Evening Primrose

Known for it's essential oil, the entire Evening Primrose plant is actually edible. Biennial. Flowers and leaves eaten raw in salads or cooked as a leafy green. Leaves have mild pepper flavour. Young roots mild, similar to parsnip but develop a peppery bite like radish if left to grow into their second year. 16-18 weeks to harvest. 240 seeds.
Evening Primrose
Evening Primrose
Price Per Packet: $ 2.50

Growing Advice

Scientific Name: Oenothera biennis

Common Names: Evening Primrose, Sun Drop, Evening Star, Kings Cure, Fever Plant

Family: Onagraceae

Origin

Evening Primrose is native to central and eastern regions of North America.

Culinary Uses

Evening Primrose is a versatile plant with many medicinal and culinary uses, the leaves, flowers, seeds and roots can all be eaten.  The yellow flowers can be collected after about a year of growth when the plants reach maturity and can be added raw to salads or used as a garnish for cooked dishes.  The flowers have a subtle sweet scent.  Leaves have a mild pepper flavour and are great for adding to salads along with other leafy greens and herbs, they can also be cooked as a leafy green vegetable and become milder after cooking.  The seeds can be cooked in spiced baked goods or roasted in the oven and sprinkled over food as a alternative to black pepper.  The taproots can be harvested while the plants are still young when they have a mild flavour or harvested during the plants second year when they are larger and have a more peppery radish-like bite.  The roots can be boiled or roasted like parsnips or potatoes.   

Growing Tips

Evening primrose is a biennial growing and flowering over two years, but in warmer climates it may live longer and be grown as a short-lived perennial.  In temperate and cooler climates grow evening primrose in a location that receives full sun, in warmer climates you can also successfully grow them in light shade although too much shade will cause leaf discolouration and leggy growth.  Evening Primrose plants can grow several metres tall so consider whether you'll shade out other plants when choosing a spot to grow them.  Ensure your garden soil is free draining before sowing evening primrose, dig through lots of organic matter including well-rotted animal manures, compost and worm castings a few weeks prior to sowing to improve soil structure and provide nutrients for your growing plants.  If your soil is too compacted or heavy in clay consider growing Evening Primrose in raised garden beds instead of directly in the ground.  You shouldn't have to fertilise Evening Primrose plants once they start growing but if you do don't overdo it or your plants will have deformed growth.  Evening Primrose is drought tolerant and doesn't like to be constantly damp so allow the soil to dry out fully between waterings.  Mulch around Evening Primrose plants well to reduce competition from germinating weed seedlings.  Evening Primrose will ready self-seed through your garden if conditions are favourable, remove the flowers and seedpods as they form if this becomes a problem.  The flowers are pretty but can be eaten so it's not a total waste to remove them.  Flowers that are left on the plants will attract bees and other beneficial insect pollinators to your garden.  Evening Primrose flowers generally open during the evening and remain open only during the night but in warmer climates they may stay open well into the next day.  Prune Evening Primrose plants back regularly to keep them to a manageable size.

When To Sow

In temperate regions of Australia sow Evening Primrose seeds from October to February.  In subtropical regions of Australia sow Evening Primrose seeds from September to February.  In tropical regions of Australia sow Evening Primrose seeds during the dry season from April to June.  In cooler regions of Australia sow Evening Primrose seeds from October to January.

How To Sow

Plant evening primrose seeds directly where they are to grow as they don't like to be transplanted.  Evening Primrose seeds are tiny and need light to germinate so sprinkle only a very thin layer of soil over them and firm it down around the seeds to slow down water evaporation from the surface of the soil.  Evening Primrose plants can grow large so once the seedlings have emerged and have grown for several weeks thin them to the strongest seedlings spaced about 50cm apart to give them room to grow.

Time To Germination

Evening Primrose seeds take between 13 and 26 days to germinate after sowing.

Time To Harvest

Evening Primrose takes between 16 and 18 weeks to start producing good quantities of leaves, although you may be able to harvest occasional shoots before then.  Roots take from half a year to two years to harvest depending on the size desired.  Flowers and seed pods take at least a year from sowing to begin forming.