Oenothera fruticosa

Oenothera fruticosa: Sunny Yellow Cups That Open by Day

Sundrops opens bright yellow cups from little red buds the second the sun clocks in. Four petals, pure cheer, absolutely no snooze button. GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Oenothera fruticosa
• Common Name: Sundrops, Narrow-leaved Evening Primrose
• Height: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Bright yellow, four-petalled, cup-shaped, about 5 cm (2 in) across, opening from reddish buds during the day
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to August)
• Foliage: Narrow, lance-shaped leaves, often tinted red in cool weather
• Features: Rabbit resistant, salt tolerant

Where to Plant: Use it in the front or middle of a sunny border, a meadow planting or a pollinator garden. It spreads slowly into a clump, so it's good for filling a dry bank or a strip by the road where salt spray and poor soil defeat fussier plants.

Companion Plants: Plant sundrops in a dry, sunny or lightly shaded bed with native blue-eyed grass and bearberry. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi carpets the front at 10 to 20 cm with spring flowers and red berries. Sisyrinchium angustifolium adds violet-blue stars at 15 to 45 cm from May to July. Echinacea 'Mellow Scarlets' brings orange and red coneflowers at 80 cm from June to October. Elymus canadensis stands behind at 90 to 150 cm with nodding, bristly seed heads.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to light shade, in average to dry, well-drained soil. It tolerates sand, clay and rocky ground as long as water doesn't sit in winter. Water through the first season, then only during long dry spells. It spreads gently by underground shoots. Divide it in spring every few years to control its size or share with friends. Shear off the spent flower stems after bloom to tidy the plant; the low rosettes of leaves stay attractive into fall.

History: Sundrops grows wild across much of eastern North America, in dry open woods, rocky outcrops, meadows and roadsides. Unlike many of its relatives, whose flowers open at dusk, sundrops opens its flowers by day, which is how it got its common name.

Final Thoughts: Salt tolerant and shrugs off deer and rabbits. Plant it along the driveway where it can greet you every day. YOUR NEW HYPE SQUAD.