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Primroses
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by Diana Roberts |
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Category:
Flowers
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When Spring comes, it brings with it one of my earliest memories of my mother's garden. The primrose. As a young girl, these plants reminded me of fairy princesses with their many-colored blooms. They were something that I could count on to be there, year after year. They were like magic to me.
The primrose's common name means "first rose" which is just what some varieties look like, a rose. And they do bloom very early in the Spring. |
Lettuce
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These flowers are so often forgotten, when it comes to planting a perennial garden, but not in mine. Three years ago, I started some from seed. They bloomed in the very first year, and three times a year since then. Blooming three times a year, is reason enough to have them in a perennial garden, but it's not the only reason.
The primrose has a leaf that looks much like the leaves of Romaine lettuce, and there are innumerable colors of flower. Not only can you get solid colors, but primroses also come with two or more colors on one flower. |
Location
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Primroses are one of the first perennials to bloom in the Spring, and their blooms can last up to five weeks. I find that just when a corner of my garden needs more color, there they are again! But they don't do this all on their own, they need your help.
The first thing you can do for them, is to choose their location carefully. They need a lot of moisture and a fair amount of shade. The primrose comes originally from Europe, the Orient and northern Asia, where they grow in bunches along streams, swamps or in shady woodlands. I have my primroses in a perennial garden next to my pond, in a north-east direction. It gets morning sun, but that's it. |
Soil
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| Primroses like to have a lot of organic matter in the soil where they grow. Manure soil and compost make a great addition to any garden where you are planning on putting primroses. If you are planning on turning a section of your lawn into a primrose garden, cut out the sod on top and lay it aside. Dig down about a foot (I know, in rocky ground, that is like asking for the moon), then place your sod upside down into the bottom of the hole. This will help hold moisture and will add organic matter. Don't put the sod in with the grass side up, or you may have grass growing in your garden. Once the sod is in the hole, put in manure and compost to fill to the top. |
Clumps
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Then it's time to plant your primroses. They should be placed about ten inches apart. You can plant them in drifts, with three to five plants of each color together. Water well after planting. If you add more manure each spring, you will have continuously rich soil for your flowers.
The primroses will grow into clumps and give you some wonderful color. Sooner or later you will have to dig up the clumps and separate them. The center of the primrose tends to die back, leaving a weak, woody-looking mother plant. Dig this plant up with a garden fork or sturdy trowel, then carefully pull the clump apart, by the dividing lines, which you can easily see. You can divide them into single or double crowns. Keep only the healthy ones, and compost the rest. |
Water
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Primroses love to be watered with fish fertilizer, or manure tea. Be certain they are always getting enough moisture.
I looked out at my garden this morning and noticed some new plants that weren't there last year. They must have reseeded themselves, or came from underground. Regardless of how they got there, I was thrilled to see them. I am putting in another shade garden, so I will go in and dig up some of my baby plants and give them a new home. By next year, I know I will need to do some separating of the older plants. A great way to get started with primroses is to find a neighbor or friend who has some, and see if you can get a couple of starts. In no time you will have yourself a well-stocked primrose garden. |
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