You’re jonesing for early spring color and itching to plant anything green, but you’re also well aware of the unstable nature of Colorado’s springs that frequently drop snows in April. Pretty pansies aren’t your only fix.
Head down “the primrose path” instead. Shakespeare coined the phrase in “Hamlet” to describe pleasure. In this month that marks the bard’s birthday and death day — April 23 — primroses deliver scent, color and texture; pleasure, indeed.
The common name “primrose” means “first rose,” though primroses really aren’t roses at all. Wild European primroses sprang up as harbingers of spring and symbols of first love, blooming — as love is wont to do — suddenly and in unexpected places.
Many primroses hail from the British Isles, so fittingly, “the British obsess over primroses,” says Denver Botanic Garden horticulturist Mike Kintgen. “They grow hundreds of species.”
Though semi-arid Colorado differs dramatically from misty England, the Centennial State does have native primroses. “Parry’s primrose grows in upper sub-alpine and alpine environments. It has a bright magenta flower that shows up in a lot of John Fielder photos,” Kintgen says.
Another native, Primula angustifolia, is found at high elevations, about 12,000 feet. Commonly known as Fairies primrose, the plant is tiny, so little it can “easily fit within a coffee cup,” Kintgen says.
There’s a growing interest in hybrid primroses, available in big-box stores for as little as 99 cents — a big value considering the little darlings take two years from seed to flower. Like little nosegays, the hybrids sport groups of small flowers surrounded by tongue-shaped leaves with scalloped edges. Cheery, colorful hybrids come in inky purple, mustard yellow, magenta and red. Many have bright yellow eyes. They resemble African violets, but are much hardier.
For quick color, purchase hybrid primroses, then harden plants off, allowing them to spend a few nights on the porch or patio so they can adjust to the radical change from greenhouse to outdoors. Group primroses in a hanging pot or use them to fill your windowboxes or containers. Later in the season, transplant them to the garden.
Primula species grow close to the ground, so they do well rimming a container or starring in the front row of a border.
Primula fare well down to about 20 degrees, but cannot tolerate Colorado’s intense sun. Situate them in beds or containers in shade or part shade. Plant primroses in the right spot in your garden, and these little plants with their hothouse looks will deliver perennial pleasures.
Once established, they require dividing every couple of years. “If they start to look like they’re going downhill, dig up the crown, split it apart, amend the soil with compost and replant them,” Kintgen says.
Primula require regular watering or they quickly wilt. Kintgen says, “With most primula, if you let them go too dry, it’s over.”
Primula appreciate compost-enriched soil. Since they flower vigorously, they’re heavy feeders. Kintgen fertilizes with liquid seaweed. “It’s organic and won’t burn,” he says. “It can smell like seaweed at first, but the odor doesn’t last.”
Kintgen categorized Colorado’s native primroses as “almost impossible” to grow in Denver, but Front Range gardeners can cultivate a handful of primrose species primroses, including these two:
• Primula japonica: “Japanese primroses grow beautifully around ponds,” Kintgen says. Flowers are red, white or pink.
• Primula elatior: Native to Europe and also known as great cowslip or oxslip, these can withstand drought. “Some in our rock gardens are pushing 20 years,” Kintgen says. “They will go dormant in summer if it gets too hot and conditions aren’t ideal, but the plant comes back fine.” This primrose produces yellow flowers. “It’s a soft yellow, not quite lemony, not acid — a nice spring yellow.”
Colleen Smith’s Denver garden has hybrid primroses in borders, window boxes and hanging containers.
