Oenothera fruticosa, Southern Sundrops

Southern Sundrops, Sundrops, Narrow-leaved Evening Primrose, and more -this plant goes by many names. It's not native to Minnesota, let's get that out of the way right off the bat. It's a garden plant that is native to much of the Mid-Atlantic states into Florida, to Oklahoma and meets its Midwestern limit in Illinois. That said, it does make a great garden plant that has not shown itself to exit the garden -not at our place, anyway. It spreads by short runners to fill in empty spots. It has shallow roots, so prefers moist clay or organic matter when drought sets in, otherwise it is a low maintenance plant for the urban or suburban garden. It's also easy to pluck out where you do not want it.

Blooms: clear yellow, May to July

Height: 1 to 2 feet

Conditions: sun to pt sun, moist-medium to medium soils

Sundrops poking up through Threadleaf Coreopsis, another near-native garden species.