How to Grow Satin Flower (Clarkia amoena)

Satin flower, Clarkia amoena, aka godetia, is an annual native wildflower in the Onagraceae family that also includes evening primrose and fuchsia.

Colors include peach, pink, purple, red, and white, often with striking variegation.

From beds to borders, containers to cutting gardens, the fresh-faced blossoms of silky satin flower are sure to bid visitors to your home a cheery welcome.

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Read on to learn how to grow this early-season bloomer in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 11.

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Also called farewell to spring, satin flower appears on the rugged hills of the Pacific Coast in early summer. From British Columbia to California, its poppy-like blossoms cast a pinkish hue over the western terrain.

And while they look nothing alike, take care not to confuse it with another satin flower, Sisyrinchium striatum, aka pale yellow-eyed grass, or you may order the wrong seeds!

There are over 40 species in the Clarkia genus. Most are native to western North America, where seeds were commonly ground for consumption by indigenous Californians including the Sierra Miwok.

One species, C. tenella, is native to South America.

Some of the Clarkia species were originally classified as Godetia, named after Swiss botanist Godet.

They were later reclassified into the broader Clarkia genus, purportedly named for early 1800s American West explorer William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.

It is for this reason that you may find satin flower listed as Godetia amoena when you are shopping for seeds and plants.