Primrose Flowers
Primrose flowers are wonderful plants to grow, which can be proved not only by the beauty of their flowers, but also by the number of flower lovers who have them in their gardens.
These plants come in a wide range of colours: for example white, yellow, orange, red, blue, pink, and purple Primroses.
The flowers usually grow up to between eight and twenty five inches high.
Primrose is one of the first plants to bloom in early spring and even in late winter, so you can enjoy the new gardening season with the bright cheerful colors of this plant.
How to Plant Primrose Flowers
Primroses propagate naturally, as they slowly spread by rhizomes under the ground. The only thing you have to do is to divide them at the end of spring after the flowering period has finished.
You can always keep the extras to plant in another place and to have more beautiful Primroses in your garden, or you can share them with other gardeners if you have too many – they will be grateful for your thoughtful gesture.
Primroses prefer partial shade, so it is better to plant them in locations where they get a reasonable amount of morning sun, but at the same time will not be exposed to the sun at the hottest time of the day.
Primrose Overview
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Common name | Primrose |
| Latin name | Primula vulgaris |
| Growth zones | Native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa. Commonly found in woodland, hedgerows and meadows. |
| Usual colors | Yellow, purple, pink, red and white. |
| Flower type | Small, fragrant flowers in umbels or clusters atop short stems. |
| Blooming time | Early spring |
How to Grow Primroses
You should provide a good level of water for your Primrose plants, but make sure that soil is also well drained. To leave them in standing water is potentially dangerous for the roots of most of the plants. At least once a month your plants should get fertilizer, a general organic matter will do well.
Read our stand-alone article titled Do Primroses spread? if you want to learn more about this.
After the blooming period, when the flowers are faded and dry, cut off the whole flower’s stem: doing so you will increase the chances of another blooming session within the same season.
Primroses look great next to spring blooming trees as well as some shrubs, including Azaleas and Camellias.
They complement spring bulb bloomers, make an excellent ground cover, and create a bright patch of color to a shady garden zone.
Besides that, Primroses look extremely attractive when planted in containers and baskets. Gardens with Shakespearean themes always contain Primroses, as they were mentioned in a few plays and sonnets of the great poet.
Popular Varieties of Primrose Flowers
Among the most popular varieties of Primroses there are English Primroses (known also as Common Primroses) – they have flowers of one inch in diameter and offer a myriad of attractive bright colours.
English Primroses grow up to six to eight inches in height and have relatively big leaves. They are tolerant to different types of soils and other garden conditions.
Another popular variety is Japanese Primrose (or Primula japonica). It requires moist soil and spreads by runners. These plants have white or red flowers which are usually bigger than the flowers of English Primroses. This particular variety has very beautiful flower stalks, called ‘candelabras’.
Evening Primrose is popular thanks to its oil.
These varieties are the most wide spread and popular among gardeners, but lots of other species also look exceedingly attractive in the flower bed, under the trees, and in containers or pots.
Summary
Primrose Flowers come in a range of sizes and depending on the variety you choose. White, red, orange, pink, purple are some of the combinations of colours you can get. They will grow from 8 to 24 inches tall. This is a cool temperature plant that is one of the first to pop out of dormancy in late Winter to early Spring.
Propagation by seed or division after their flowering season has finished.
A good, humus rich, well-drained soil is what nature had in mind for these plants.
There shouldn’t be a need to fertilize. Composting your leaves, greens from the kitchen and other green vegetation, will provide all that is necessary. Let’s not forget vermiculture for the ultimate compost.
These shade tolerant flowers will give way to the heat of summer, when the second round of flowers take over.
They are a welcome sight after the usually too long winter.