p.alpicola, like many of the sikkimensis group, is more tolerant of garden condiditions than many primulas, and does well with me, self seeding freely. Kingdon Ward found it in the Tsangpo valley at about 15,000 feet and called it the ‘Moonlight Primula’. This is var. alba; the lilac coloured var. violacea is more commonly found for sale. There’s a lot of variation in colour within the species, and you can find forms which verge on the red. Most of my self-sown plants produce unpleasant muddy lilac flowers, and I usually divide plants I want to keep rather than rely on seed. This is not a true bog primula, and likes a rich soil that is damp rather than wet – which is irritating of it. Slugs, being slugs, take a delight in rasping through one side of the flower stalks, so that they collapse just when they are at their prettiest. I don’t mind garden pests that actually eat what they attack….but this kind of behaviour is pure vandalism.

Update: 02/07/12
I have posted more about this primula here