Oenothera fruticosa, or narrowleaf evening primrose, is a drought-tolerant plant. Our guide shares how to use it in your borders or xeriscape!Oenothera fruticosa, commonly known as Southern sundrops or sundrops, is a tall-standing, day-flowering plant that produces beautiful, terminal clusters of bright yellow flowers in late spring and summer. The lance-shaped, fresh green leaves of the Oenothera fruticosa are a little jagged.
The plant is called sundrops, thanks to the cup-like flowers that bloom during the day. Even though each flower is short-lived, they grow in succession through a period of two months. You can grow this low-maintenance flowering plant in your garden under full sun as a xeriscape plant.The narrow-leaf primrose (Oenothera fruticosa) is a flowering plant that is part of the evening primrose family Onagraceae. It is native to many parts of Canada, Hawaii, Greenland, and Eastern North America, where you can find it growing in dry woodlands, wild gardens, moist savannas, and rocky outcrops. It is a tall herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 1-3′ ft.
In your garden, grow pretty Oenothera fruticosa as a garden border and in your rocky or drought-tolerant gardens. Cottage gardens, native plant areas, rock gardens, and rock outcrops are perfect for this native plant of eastern North America. The sundrop tolerates poor soils, requires medium maintenance and attracts native bees at the same time.
Botanically, this plant is a perennial wildflower with lanceolate leaves, pubescent leaf blades, red stems, and cup-like yellow blooms. In spring, reddish basal leaves form from overwintered seeds, and the plant matures and blooms in May and June. Unlike its relative primroses, this day-flowering member of the same family is a lovely wild plant that is perfect for beds designed to feed birds. Specifically, the seeds are a primary food source for the mourning dove.
Even though sundrops are a particular species in the primrose family, they have two commonly grown cultivars – ‘Fireworks’ and ‘African Sun.’ The ‘Fireworks’ cultivar has dark yellow flowers that emerge from red buds. The foliage is deep bronze, and the stems have a slight tinge of red to them. ‘African Sun’ has bright yellow cup-like flowers, creating a gorgeous mat of yellow in your landscape.