English Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Written by: Wanda Simone | Last Updated: May 8, 2024
With its sweet fragrance and evergreen nature, English Primrose adds a burst of early spring flowers to your garden before most other plants are blooming.
Plant snapshot
Scientific name: Primula vulgaris
Plant type: perennial
Zone: 4 to 8
Exposure: part shade, shade
Height: 3″ to 6″
Width: 4″ to 8″
Bloom time: early spring
Flower color: yellow, blue, pink, purple, orange
English primrose (Primula vulgaris) is a compact, semi-evergreen plant with small pale yellow, scented flowers that appear from late winter to early spring.
This European native plant loves part shade but will tolerate full sun in cooler regions.
It self-seeds so plant it where it can naturalize and you’ll be rewarded with a sunny show of flowers before most other plants have started to grow.
The plants will go dormant in the summer if it is too hot and dry. So be sure to locate it where other plants will cover the empty spots if necessary.
English primrose is such a joy to have in the garden that it received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.
English Primrose characteristics
English Primrose blooms
Flower color: yellow, blue, pink, purple, orange
Bloom time: early spring
Other information: fragrant
Primula vulgaris Foliage
Leaf color: green
Leaf shape: broadleaf
Foliage interest: evergreen
English Primrose planting & care
Water: likes consistently moist but not wet soil
Soil: clay soil
Planting: easily grown from seeds
Primula vulgaris benefits & issues
Landscaping uses: front of border, rock gardens, cottage garden, shade garden
Growth habit: naturalizes, self-seeding
Other attributes: goes dormant in summer
Potential issues: prolific self-seeder, powdery mildew, slugs like it
Awards: goes dormant in summer
More information
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