Primroses

Thanks for visiting! Be sure to sign up for emails or subscribe to RSS to get free updates whenever there's something new. Prefer to connect by Twitter or Facebook? I'm sharing there too!

Primroses, or Primula vulgaris, make me happier than a flower has any right to.

Just when winter antsiness is threatening to hit, usually around late January or early February, up pop winter primroses in local nurseries and along the fronts of grocery stores. Sunny yellows, bold pinks, bright blues, pretty purples, racy reds … demure they’re not, and I guess that’s why I find them so dang lovable. They’re like more cowbell for early spring fever.

Like pansies, they thrive in Pacific Northwest winters, particularly as the season is winding up. January might be a tad early for primroses around here (late February/early March is a safer bet) but I can never resist picking up a few as soon as they appear and filling a container or two.

This year, I went for shades of blue and purple in my beloved bright yellow ceramic containers. And just like I expected, they make me smile each and every time I catch a glimpse.

Primroses do best in partial shade and love mild winter temps in the 40s. They can withstand the 30s, to an extent, but should be moved to a sheltered area during extended freezes. They also like to stay nice and moist; and when you keep up on dead-heading, they bloom for a good long time. Just pinch off the spent blooms and you’ll be rewarded before you know it.

Primroses can also pop up as a pleasant partial-shade perennial around here, but I always find they look raggedy after a year or two. Probably because slugs find them particularly enjoyable.

I’m with ya, slugs. I adore ‘em too.

More goodies like this:

• Whoops! I lied. This post was so unique, there's nothing else quite like it yet at The Hazel Bloom.