Plant Profile Primroses
Garden Care, Uses, Growing and Varieties of Primula Species Plants
Bright splashes of bold color in the spring, folk-lore and fairy rings. Primroses are popular plants and the stuff of legends from Shakespearian days. Grow them yourself!
Botanical and Common Name: Primula species flowers are also known as Primroses.
Plant Category: Primroses are herbaceous perennials.
Bloom Time and Color: Primroses bloom early to late spring and typically have bright, vibrant colored flowers.
Foliage: The green, fuzzy looking leaves form in pleasing clumps that serve to show of the primrose flowers nicely.
Growth Habit and Dimensions: Primroses grow 6-12” tall and up to 18” wide and have a nice, rounded growth habit that makes them versitile in the garden.
Preferred Conditions: Hardy zones 4-9 Primroses grow best in moist, slightly acidic soil and light shade. Very hot or humid weather is not tolerated well by primroses.
Maintenance: Primroses are easy to maintain and naturalize well when conditions suit them.
Pests or Diseases: Primroses don't have serious pest or disease problems although, like many shade plants, slugs and snails can sometimes be a minor nuisance.
Propagation Methods: Propagation occurs naturally as primrose plants spread slowly by rhizomes in the ground. Simply divide primroses in the late spring after flowering is complete and share extras with gardening friends or keep for yourself!
Companion Plants: Primroses make excellent under planting choices for acidic loving shrubs such as Camellias, Azaleas or Mountain Laurel. Spring blooming trees can be accented with a planting of Primroses underneath as well.
Seasons of Interest: Primroses have their best season in early spring as one of the first flowering perennials of the year. Summer heat can cause primrose foliage to fade but pruning and watering will see the leaves return full force in autumn.
Uses in the Garden: Primroses are well suited to a variety of garden situations and can be used to complement spring blooming bulbs, in exciting container arrangements, as a natural ground cover for ornamental garden trees, or to provide a bright spot of color to a shady garden area.
Other Uses: Shakespeare mentions primroses in several of his plays making them popular in Shakespearian themed gardens. A vast amount of folk-lore and legend surrounds these bright flowers including the belief that the proper amount of primroses planted around a rock would create a fairy ring. Wouldn't you love to see if you could create a fairy wonder-land in your garden?
Varieties and Cultivars:
Common Primrose, or English Primrose (Primula vulgaris) – One-inch wide flowers are smaller than Primula japonica but come in a wider variety of brilliant colors. The English Primrose plants themselves grow 6-8” tall and wide with relatively large leaves in rounded clumps and tolerate a wider variety of garden conditions than other primroses.
Japanese Primrose (Primula japonica) – This easy-to-grow primrose flowers in shades of red or white and grow 1-2' tall. These primroses spread by runners in wet soil conditions. The Japanese primrose plants bear their flowers on tall flower stalks called “candelabras” that are very beautiful.
