Primroses: A singular gardener's joy
I recognize that many Americans unwind by watching some TV — the news, or perhaps a sitcom or a ballgame.
I don't have a television connected to the outside world (though I can watch a rented movie if I want), and have no problem with the concept of watching TV. But I grew up in a household with no TV, and have never gotten into the habit.
I have an Adirondack chair set up under an ancient apple tree where I can unwind on a spring or summer day — and do my viewing. It faces a rocky ledge, some woods ... and my primrose garden. I can sit and watch the primroses longer than I can sit still watching TV.
Primroses are, to my way of thinking, some of the most satisfactory of all flowers. They are bright and cheerful, bloom over a long period of time, spread nicely, and come in an amazing array of colors and sizes. There are many good ones to look for.
Among the earliest of my primroses are the drumstick primroses (Primula denticulata). Like most primroses, these have a basal rosette of light green leaves. The flowers appear on a 4-8 inch stalk, each blossom a globe-shaped mass of florets that stand proudly, despite early spring chill and rain.
They come in a variety of colors — white, rose, magenta and lavender. Each plant may present two to three flowering stems once it reaches maturity. As with many flowers, drumstick primrose flowers increase in size and number as the plants get older.
The common cowslip (Primula veris) is also early blooming, but this one is yellow. Each stem holds half a dozen small yellow and green flowers — each an inch long. In England, it is a wildflower, and I've seen masses of them by the roadside.
Most primroses tend to spread by seeds and will increase in number rapidly if growing conditions are right, but here in Cornish Flat, I have not had my cowslips seeding in and multiplying.
A bright magenta primrose, Primula kisoana (no common name) is the most amazing spreading primrose that I have ever encountered. For me it grows in dry shade with morning sun and moist shade with filtered sun under an aging apple tree. In both cases, a small clump will send out runners and soon cover the ground with fuzzy leaves over an area 2 feet square. In a few years, mine spread to fill in any free spaces in both growing areas, but never pushed out other, more delicate plants, so I don't consider it a thug. I dig clumps every year to give away, and the spaces are soon filled.
Like most primroses, P. kisoana does best in rich soil and in spots that are not washed in bright afternoon sunshine. Morning sun is generally fine, or sunshine filtered through a canopy of leaves. It may just be coincidence, but three of the best primrose gardens I have seen have been under old apple trees. Other plants that do well in my primrose garden include astillbe, hosta and many native wildflowers like wild bleeding heart, Dutchman's breeches, baneberry (Actea spp.) and turtlehead (Chelone spp.)
Japanese primroses, also known as candelabra primroses (Primula japonica) bloom later than most and may be the most dramatic. Each rosette of leaves sends up a stalk that has tiered layers of blossoms radiating out from the stalk like spokes on a wheel that is parallel to the ground. They come in the usual colors — white, pink and deep pink. Tall plants' flower stems can reach 2 feet.
One of the most endearing qualities of the candelabra primroses is their willingness to spread by seed if soil conditions are right: moist (but not soggy) rich soil in shady areas. From an original planting of a half a dozen plants or so 10 years ago I now have many dozen. I even find young plants that have popped up in the lawn, which transplant nicely to new locations. Their leaves have that distinctive light green color, and each new plant grows as a rosette.
Of course if your garden is covered with landscape fabric and bark mulch, the seeds will be kept from the soil and your plants will not spread. No weeds, but no "volunteer" plants either. Everything is a trade off.
I have tried a few of many other types of primroses, some of which succeed, some don't. Primula vialii is the most unusual one I have tried, but it is rated as a Zone 5 plant (only hardy to 20 below), and I lost mine after a couple of years both times I tried it.
It reminds me of a dunce cap on a stem, the top a deep red, the bottom wider and pink. I did not recognize it as a primrose when I first saw it. I've read they can grow to 24 inches tall, though mine were half that.
The polyantha primroses (P. x polyantha) are hybrids that come in a wide variety of colors, producing large quantities of single or double blossoms on low plants with short stems. Breeders come up with new varieties every year, some of which are amazingly beautiful. I can't keep track of them.
So if you have 27 channels of TV and nothing to watch, plant primroses. Pull up a chair and relax. It works for me.
Henry Homeyer is a gardening coach and garden designer, the author of three gardening books, and a University of New Hampshire Extension Master Gardener. Contact him at henry.homeyercomcast.net.