Primula (Primrose)
at Digging Dog

Including Primula capitata ssp. mooreana, Primula denticulata ‘Blue Selection’, & Primula rosea ‘Gigas’

Primula

Primrose

Derived from the Italian primaverola, the name of this genus pays homage to the way its early blossoms welcome the spring. Many of the more than 400 species are at home in the moist climates of England, New Zealand and the Pacific Coast. The species we offer are cold hardy but can do well in warmer climates so long as they have ample soil moisture. Lovely in drifts, try planting them in a woodland garden, by a pond or streamside.

Primula capitata ssp. mooreana 

Native to the coniferous forests of Tibet and southwestern China, Primula capitata was once used to cure headaches and please the palette in thick soups and rice. This species is named for its blue-violet, pincushionlike flowers that open face down in early spring.

We plant it by paths or steps in shady rock gardens so that we can sit and look at the silvery powder on the green stems. It can take full sun, but only if planted in a moist loam or boggy location.

Blooms April–June.

Size: 8"–12" high x 10" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Primula capitata ssp. mooreana (P-0212)
Each $6.00
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Primula cockburniana 

With burnt coppery orange flowers tinged slightly yellow, bright green foliage, and silvery white powder on the flower stalks, this species deserves to be planted in drifts. We contrast the orange hues against the glossy, bronzed leaves of Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’.

Blooms May–June.

Size: 12" high x 10" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Primula cockburniana (P-0236)
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Primula denticulata ‘Blue Selection’ 

Blue Drumstick Primrose

If a fairy majorette was out to beat the band, she’d be carrying the charming orbs of this Primula as her baton. Formed from plentiful, dark blue and golden-eyed, funnel-shaped florets, the dense 2 in. globes rest on stout stems above a textured, leafy whorl. A winner for the shady border, plant a drift of this long-lived selection with Euphorbia ‘Fern Cottage’ behind.

Blooms March–April.

Size: 12" high x 9"–12" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Primula denticulata Blue Selection (P-0860)
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Primula florindae 

This long-lived, robust native of shady Tibetan bogs boasts some of the largest flowers in the family. From a mound of serrated leaves, older mature plants display as many as 80 citron-colored flowers per umbel on tall stems, creating a virtual festival of fragrance.

Blooms June–August.

Size: 2'–2-1/2' high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 6.

Primula florindae (P-1397)
Each $6.00
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Primula rosea ‘Gigas’ 

One of the loveliest Primulas, ‘Gigas’ pretties up the garden in early spring with carmine-pink flowers. Adorning stout stems, numerous brightly colored blooms gather in good-sized umbels before the rosettes of notched green leaves fully develop. Tuck this small-scale performer into the front row amid Luzula ‘Aurea’ and Pulmonaria ‘Little Star’.

Blooms March–April.

Size: 8"–10" high x 9" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Primula rosea Gigas (P-1131)
Each $6.00
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Further reading about Primula:

Primula (Revised Edition) by John Richards