Showy Evening Primrose in Zone 6a & 6b

Oenothera speciosa

When to plant showy evening primrose in zone 6b

Zones 6a and 6b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Showy Evening Primrose doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.

Start indoors	Not typically started indoors
Direct sow / transplant outside	Apr 25–May 2
Estimated bloom	Apr 24 '28–May 1 '28 (First real harvest the season after planting)

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-2 ft.

Showy evening primrose is the most aggressive plant in this dataset, and the extension source says so directly rather than hinting at it.

How showy evening primrose fits zone 6's season

Zone 6b's frost-free window runs about 173 days, from April 25 to October 15. Showy Evening Primrose takes about 1 growing season to reach full flowering, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.

Showy Evening Primrose is hardy in zones 5-8, so in zone 6b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 2 ft of spread at maturity.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Showy Evening Primrose.

Where to buy showy evening primrose seeds

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