a Healthier Plant
By the second year, you can propagate your evening primrose by dividing it. This is a great way to rejuvenate the plant, giving it a boost of energy and encouraging it to bloom even more. Plus, you get identical baby plants in the process! If you plant these divisions in a nice pot, they make fantastic gifts for friends.
Carefully digging up the roots
To divide your evening primrose, you’ll need to carefully dig up the entire root ball and shake or tap off the excess soil. Using a sharp, clean knife, slice the root into two or three sections. The best time to do this is anytime between April and June.
Evening Primrose: Low Maintenance and Carefree
One of the best things about the evening primrose is how tough it is. It’s a hardy plant that isn’t prone to many diseases, so it thrives even with very little attention. If you want to give it a little extra love to boost its growth and blooming power, you can mix in some compost or well-rotted manure in the spring.
Once the flowering season is over, go ahead and cut the perennial back to about a hand’s width above the ground. This helps the plant come back strong the following year and prevents it from self-seeding all over your garden. Just one golden rule: make sure the soil drains well, as these plants really hate having “wet feet” (standing water).
