Primroses are an easy perennial to grow
By Judith Rogers

Primroses are an easy to grow spring flowering perennial and one that can provide form in the garden from the various varieties. They do have specific requirements though; shelter from the wind, part shade and a moist, well-drained soil.

Members of the Primula family, many primroses are native to the cold and temperate regions of the Himalayas while others originate from China and Japan.

In late winter, the grocery stores carry jewel coloured polyanthus hybrids for that splash of colour so needed by that time of year and they can be planted in the garden but will not always reliably succeed. The hardier types of polyanthus are good to Zone 4 in the light shade of a woodland garden and grow anywhere from 12 to 22 centimetres high.

Old fashioned British favourites are the English primrose, cowslips and oxlips for which they have the perfect weather to grow. The English primrose (P. vulgaris) has one light yellow bonnet-shaped flower per stem on 20 cm plants, cowslips (P. veris) has a group of pendulous small yellow or light orange blooms on 25 cm stems and oxlips (P. elatior) are similar to cowslips but have larger creamy flowers that reach up to 30 cm high.

Photo by Judith Rogers A photo of Primula, drumstick.

All three are prone to self-seeding and will naturalize at the edge of a forest or damp meadow.

P. Vialii blooms in late spring with lavender poker shaped flowers tipped with red that can grow to 60 cm tall in a light shade location. P. vulgaris 'Quakers Bonnet' is a gorgeous mauve double resembling tiny roses that blooms in early spring in full sun to part shade and would suit a woodland or rock garden as it only grows to 15 cm tall.

P. denticulata is one of the earliest primroses to bloom and according to Patrick Lima, "adds sheer drama to the garden with the fireworks of the drumstick globes in bloom."

This is one primrose that must have the moisture to perform and is actually classed as a bog plant. The spheres of colour can be found in pink, lilac and white and luckily for me I had a sheltered spot facing the east where I tucked in a white drumstick that is below the outdoor hose and faucet. After the hose has been used, the pressure is drained after each use by turning off the water supply and letting the excess dribble out onto the primrose which keeps it quite moist and happy.

Primroses benefit from a yearly addition of chopped leaves, compost or peat moss as they like the soil leaning towards the acidic side. As they are compact and have shallow roots, primroses are easy to divide after flowering or when it's cooler in early September and new leaves are starting to emerge. Dividing is done to renew old clumps or increase a favourite after three to four years. Plant new divisions with plenty of organic matter to help hold moisture, and during the drought of summer, water them faithfully every couple of days. Some established plants may turn brown and go dormant during summer but will perk up and send out new leaves again in the fall.