Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’: A Cheery Nativar Evening Primrose
Shimmer Evening Primrose
Oenothera ‘Shimmer’PP#19663 is a selection of a Great Plains native, also known as a nativar. Its cheerful, large lemon-yellow flowers bloom for a long time, beginning profusely in late spring and re-blooming throughout the summer and into fall, scenting the warm evening air with a soft fragrance. Shimmer is a great pollinator plant, attracting bees, sphinx moths, and butterflies.
Shimmer was selected by horticulturists Lauren Springer and Scott Ogden for its extra narrow, grassy silver foliage mound which is made yet more delightful when dotted with the bright yellow flowers. It has a compact, refined habit compared to most evening primroses, only getting about 10” tall and 15-18” wide. This plant loves the sun and is quite drought tolerant after establishment. Use it in the front of perennial borders, in containers or in xeric plantings. Native to Kansas and Nebraska, it’s well suited to a sunny life in clay, loam or sandy soils with minimal water. Shimmer will join the Plant Select family of plants in 2023.
Thanks to Lauren Springer, author and renowned horticulturist, for this piece!
Height: 8-10”
Width: 16-18”
Flowering season: May to Frost
Light: Full sun to partial sun
Water Needs: Dry to xeric after establishment
USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8
Do I need to prune this in order for it to rebloom in summer? Mine stopped blooming in the end of May.
It should not need deadheading. That’s interesting that it flowered so early. Here in CO it is just about to start blooming. If you are in a mild climate, you may have to cut it back to get it to rebloom.
I planted 12 Shimmer in May 2021. They were covered in blooms reappearing all spring & summer, so beautiful. The blooms were above the foliage & highly visible. This summer the plants are healthy, but the blooms are buried in the foliage. They are profuse, but can hardly be seen. Is this normal? I am hoping that the next flush of blooms will be higher, and next spring I will pinch back the tips before budding to see if that helps.
Yes, this is normal because the plant is growing larger. As the foliage grows out, the flowers will become more visible, but yes this is the typical growth habit for Shimmer.
Thank you for the feedback. I am sorry I didn’t see it til after I posted my next post. But now I am having this splitting issue. Any ideas what may be causing it to split open in the middle? (See picture in my newest post).
Lodging of this plant probably means it is getting too much water. It does not need any supplemental water after it is established.
That makes sense as we I gave them a deep watering when the hot sunny, days came, but then the next week we had a solid week of heavy rain, which is unheard of in recent years in our area. After that many of my plants have shown signs of overwatering. Thanks for the response.
Is this plant toxic to dogs? I have read conflicting information. My tags list this as Oenothera Fremonti Silver Blade. Thanks for your help.
It shouldn’t be. But like people, pets could have allergies to certain plants.
They are not unless your pet has an unusual allergy.
Does this plant show its blooms only in the evening and early morning hours?
The flowers open in the evening and remain open through late morning. Enjoy!
Anyone know where I can buy Shimmer in the Denver metro area? Have not been able to find it.
Should be coming this summer. There was a large crop loss in NM last winter. Check back in.
Does anyone know where I can buy Shimmer primrose plants in Denver- Boulder area ?
Have you tried Harlequin’s or Flowerbin? They usually carry these plants.
I’ve had this plant for 6-7 years and this year, half the plant has come up looking like the “Shimmer” and the other half looks like Missouriensis. I have never grown another oenothera just the “Shimmer” . I’ve included a picture showing the right half looking like the “Shimmer” I originally planted and the left having much darker and thicker leaves now. I’m wondering if I should try digging out the morphed half or try to propagate another “Shimmer” from a branch that has maintained the narrow silver leaf pattern? I’m wondering if anyone else has seen this. This is growing on the South side of my house in Ft Collins.
Shimmer will go to seed and grow into plants with various widths of leaves. If you let more seedlings grow, they will all start to look like Missouriensis. Primroses don’t transplant well in the summer. Try to do something with it next spring if you want to keep it.