Oenothera fruticosa Michelle Ploeger - Evening Primrose

The Oenothera fruticosa 'Michelle Ploeger' is a low-growing perennial plant that has a very long flowering period with wide golden-yellow cups mixed with reddish buds. It is a sun-loving plant that thrives in ordinary soil and is perfectly hardy. It is an essential plant for wild gardens and natural gardens!

The Oenothera fruticosa or Oenothera linearis, commonly known as Linear Evening Primrose, is a species native to eastern North America and belongs to the Onagraceae family. The 'Michelle Ploeger' variety is an upright perennial plant that produces a rosette of basal leaves with hairy and branching stems that are tinged with red. It bears narrow, ovate, and dentate leaves measuring 5 to 12 cm (2 to 5in) long. The unique characteristic of this cultivar is its low-growing habit, which creates a ground-cover effect, and its long-lasting golden-yellow flowering. This Narrow-leaved Evening Primrose reaches a height of 40 cm (16in) with a spread of 30 cm (12in). From May to September, clusters of flowers, with a more or less flattened shape and a diameter of 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2in), bloom in the sun. The flower buds are reddish, but once opened, the flowers are a splendid silky golden-yellow. The flowers only last for one day but continuously succeed each other. This Evening Primrose is a nectar plant that attracts numerous pollinating insects.

This Evening Primrose is a sun-loving perennial plant that thrives in moderately fertile, well-drained soil. It is a carefree plant, with very few requirements and easy to grow. It will be the perfect host for wild gardens and natural gardens. With its light green foliage, reddish stems and flower buds, and its long-lasting beautiful golden-yellow flowers, it will be perfect in a rockery or a flowerbed, on a slope, or even cultivated in a pot or a planter on a terrace or balcony. It will create a stunning effect when combined with perennial flowers with blue blooms. It will be the ideal companion for Agastaches, lavenders, Campanulas with peach-like leaves, blue Thistles, Wood Sages, and Scabious. It can also be paired with bushes such as Perovskia, California Lilac, or Marshmallow.