06 Primroses

I've been looking forward to including my lovely Primroses in my 'Flowering in my garden' strand. They've been flowering for the past month, reliable and sunny, but I've been waiting for a moment when they don't look rain spattered and a bit battered. Hmmm... I know, the phrase 'on a hiding to nothing' springs to mind, and as another storm hit this weekend I decided that the time had come!

I have Primroses in various places in the garden, sunny spots, damp gloomy spots and in between paving stones in my path. Some are intentional and nurtured and some are self sown, accidental and largely ignored. Needless to say, the ones that are flowering most prolifically are the neglected ones in the path. They are also the shortest ones and so the blooms most spattered by the rain/hail/mud!

So I apologise for the dirtiness of my Primroses, but I sing their praises for surviving and cheering me up as I slip and splosh down my path each day, with their jolly, sunny faces.

The name Primrose is from the Latin prima rosa, which means 'first rose', and although it isn't a Rose it is certainly one of the first beautiful flowers of the year. They are found in the wild in woodlands, on roadsides and in meadows and adapt to most places (i.e. my walls and paths). They also prefer damp, clay soil, and spread with enthusiasm!

And whilst researching this post I discovered something new: April 19th is dubbed Primrose Day! Apparently this is the anniversary of the death of Disraeli (British Prime Minister who died in 1891) and as they were his favourite flower, a posy is placed at his statue in Westminster Abbey on this day every year.

Primroses are one of the native wild flowers that adapt well to garden use, widely available in plant or seed form from garden centres and nurseries (never take them from the wild) and make sure you get true Primula vulgaris, there are many hybrids and endless variations of polyanthus, all lovely but none have the dainty, joyous hardiness of the original.

In the language of flowers the Primrose denotes 'I can't live without you', which seems very apt to me, my garden would be far poorer without my Primroses.