Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
We can all breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, we made it! The long-awaited day has finally arrived, and we can welcome spring with open arms. For the gardener, it’s time to start anew. Of course, when it comes to flower selection, you must include the ones that boast the beginning of spring right in their name. Primrose (primula) can be translated from the Latin as “first rose”, signifying their early bloom time in spring.
If you have planted these perennial plants in past seasons, you may have seen their sweet, colorful little faces peeking out in late winter. Often, you can find them even earlier, growing indoors and sold by supermarkets and other stores. Primroses make a great little pick-me-up in the house when you need to see a bit of cheer. Their colorful flowers breathe fresh life into a room. Keep in mind, though, that primroses are a cool-season plant, so they will be happiest in a cooler section of your home while receiving indirect sun by day. Use caution around pets, because primroses can be toxic to cats and dogs.
Eventually, you will want to acclimate your primrose to the great outdoors, where it belongs. If you purchase primroses from a garden nursery that is displaying them outside, those plants have most likely been hardened off and are ready to grow outside right away. Primroses make a great addition with other spring flowers such as tulips and daffodils in a planter or window box. If you prick off the spent flowers, they will continue to rebloom for quite a while. Primroses would feel perfectly at home in a woodland garden or bordering a partially shaded pathway. Since they are a cool-season plant, they will begin to fade and become mostly dormant once it gets too warm outside. Allow them to grow in a lightly shaded area of the garden to extend their active growing and bloom time. Primroses like moist soil, but it must also be well-drained. If growing temporarily indoors, they would benefit from a light misting.
Primroses come in a variety of colors, including light yellow, pink, white, purple, bright yellow, orange, and red. In spring, almost any color scheme goes, so you can plant all of these colors mixed together like a dyed Easter egg. Their large, green, lettuce-like leaves will provide a wreath to the sweet rosette flowers. Speaking of lettuces, primroses are edible. You can add the flowers and leaves to your salads for an extra special touch. Some legends speak of being able to see a fairy after eating a primrose flower. I can’t attest to this, but since primroses are among the first spring flowers to bloom, they will provide food for early pollinators.
We love to hear from our readers. What’s your favorite spring flower? Have you ever eaten a primrose to see a fairy? Send your comments, questions, and gardening pictures to: shorelocalgardener@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
