As its name indicates, Evening Primrose will only flower in the evening.
IN the previous column, I shared on some of the lovely plants that can be added to the garden for stunning flowers at night. These flowers appeal to a different world of admirers, drawing various insects and birds to the garden.
All the flowers are diversified but the scents they possess are evidence that Mother Earth has so many wonders to be enjoyed. Flowers that bloom at night conserve their beauty for the nocturnal inhabitants. Here are some other beauties not covered in part one.
Evening Primrose
As a member of the family Onagraceae, this plant originates from North America but has now spread to New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and Asia too. The yellow five-petalled flowers are borne on small shrubs of three to five feet in height. As its name Evening Primrose indicates, the flowers will only bloom in the evening. The oil and leaves are used for health purposes.
Angel’s Trumpet
My best impression of Angel’s trumpet was in 1990s when we went for a weeklong tour to West Java. These flowers were planted along roadsides all the way around the hotel and to the highlands. The most distinguishing feature is the white trumpet-like flowers hanging downwards, around one foot in length. The green foliage of the shrub would fall and gather on the ground, while its canopy covers four feet in diameter. Known botanically as Datura innoxia, it originated from South America, where the flowers might also be yellow or orange. Flowering at night, the blooms release a delightful fragrance into the air at night.
Despite its beauty, gardeners must be warned that the plant is also highly toxic – every component of the shrub is dangerous, even to pets such as dogs or cats.
Angel’s Trumpet produces very beautiful flowers but is also highly toxic.
Lotus
The flower from this submerged plant will actually bloom at night. The stalk can be seven to 10 inches above water level. It is a most delicate beauty, which comes in pink, red, and purple. No matter what the colour, the flowers share the same fragrance that can be smelt a distance away. I saw this aquatic beauty at a farm and a lake in a garden in China. At present it is possible to purchase the flowers from overseas, although some farmers in Peninsular Malaysia are now growing them.
Night blooming water lilies
There are several varieties of water lilies and they are all most attractive when the flower stalks emerge and bloom from the bulbs underwater. The fact is that we are sometimes confused between lotus and water lilies as they are both aquatic plants. The distinguishing point lies in the growth habit and the way the plants hold their leaves. Leaves of the water lily would not leave the water’s surface as they will spread on the surface by sending out long leafstalks; all of which rise from the corm at the bottom of the pond. Lotuses would hold their leaves above the water’s surface for photosynthesis. The colour of the foliage can be green for lotuses but a greyish brown for water lilies.
To plant water lilies, we need to buy the rhizomes or corms and bury them in the mud at the bottom of a pond or lake. It grows fast with good fertile mud. Add a slow release fertiliser in a bag to bury together by the side of the corm. The depth of the water is quite immaterial thus I have grown it in a shallow cement basin to allow the leaves to spread out for photosynthesis.
We have also found many local species would bloom during cool mornings and close by noon or before the sun gets hot above it.
Echinopsis
Some cacti will flower in the evening also. These popular cacti are the Easter Lily cactus and the Hedgehog cactus. The flower tubes consists of a collection of white sepals and bright yellow pistils that bloom when the sun has set. This cactus needs to be grown in well-drained soil in dry desert-like conditions, requiring a special medium for the growth, which is why sandstone and charcoal are added and not just compost alone. Remember most cacti only need a ‘shower’ once in a blue moon and should rarely be exposed to our torrential tropical rain.
Do send me an email if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. Happy gardening.