The well-known and popular type of primrose Primula is a fairly diverse type of plant, including almost half a thousand species found throughout the northern hemisphere - from Europe, through Asia, to North America. Such a large area of occurrence makes these species very diverse: from rocky miniatures to moisture-loving, canopy meadow species.
The best known European species are considered to be the heralds of spring.Early flowering, and therefore exposure to cold, forces them to have a low rosette habit. Some Asian primroses, included in the Proliferae section, have completely different habits.Their flowers appear in late spring and summer, from late May to July, depending on the species. Most of them have brightly colored flowers gathered in characteristic multi-storey whorls, hence their popular name - candelabra. Thanks to this multi-storey structure, the inflorescences reach a significant height, e.g. inflorescences of the primrose - even 100 centimeters. Most of the species in this section are hardy enough to be grown in our gardens.
A typical and at the same time the most popular representative of this group is the Japanese primroseP. japonica. Inflorescences of this species begin to appear at the end of May. During flowering, plants reach 60 cm in height and 45 cm in width. The species' flowers are purple-pink, but many varieties of the Japanese primrose can have yellow, orange, or red flowers. When planted together, they create cheerful multi-colored fields.
Apart from the Japanese primrose, the ring primrose is more and more often grownP.bulleyana andBeesaP. beesiana. The first species consists of yellow-orange flowers gathered in even "seven-story" inflorescences. They grow up to 60 cm. The Beesa primrose, sometimes classified as a subspecies of the previous one, has purple inflorescences reaching 40 cm.Hybrids of these two species, classified as double-decker primulaP. x bullesiana, grow up to 50-70 cm. P. pulverulenta with flowers of various shades of pink is grown even more rarely. In the collections of botanical gardens, you can also find other species of candelabrum primroses, e.g. the Cockburn primrose P. cockburniana with openwork orange inflorescences or P. secundiflora with charming bell-shaped flowers in pink and purple color.
Othe side of species from the Proliferae section, among the late-flowering primroses, the primrose VialaP. vialii deserves attention with its unusual soaring clusters composed of numerous, small, two-color flowers.The pink and purple petals contrast with the orange red goblets. Plants reach 40-50 cm in height. Slightly shorter, up to 35 cm high, is the capitate primrose P. capitata, which grows naturally in the Himalayas. This species forms characteristic blue-violet flat inflorescences resembling umbrellas. The shoots and the underside of the leaves are characteristically white. Another attractive flowering species in June and July is the flower primrose P. florindae. Its flowers, shaped like dangling bells, are creamy yellow.
How to cultivate
The listed species of primroses are moisture-loving plants. They feel best at the banks of streams or water reservoirs, they are perfect plants in the transition zone. In humid places they can grow in full sun, but slightly shaded places suit them best. In shady places, they do better even in moderately moist soils.They have no special requirements as to the pH of the soil. In naturalistic positions, with minimized care treatments, they often sow themselves. In addition to propagating from seeds, primroses can be propagated by division or by root cuttings.
