When we first moved to Fairfield, there was a house down the block from ours that, from spring through late summer, had a beautiful border of pink flowers along the sidewalk.
Although we never noticed them giving off any fragrance, our chocolate Labrador retriever (his name was Moose) liked to rummage through the knee high bed and sniff whatever it is dogs enjoy sniffing.
He would emerge from the flower patch with yellow pollen clinging to his face. From then on, we referred to the flowers as Moose poppies because the flowers had several large lobed petals and a papery texture and appearance similar (to my amateur eye) to Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule).
I could have knocked on the door and asked exactly what they were, but I was happy to call them Moose poppies.
Time passed on, as did Moose. Three years ago I noticed the Moose poppies had escaped their yard and were growing in the landscape strip next to the street.
I knew they would not be there long because the landscape maintenance company in our neighborhood is very efficient at either digging out or spraying herbicide on anything that does not look like plants that are supposed to be growing in the strip.
So I dug a few small plants out and brought them home to our garden as a memorial to our faithful friend. It was during the heat of summer and I kept the transplants well watered but they did not look like they were going to survive the move.
I forgot about them until the early spring of the next year when what I thought were weeds popped up where the transplants had been planted.
I was about to pull them when I realized the it was the Moose poppies. New growth was emerging from the soil and a few weeks later, several beautiful pink flowers opened.
I have since learned the true identity of the Moose poppies is oenothera speciosa, also known by several common names including: Mexican evening primrose, pink evening primrose, sundrops, and pink ladies.
The evening primrose is a naturally occurring wildflower in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is not a California native, but was introduced here and has naturalized in the wild. While not officially listed as an invasive plant species in California, if left unchecked the evening primrose can rapidly spread in the garden by rhizome runners and seed.
The Sunset Western Garden Book describes members of the genus oenothera as being able to succeed in tough, rough places. This explains why it does so well next to the concrete sidewalk in our clay soil and also endures the hot summer weather.
Although they are called evening primroses, flowers of O. speciosa open in the morning. Two inch diameter, four petaled flowers emerge along stems that are roughly 18 inches tall.
The common flower color is light pink with a yellow center, but all white varieties are also available. The plants grow to about three feet wide in a shrub-like shape and do best in areas that receive full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
Once established, they are drought tolerant plants that require moderate to little water. A perennial, the evening primrose will die back in the winter and emerge again in the spring. Plants started from seed usually do not bloom until the second spring.
Many sources list the evening primrose as virtually pest and disease free and I have found this to be accurate. While the aphids are busy trying to feast on the plants surrounding them, the evening primroses in our garden remain clear.
Slugs and snails pose a hazard to tender new growth, but can be controlled by handpicking or baiting if necessary. If you decide to use bait, choose one that contains iron phosphate as the active ingredient (it is safer around pets, children, and wildlife) and read and follow all of the manufacturers instructions.
This year we have a beautiful mound of dozens of Moose poppies that are a daily reminder of the wonderful dog we once had. I read somewhere that nostalgia is the thief of time, but I think a little nostalgia in the garden helps keep me grounded in a wild world.
Sharon Leos is a Master Gardener with the University of California Cooperative Extension office in Fairfield. If you have gardening questions, you can call the Master Gardeners office at 784-1322.
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