My great aunt thinned hers out and gave some to my Mom. They thrived at her house, but after she died, the yard was overrun and I gave some to a friend. I later sold the house and bought a condo with a small patio/garden space. By that time, my friend needed to thin hers, so she gave some to me. And the circle was completed.

The problem is - I'm not sure they are right for my garden space. I'm redoing my patio and trying to move toward a lower maintenance garden. So the spot I have in mind for them is about 2-3 square feet.

My gut says these flowers need to be in a larger area to do well. They are beautiful when they bloom, but when they're done, they get scraggly.

If they hadn't come from my great aunt, I would probably remove them. But they have a degree of sentimental value, so I'm torn.

So my questions are: what are your experiences with sundrops? And have you ever had "sentimental value" flowers that you needed to make decisions on?

Many thanks!

and i said.. geez dad ... i did everything i could with them.. but they died over winter ... lol ... no.. i dont want more ... they wont grow in my sand ... lol ...

dont let mom guilt you into having something you dont want ....

in the alternative.. kill all but one.. and plan that ones death.. after mom passes ... i have a few of those plants around also ...

ken

I make as many practical decisions about my garden beds as currently-available information allows but am ruthless with invasives, whether or not they're identified by any official posted list. In my experience, too much of anything generally isn't a good thing.

I'm not sure if they are Missouri primrose, but I believe they are in that family. Here is what they looked like in June:

So I'm not sure...in my quest for a lower maintenance outdoor space, I'm covering the soil with resin pavers and planning to have flowers in containers next spring rather than have plants in the ground. I want to finish putting the pavers down this month, so I have to move them somewhere. Same with some sentimental lily of the valley.

But ultimately, it would be easier for me to not have anything in the ground, for a lot of reasons.
That should be my answer, but I feel guilty ripping them out.

I do cut mine back after blooming and it continues to look good, never ratty.

Yours will grow after transplanting, not to be confused with spreading. Also most plants do tend to look alittle ratty after being transplanted.

You could wait till next year and see how you like it. Pull it if you don't.

They are just so bright and cheerful, you may be glad you waited ;0)

I should clarify - the "now" picture was actually taken the day I moved them. They were in that condition when I decided to move them. Maybe I needed to cut them back? How I do that? (forgive me - I'm new to all this!)

Also, I do use a small (tomato like) cage to keep them upright as the rain tends to make them flop. Although you might like the floppy look? I know some people do. The cage gets hidden as the plant fills out...

I generally cut it back after flowering. The new basal foliage rosettes are not unattractive.

If you're looking for ugly - there's an Oenothera I grow that towers to nearly 5 feet in height, decorative during its long blooming season (the flowers open in time-lapse fashion in the evening, which is fun to watch), but an eyesore while the seed is ripening. I like to have some resow, so I put up with the derelict appearance until the seeds are ripe.

I've decided to hang on to them for another season or two and see what happens. I'll move them back to the sunny side of the garden soon.