Tag Archive for: Mexican Evening Primrose

Pink Blooms In the Desert Garden

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pink blooming plants

Pink blooming plant in the desert graden

Embracing Spring in the Desert Southwest

Springtime in the desert southwest is a glorious time, particularly with pink blooming plants.

We say “goodbye” to cold, winter temperatures and delight in the landscape around us and it bursts into bloom.

I enjoy spending time outdoors this time of year, realizing that soon I will go into what I like to call ‘summer hibernation’ as the temperatures reach triple digits.

A Showcase of Pink Blooming Plants

Today, I thought that I would share with you some beautiful, pink flowering plants that are in bloom right now…

Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)

pink blooming plants pink blooming plants

Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)

The marvelous pink fairy duster shows off its pink flowers once a year in spring.  The rest of the year, it quietly recedes into the background until spring arrives again.

Beavertail Prickly Pear (Opuntia basilaris)

Beavertail Prickly Pear (Opuntia basilaris), pink blooming plants

Beavertail Prickly Pear (Opuntia basilaris)

My favorite prickly pear has vibrant, pink flowers throughout spring.  One of the reasons that I like beavertail prickly pear is that it stays rather small and does not become overgrown like other species can.

Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi)

Parry's Penstemon (Penstemon parryi) pink blooming plants

Parry’s Penstemon (Penstemon parryi)

I’m a sucker for plants that produce flowering spikes, like Parry’s penstemon.  It has such a delicate, pink color and hummingbirds find it irresistible.

Pink California Poppy

Pink California Poppy

Pink California Poppy

Did you know that the traditional, orange California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) comes in other colors?  I think I’m in love with the pink variety.

‘Raspberry Ice’ Bougainvillea

'Raspberry Ice' Bougainvillea pink blooming plants

‘Raspberry Ice’ Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea makes an excellent container plant. All you have to do is water them deeply and then allow them to dry out before watering again.  Although I have a deep, magenta bougainvillea in my own garden – I must admit that I really like the variety ‘Raspberry Ice’ which has cream-colored brachts with pink tips.

Pink Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’)

Pink Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink'

Pink Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’

Although traditionally a summer-bloomer, this pink gaura was already blooming in March.  It makes a great filler for container gardens in the warm season.

Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera berlandieri)

Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera berlandieri) pink blooming plants

Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera berlandieri)

Pink, cup-shaped blooms cover Mexican evening primrose in spring.  This groundcover looks great in natural desert landscapes, but can be invasive, so be careful where you use it.

Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)

Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)

Pretty In Pink…..With A Hidden Secret

Mexican Evening Primrose

Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera berlanderi syn. Oenothera speciosa)

Aren’t these flowers just lovely?

I do love pink flowers. 

Our local big box nursery had quite a few of these on display over the weekend.  

pink flowers

Mexican Evening Primrose is a groundcover the produces beautiful pink flowers in the spring.  They are drought tolerant and hardy to Zone 5 through 9.  They do not require fertilizer and thrive on neglect.

pink flowers

Now you may be wondering what secret it is harboring.  Surely a plant with such beautiful flowers cannot have anything to hide, can it?

Well, I discovered it’s secret years ago as a new homeowner.  I was in heaven over having my own garden for the first time.  I discovered these pretty plants at my local nursery and brought some home and planted them in a raised planting bed.  

They grew very well and although they were fairly boring when not in bloom, they more then made up for it in the spring when they were covered with pink flowers.

pink flowers

 BUT, one year after I planted them, I began to notice them coming up in my lawn, adjoining beds and the cracks in the driveway.  It was then that I found out that they could be invasive.  They spread by stolons and by seed.  **It was experiences like this one that I had as a new gardener that motivated me to obtain my degree in horticulture.  However, I am still learning as I go along and just when I think I know all about a particular plant – one will surprise me by doing something different 😉

Now, I am not saying not to ever use Mexican Evening Primrose in the landscape.  They do have a place in the landscape.  For example, they do very well along dry hillsides and other areas where their growth can be contained in a particular area.

What I do recommend, is to research a plant before you decide to put in your garden.  Mexican Evening Primrose can be invasive in a residential garden, but can be the answer to a difficult, bare hillside.  This goes to prove that just because a plant has a “pretty face”, doesn’t mean that it is delicate.

**Butterfly Update:  Guess What?!!  The butterflies emerged for their chrysalis.  I will post about them soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Beautiful Flowers and New Seeds