PlantFiles: Mexican Evening Primrose, Showy Evening Primrose
Oenothera speciosa 'Siskiyou'

I LOVE this plant. I first planted it in San Miguel, Calif. where the temperatures were anywhere from 8 degrees to 120 degrees and VERY arid. Nothing else would grow but this little plant just took off. It was very easy to propagate by digging up runners and transplanting elsewhere. It will take over dry hillsides in full sun where nothing else can survive. It hugs the ground under these conditions. When water is added it becomes much taller. I believe the flower resembles that of a California Poppy except it's pink.
I have just found this plant for sale at a local nursery in Oregon and hope it will grow here.
It may not be the right plant for a city dweller on a postage sized lot, but we have always lived on ranches, where we welcome anything that lives with no care. I was ecstatic when I found it for sale here.

I hate this plant! I hate this plant! If it were 4 inches tall it might be attractive, but the long stem is ugly. I've had an ongoing war with it since 2004. I bought it in ignorance and I am paying. I had 3 little plants along the foundation and now I have a million plants on the other side of the sidewalk in my flower bed. It crossed a brick wall into my hosta bed. I pull it up each year by the thousands, careful to get each plant to the trash and it simply expands its territory. I have tried to transplant it to the backyard near a pine tree, but it never takes. I wouldn't care if it took over the back yard; that is the dogs' playground. Sadly, I need to dig up my foundation bed, my hosta bed and my flower bed to get rid of it and there is still no guarantee that I can get it all. Did I say how I hate this plant?!

Quite invasive. Will take over and choke out other plants if planted in fertile and well watered flower bed. The roots of these plants are rather thick and will grow very deep. A headache to remove once established.

I just planted 15 of these plants. Some of them are not doing well at all and all have stopped blooming. We have had copious rain here lately and some of the plants appear to be dying.

If you kill this plant, give up gardening.
A really forgiving and beautiful flower. Mine are well behaved after being transplanted from a road side. They didn't even wilt.
Now it has a forever home in my gardens- the leaves have turned a bright red swirrled with dark green. Blooms are a beautiful light pink. Well worth growing.

Originally I said I loved it, that was until it started growing everywhere, I've been unable to iradicate it, and the next time I see someone buying it I will tell them not to!!!! It is extremely invasive here. Quite beautifull, but nasty

Planted this spring,2004. Very invasive. Whether this is good or bad, have yet to decide. Planted among a variety of other plants along a walkway. Doing very well. Blooms and foilage are beautiful and plentiful.Unusual rain fall here may be beneficial to this plant doing exceptionally well.
It is now May 25,2006. Removed this plant from flower bed
used weed kill after removing roots(so I thought!). Now I see blooms through out my grassy area of yard. tried pulling up blooms to no avail,they keep popping up. I give up. I now leave until grass is cut. Great for open area far away from anthing you're trying to maintain.

Starting from two one-gallon plants two years ago, the Mexican Primroses we planted in our backyard has spread to cover a dry, sloping hillside that is exposed to direct sun during summer. We love it! Beautiful carpet of pink, it truly is eye candy during the summers when it can hover in the 90's for days on end. Until we planted these, the hillside was sure death for any plant that attempted to take root during the hot summers.

This lovely Primrose also known as Buttercup is one of the most abundant wildflowers in Texas. I love this plant, it starts blooming early in the Spring
and lasts a long time. It also blooms in the Fall when the weather cools down.

This is a plant that is invasive but easy to control. It is a beautiful ground cover. Grows very quickly and spreads.
Flowers are very lovely. When cut and put in vases they last several days and buds will open in the house as well as out of doors.
I love this plant.

I love how this plant tolerates heat and drought. It is not invasive for me, perhaps because of being in heavily-mulched beds. My variety is 'Siskiyou Pink' and has leaves tinged in red when mature.