I have just about given up on direct sowing, aside from a few things that don't transplant well or have big, easy to see seedlings (like Zinnias or Sunflowers). The weeds do just get out of control before the desired plants can get established. For the last couple of years I've been really on top of weeding and not allowing them to go to seed, so my fingers are crossed that I'll see a difference this spring. I mulch thickly too, so that helps a lot. Thankfully we don't have Bermuda grass here, but I do battle stoloniferous field grasses and the worst of all, Johnson grass- OMG, that stuff is crazy! When it seeds in the lawn its easy to see, a week after mowing it is 2' tall.

I have worse nightmares--but yes, I did plant O. speciosa *on purpose* because I wanted those cute pink flowers in a drought tolerant tough as nails plant at the edge of my rock garden whoops!
I had no clue it would travel under boulders and consume everything and I was sad and mad that I had to battle it like a dang weed.

Vickie--that's a great photo--you ought to put it in the database!

Put it in the database.

Neal, they do make an organic Preen, corn gluten. It's just that I though ALL Preen was organic and when I bought some I was shocked to find out it was NOT organic. It was returned and I found they didn't even carry the organic version but surprisingly, I found it at WalMart! It made a huge difference in my garden this year. I struggle to keep up with weeding so I used it in the vegetable garden. I never did get my flower garden weeded. Grass everywhere. And that Johnson grass is pretty close to impossible to get rid of. My son got a propane flame thrower and we used it to try and keep it down.

I thought I was uniquely sinful and incompetent when weeds overtook everything I planted!

My mother delights in telling me "that grows wild in Florida" usually after I have bought a new plant. If she pauses too long after seeing a new addition I say don't tell me, it grows wild in FL. We both start laughing. I guess because what I call buttercups(the pink ones) grows wild in AL I have never felt the need to plant it myself. I'm glad I haven't now.
Anything that has clerodendron in the name I cringe. Black and blue salvia, an unknown crocosmia, and cypress vine are on my kill da wabbit list.
Neal I reworked a bed this winter, I'm finding little bitty Star of Bethlehems scattered about.

I know the primrose can be a problem but when you find the right place they put on a beautiful display and take no care.
These are on a parking lot strip.

Thanks Arlene, I didn't realized that, and that's good news! Lamium and peppergrass are such a pain here fall through spring, I've dealt with thousands of seedlings since weather cooled in fall. Had I known, it sure would have helped with a couple of areas where beds were expanded- new garden space seems the worst for tons of weed seedlings.

Linda I'm so glad you started this topic I'm learning so much about what not to buy this season

gardengus said:

I know the primrose can be a problem but when you find the right place they put on a beautiful display and take no care.
These are on a parking lot strip.

I do totally agree, if you can contain the evening primrose in the right place it is very pretty, fills in sure no weeds going through, and blooms a very long time. I just planted it in the wrong place, so I would actually recommend this plant if given a area by itself and well contained. BTW, what a pretty picture of yours!

Those photos remind me of my first time seeing pink Evening Primrose at my grandmother's house. On one side of the house, fairly close to the neighbor's house, was just a narrow strip of lawn. Right against the house she had a row of them, and the grass was just mowed right up to them. I loved them, and when I first started wanting to plant flowers, I asked her for a start. She said "oh, you don't want those, they take over". I didn't understand at the time, and come to think of it, she never did give me any of them.

Does that pink primrose bloom like that most of the summer or just off and on?

The photos are in may/june a full coverage for about a month then about 20% the rest of the summer . If you cut them back in the heat of the summer say august 1st they will grow back and give a good flush again just with the fall rains and start of fall cool down , say mid September.
My patch is grown like a wild flower with no help from me , and the place they grow is hot and dry, between a brick building and asphalt parking. In zone 5

Here, they bloom heavily for about a month or more (maybe 6 weeks), then a sprinkling of pink the rest of the growing season.

It really is an outstanding wildflower and a real problem solver when you need something to grow in an inhospitable hot and dry place
Cinda you have it in a perfect place!
It is gorgeous in ditches and fields, too, and rocky slopes, and it was awesome where I had it, as well, except for the fact that I also had precious plants nearby that couldn't compete. If I ever give up on growing all this precious stuff in my rock garden, I will turn it over to the wild and carefree thugs-- and this one will definitely be a go-to-monster-of-choice

I love this plant! Of course, it is not taking over here. It spreads some, but not terribly. I probably have it in the "wrong place" for the plant, so I think I'll just keep it there.

I got my starts from a previous neighbor and she did tell me they take over, BUT, she is not a gardener so I didn't believe her. Right now I have them in my mailbox bed, which hasn't been planted except for the clematis growing up the mailbox post and a few things just thrown in there. This year I will have to make an effort to get them out of there. There are plenty of places at the farm to grow them though because they really are pretty.

Arlene, that's a gorgeous combo!

Thanks. The whole bed is getting expanded and totally redone, hopefully this fall.

That is a great place for the evening primrose.

If you haven't done so already, may I suggest that you add this to the multi-plant photos? There is a contest going on right now thru Friday and multi-plants get 5 points each!