The Rural Voice, 1993-05, Page 46Gardening
The trick of growing luscious primroses
by Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
One of the more neglected spring
flowers in my garden is the lowly
primrose or cowslip. For years 1
faithfully bought pots of brilliant
Pacific primrose in February, enjoyed
the colours and texture of the
wrinkled leaves and then lamented
when they died away before I could
get them into my garden in the
spring. While I knew primroses
bloomed in some gardens I never
seemed to have any luck with mine
until I did a little research.
Depending upon who you read,
primroses can be either very easy to
grow or not very easy to grow. Their
care hinges upon two basic needs:
rich, humus soil and shady, moist
conditions. Primroses are naturally
found along marshy streams or peek-
ing out of moist woodlands and mea-
dows. There are some varieties that
will tolerate our dry summer condi-
tions and with a little planning you
can grow luscious clusters of prim-
roses to spark off the spring season.
There are between 500 to 1000
different members of the primula
family and they were once the pride
and joy of English weavers. Master
weavers once worked great looms in
their cottages. To break the long
hours of weaving they would
surround themselves with pots of
flowers. The English primrose
became a great source of enjoyment
as colours and patterns in the flowers
were developed.
With the Industrial Revolution
cottage based craftsmen had to leave
their windowed cottages for the mills
and many lovely strains of primroses
were let go. One that was quite pop-
ular was called Gold Lace. It had
deep maroon coloured petals with a
brilliant yellow centre and a fine yel-
low outline on each petal. Fortunate-
ly a few seeds from a handful of sur-
vivors were sent to a lady called Flo-
rence Bellis to see if she could save
this gem from extinction. She did
and some of these plants are making
appearances in Canadian gardens.
42 THE RURAL VOICE
"First roses" are perennials but
their season is very shortlived. The
trick is to plant them in on the north
or east side of your home or on the
shady side of shrubs or trees. You
can enjoy their first bright blossoms
before the rest of the garden begins to
take over and shade the resting
primroses.
Prepare the soil by digging down
eight to 10 inches and fill in with rich
humus such as old, dark cow manure
and damp peat moss. Once planted
remember to water well. That
includes during the dry summer
months when the plant has died
down. Don't let the shallow root
system fry and dry out. It is probably
that task alone that keeps many
people from successfully growing
delightful banks of spring primroses.
Fertilize in early spring and again
after blooming. If you mulch over
the winter, use evergreen branches
and if you use leaves as a mulch tuck
them under the leaves and never over
the plant. Old rotted manure makes a
good summer mulch and feeds the
hungry plants.
When the centre of the crown
becomes woody or bald then it is
time to divide. The plants can be
moved after they have finished
blooming in June. Carefully lift the
clump and with your fingers pry the
young plants away and replant them
in an area where lots of old manure
has been dug in. Water well.
At the plant exchange hosted at
our garden last year I had the good
fortune to receive a wild primrose or
cowslip. The cluster of wee yellow
flowers seemed to last for weeks atop
tongue -shaped leaves that were
curiously wrinkled. A friend told me
that the primroses found in
cemeteries last longer in your garden.
She had retrieved this one from an
old family plot and I am looking
forward to seeing it bloom in my
garden this spring. It is probably of
the only variety, auricula, that will
tolerate droughty conditions.
The popular Pacific primroses are
the ones we see in the grocery stores
and florist shops but more and more
exotic varieties can be seen in plant
catalogues. Primroses are one of the
few perennials that has such a broad
range of colours. From sugar pink to
copper rose, to the deep velvety rich
jewel shades of sky blue to violet.
There are single blossoms as well as
double and they can have short stems
supporting masses of blossoms that
almost cover their leaves or long
stemmed candelabra (primula
denticulata or Cashmere primrose)
that will grow to half a meter high
with tier upon tier of fragrant flowers.
I know that I have my interest
piqued and I will be investigating a
shady niche to plant my next
primrose in.
This month marks the third annual
plant exchange of the Orgasmic
Gardeners. We had about 30 friends
and co-workers show up for a potluck
luncheon. Once the warm spring rain
let up we tramped outside to take a
look at all the garden treasures that
everyone had brought. We had trees,
tomato plants as well as the tradition-
al lilies, chrysanthemums, obedient
plants and larkspur. It is a very
haphazard operation yet everyone has
a great time. It is such a treat to be
talking with other gardeners. Some
are passionate about favourites and
others nervously ask questions fearful
someone will know how little
knowledge they have. No problem,
gardeners are quite patient especially
when imparting information to
someone who is equally interested. It
really is an exhausting day and
doesn't end when you leave the party.
Everyone tears home to get their new
treasures tucked safely away. There
is nothing more exciting than receiv-
ing a new plant with all its promise
and mystery ... especially if the
price is right! Happy gardening.°
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger, in addition to
working in advertising production
for The Rural Voice, raises two child-
ren, and is a skilled cook and
gardener.