Primula

Primrose (Primula) Primroses are harbingers of spring.  These cheerful flowers can be red, white, purple, yellow, blue or pink.  They range in height from 4” to 24” and do best in part sun to shade.  Most perennial primroses are hardy in Zones 3 to 8 and are easy to grow as long as they have enough moisture. The earliest to pop open in my gardens are the drumstick varieties (denticulata). These are followed by polyantha and vulgaris types with Japanese Primroses (japonica) being the last to swoon the crowds.  Primrose will seed where happy, especially japonicas.  Primroses are easy to divide after blooming.  Just pull apart the foliage rosettes with your hands and replant. There are also annual Primroses that are just as beautiful as their perennial counterparts but with one significant difference. Annual Primroses are highly fragrant.