Evening Primrose Parties

The legend of the evening primrose has haunted me for a long time. I had heard this plant's tale whispered with giddy delight and with a sense of some self-importance. The story of the evening primrose follows that just dusk as begins to settle, the flower buds unfurl into full bloom right before your eyes. I mean in 30-seconds-right-before-your-eyes-kind-of-time. For years, I had never been entitled to witness this event, until this summer.

The rain hadn't come in a long time and I was reaching peak annoyance at having dragged the hose from one end of the yard to the other. As I muttered and growled at the universe, the corner of my eye caught the movement of something yellow. It was the evening primrose beginning its nightly performance of blooming. The buds are all twisted up and start opening with a bit of a twitch and a hitch and then languidly stretch and unfold their pretty butter petals as you stand by and gape with a bit of awe and amazement.

My neighbor was watering across the street and I screamed at her to come over. She thought I found a snake and was very uninterested in what was happening in my part of the world. I hollered at my husband who was laboring in the backyard, watering all the vegetables. They both ended up coming over thinking something was wrong and I was too excited to be able articulate the little drama that was taking place. By the end of the week all the neighbors had been dragged over to watch and the kids were clamoring with questions.

'Tina James' Evening Primrose is a great cultivar to try in your garden. Here is a real-time video so that you may all share in the joy and wonder. Have an evening primrose watching party, it will be sure to delight.