Primroses – You Too Can Grow Beautiful Primrose Flowers

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The few requirements for primroses are easily met and are found in practically every garden. They do require shade throughout Mid-America, but this is always available on the north side of the house or in the shade of shrubs, evergreens or trees.

Primroses not only offer a variety of form, size, color, the habit of growth but bloom (depending upon the variety) over a considerable period.

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Starting with the early blooming hybrids, which bloom about pussywillow time, one continues through the mass of bloom of the polyanthus through to the double and triple decked flowers of the Japanese primroses in late May and even early June.

Some of the less common helodoxa primroses may even bloom up into July. Not many other plants give such a long period of bloom.

Getting Started With Primroses


It’s easy to get started with primroses. Blooming size plants of the more common forms are available from many nurseries. From the Pacific Coast primrose specialists, you can buy flowering size plants of many different kinds.

They offer seedling primroses at desirable prices at certain times of the year. These young, vigorous plants take hold quickly and give large bloom the following spring. Primroses may be grown from seeds.

Although only the more common kinds such as polyanthus are available from the average seed store, primrose specialists handle a wide range of species and varieties.

Most primroses are very easy to grow from seeds. Contrary to the recommendations of some primrose specialists, there is no need to freeze the roots before planting. As long as the temperatures are not up in the 80’s day and night, primrose seeds can be sown either outdoors or indoors.

However, the most significant difficulty in raising primroses from seeds is sowing the seeds in the proper sort of seedbed. A mixture of equal parts sand and peat moss with the seeds covered 1/16” to 1/18” of an inch with this material seems to be ideal.

Growing From Primroses From Seeds


Since there is no nourishment in this mixture, an inch layer of it can be put on top of a soil mixture made up of equal parts of soil, sand, and peat. Primrose seeds may be sown in early August, although if the temperatures are high, it may pay to put the seed pans or flats in a cool cellar until the seeds germinate.

The seeds may be sown in November for spring germination in the cold frame or can be sown any time during the fall in the greenhouse to be kept growing throughout the winter.

Can Primrose Seed Be Sown Outdoors?

Seeds may also be sown outdoors, preferably in a cold frame, anytime during the winter or spring. Again the sand and peat seedbed will give wonderful results. I’ve seen equally good results sowing the seeds in a greenhouse in October, in the greenhouse in January, the cold frame in March, and early August.

After the seedlings get their second or third leaves, they can be transplanted. Again the soil mixture is essential. You will probably get better root growth if they are put in a bed or in flats rather than in individual pots. Make the soil of equal parts garden loam and peat. Mix a cup of any complete commercial fertilizer with each bushel of the soil mixture.

The more common vigorous primroses such as polyanthus can be planted three inches apart. The smaller ones can be put closer together.

Primrose In a Cold Frame

If you are planting the primrose seedlings in a cold frame during the spring and early summer, they should have a mixture of at least equal parts peat and soil and preferably three parts peat to one part soil. There should be a bed of this 4” to 6” inches deep for them to grow in. Again the fertilizer should be thoroughly mixed through the bed before planting.

For many of you who are buying seedlings or growing them, better results will be obtained in most gardens by growing them in a cold frame where they can be shaded with muslin (an old sheet) or by a lath shade.

If they are kept thoroughly watered throughout the summer and fertilized every two to three weeks with a liquid fertilizer, they will grow enormously during the summer. The root systems will be at least the size of your fist, and every bit of it will come out in the peaty mixture that you have them growing in.

You will learn from experience as you try to produce some of the less common and more difficult primroses that you may have to keep a number of the species in a shaded cold frame rather than try to plant them in the garden itself.

Primroses. in general, require well-drained soil. However, several varieties like Florindae and japonica will thrive in a bog.

Planting Primroses In The Garden

Before planting any primroses in the garden, the bed should be prepared by mixing the soil, which is at least half peat to a depth of at least 8” inches. A complete commercial fertilizer should be mixed with the soil as with all other plantings.

Primroses can be planted in early spring, late spring after they have finished blooming when they are normally divided, or early fall. The more common primroses seem to be perfectly hardy, and except for a light mulch to prevent heaving, they do not require a great deal of winter protection.

Primroses should be fertilized regularly. In the early spring, before growth starts, scatter a complete commercial fertilizer such as a 4-12-4 or something similar over the entire bed. Another application can be given in the early fall to stimulate a little fall growth before the ground freezes.

Dealing With Primrose Pest


The worst primrose pest and the one that probably kills more primroses than any other through the Midwest is the spider mite (red spider). 

Because primrose leaves are close to the ground, it is difficult to contact these mites with the average dust or spray. Although malathion is effective if contact can be made with the mites, it is not always possible.

Application of spray with malathion should start in May and continue through August with applications about every two weeks. It will help if the foliage can be raised to get the materials on the undersides of the leaves.

Slugs are always around primroses because they grow in the shade. Either prepared slug bait sold under various trade names is satisfactory. They should be used at least once a month, starting with April and continuing through the season until fall freezing.

The Polyanthus


There is no question but that the bulk of primroses in your garden will be polyanthus. The range of colors is white to cream to yellow to orange to pink to red to purple to blue.

The flowers are from a one-half inch in ordinary ones up to silver dollar size in the improved strains. They may be purchased as mixed plants or according to colors. The same is true of the seeds.

There is nothing showier in a spring garden than Polyanthus primroses. They are usually perfectly hardy, and they will multiply given the proper soil and other conditions.

Auriculas are very different from their sister primroses. They have smooth leaves that look almost like small cabbage leaves. The flowers come in cream, pale yellow, lavender, and purple.

They are relatively easy to grow from seeds but will not be as permanent in many gardens. I find that they winter better in the cold frame, then they can be put out into the beds in the spring where they can be seen and enjoyed.