Evening Primrose Seeds

Evening Primrose Seeds 

These seeds hold a special place in my heart. The population of plants that I collected this seed from volunteered in a sandy patch of soil between abandoned tobacco curing sheds at my grandparents farm in Cedar Grove NC. When they first appeared I didn't pay much attention to them. There are many other grasses and early successional plants growing in these areas of the farm. I tend to let these areas grow all season and cut them back in late winter to prevent the area from becoming impassable. I do sometimes need to get around these tobacco sheds which are now used as storage buildings. Anyway. The plants continued growing without any attention from me.

Then sometime in August of my first year on the farm I came out to find a huge bloom of magnificent yellow flowers. I had no idea what this wonderful plant was. I walked around in wonder for a few minutes before engaging in my chores for the day. My first year on the farm was challenging in many ways but beautiful moments like this gave me the courage to keep going. The flowers have an amazing sweet "flowery" smell and attract a wide range of pollinators. They are constantly being buzzed by flying creatures of all sorts. By use of iNaturalist I was able to determine that these plants were evening primrose which is native to our part of the world. 

The plants tend to put out blooms over a long window of time usually starting in August at our site and going into September or later. I have seen some blooms in July. If you search this plant on the internet you will find that they tend to be a low growing plant in their first year while putting much of their energy underground. In their second year they will grow taller (up to 4 feet in my experience) and put out blooms. Their stems can get woody especially towards the base and can grow as thick as a sharpie. It is possible for them to return from the same roots during their third year although this is reportedly not common.

I have definitely witnessed plants in our population that came back on their third year and flowered. Additionally it seems that some seedlings can flower in year one even when they are small. I suspect their is a lot of diversity in this plant and I am still learning how they behave. How our population came to the farm I am not sure. I have not yet noticed it growing anywhere else nearby. 

There is something special about the plants that volunteer in spaces you tend. These plant friends are not unlike human friends. We rarely get to choose who we meet in life. Unexpected meetings are behind many of my most meaningful relationships (both plant and human). I am always joyful when I see evening primrose in the landscape. Each meeting takes me back to that first bloom I saw on the farm and the potent emotions of my first year down there. 

Evening primrose makes a LOT of TINY seeds in each pod. These pods dry and mature after the flowers are finished blooming. Since the plant blooms over a long window the pods will not ripen at same time. It is not uncommon to see ripe pods on a stalk that has fresh blooms on the top. Once mature the pods will dry and split open like a banana allowing the seeds to spill out onto the ground below. 

If allowed to set seed they will spread naturally on bare ground or anywhere else the seeds can take root. In our experience they are rather easy to start from seed. Either scatter sow them where you would like them to grow or start them in seed trays after danger of frost. If direct sowing be sure to keep the area adequately moist until the plants are several inches tall. If the plants are allowed to remain in the landscape through winter their seed pods provide a vital source of food for many birds. The plants will die back to the roots at first frost. 

I recently learned that all parts of this plant are edible. Next year I will be sure to consume some and report back with my experience! The leaves are said to be best in spring before flowering, the roots are said to be best when the plants are young, and the seeds are full of nutrients! 

Each pack contains roughly 200 seeds