Let’s already think about spring. Plant your garden primroses in the fall, they will bring their varied colors to your garden, with the advice of Roland Motte, our gardener.
The primrose is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, but it is found in the fall in garden centers. And you can plant it today with the advice of Roland Motte, the gardener of France Bleu Lorraine and France Bleu Besançon.
Primroses in the gardens
The genus Primula has more than 400 species. They are perennials, often herbaceous, and we recognize them because the leaves form a rosette in their center. The primroses of the gardens, the one usually found in garden centers, is called Primula Acaulis. It is a cross between Primula Vulgaris and Primula Juliae. They are obviously part of the Primulaceae family. In Latin, “primo vere” means the beginning of spring. This is why it was called the primrose.
How and when to plant your primroses?
It is a perennial plant, but it can be planted as early as the fall, until the following spring. It is considered a biennial, or even an annual. If we plant it in the spring, we just leave it for one season. It is not very high and depending on the variety, it will grow from 10 to 50 cm, maximum. It is more of a full sun plant that will endure partial shade as well. She likes very rich soils, but also very well drained.
For flowering, we are quiet. It’s October to April, most of the winter, as long as it’s not too cold. It may even still flower during spring and part of summer. Flowering, of course, is its strong point. There are magnificent colors and in addition, there are new hybrid plants with a little variegated colors.
We can have fun making seedlings, growing it to seed. We will sow it in early spring, April-May there, and we will plant it in the fall. Once it is in place, there is nothing more to do. If not maybe removing the faded flowers every time they appear and that’s about it. She is even capable of reseeding herself from year to year.
– Roland Motte
The primrose, a friend of birds
One more last little thing to know about the primrose, is that its sap is slightly sweet. This is why birds like to go and peck these flowers from time to time.
Find Roland Motte on France Bleu Lorraine and France Bleu Besançon and on his site www.rolandmotte.fr.