Oenothera tetrogona

Product Info

Northern Sundrops (Oenothera tetrogona)
Primrose Family

Sundrops are one of the easiest to grow and cheeriest flowers for the garden. This species is more shade tolerant than other sundrops, and thrives in average to dry garden soil. The bright yellow flowers begin blooming during the transition period from spring to summer. They open only in the day, attracting a wide variety of pollinators. Basal foliage is evergreen and can make an excellent groundcover in drier, shadier areas of the garden. This seed line has dramatic variability in leaf color. Burgundy color on the leaves ranges from light speckling to almost completely red. Some plants will have little to no speckling.

Blooms: Yellow, scarlet colored buds, 3-4 weeks, May-June
Leaves: Dark green, spring growth can have attractive red speckling, winter evergreen leaves turn burgundy
Height: 2-3’
Space: 12-18"
Soil: Average- Moist-Dry, very adaptable
Exposure: Part sun-Part shade
Fauna: Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, birdseed
Seeds: Small, oblong capsules stand upright on stalk 
Deer Resistance: Medium
Zone: 3-8
Native Status: NC native, rare in the Piedmont, uncommon in the Mountains
Provenance: Virginia ecotype, seed grown