Tag Archives: primula

Flowers, Perennials

Primrose

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Tough Little Plants

When spring weather has not stabilized and frost is not yet out of the picture, not many plants are well equipped to deal with left-over extremes.  Primrose (Primula) is one of the early spring flowers that can deal with a wider than normal range of temperatures.  Recently the temperatures locally have been around 60° to 75°F during the day, dropping to below 40°F overnight.  These little plants are thriving even though some of them started as little more than a root.  Deer found them tasty this last winter; chewing them right down to a stump.  Some  were pulled from the ground but still hung on until I found them and poked them back in the ground.

Their blooming also lasts a long time.  This spring has been good for the primrose since it’s still too cold for the slugs who come out at night, so the leaves and petals are still intact.

Deep burgundy with light color trim
Deep burgundy with light color trim
This orange came back to life after slugs reduced it to little more than two leaves.
This orange came back to life after slugs reduced it to little more than two leaves.
This yellow colored one produces a mound of flowers. I'll have to divide it this year.
This yellow colored one produces a mound of flowers. I’ll have to divide it this year.
Not much to say about this one aside from 'amazing'. A lot of flowers, even the one that was chewed to its base.
Not much to say about this one aside from ‘amazing’. A lot of flowers, even the one that was chewed to its base.
This burgundy one retains its dark color and has longer flower stems.
This burgundy one retains its dark color and has longer flower stems.
Curly petals with large flowers.
Curly petals with large flowers.
Paler pink, without red mark and longer stems.
Paler pink, without red mark and longer stems.
Flowers, Perennials

Weighing Priority

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Weighing Priority: To Blog Or Not To Blog

Spring is finally here, though a little too cold for April.  There are plenty of things to do in the garden and most of them are time sensitive.   Cleaning up dead stalks, feeding, pruning, training, mulching, starting the seedlings…they all need to be done at certain times in order to be done correctly and to be good for the plants.  Two days off from work, from dawn to dusk, seems to be too short a period of time to get them all done.  Something has to go on the back burner.

I started seedlings like tomato and chili pepper at  dusk and working into the night.  After pruning, training and feeding the roses, I have other perennials that are waiting in line to be pampered.  Then I sow cool weather vegetable seeds like arugula, radish, carrot, chard, kale and sugar snap pea in the garden.  After all these chores, a good hot shower and a glass of wine, then I sleep like a baby.  As much as I love to blog I have no physical energy left, though I remain mentally clear and calm and want to share what nature is providing me.  So I apologize for not updating this blog in a more timely fashion.  Call it planting season time requisition, for lack of a better term.

Here is one of my new acquisitions this year: a Blue Zebra Primrose (Primula acaulis ‘Blue Zebra’).  It’s a lovely addition to my primroses.

'Blue Zebra' is almost like batik
‘Blue Zebra’ is almost like batik
Close up
Close up
Flowers, Perennials

Primrose

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Portrait of Beauty

I don’t remember when I fell in love with Primrose (Primula).  I just noticed that the variety of colors have increased in our garden and I still look for new colors to add to our collection.  These little prim looking flowers are tougher than they look.  They stay close to the ground and don’t need much care.  Once in a while I have to pick slugs off them.

A few have already bloomed this spring even though on some days the temperature dropped close to the freezing point.  A few more colors out there are still too shy or too cold to unfurl their petals.  So, the brave ones deserve there fifteen seconds of fame.

Yellow Primrose
Pink Primrose
Maroon Primrose
White Primrose
Cluster of the white Primrose
Flowers, Perennials

Survived the Frost

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Still Alive and Blooming

The temperature has been going up and down like a yo-yo.  We hit 70 degrees last week, then dropped down to 25 degrees this past Tuesday night, one night only!  I rushed home from work to cover the vegetable seedlings that had already sprouted.  They’re too tender to take the frost and accompanying high winds.  Between the low temperature and windchill at 16, I couldn’t feel my fingers after I had finished the chores.

Wednesday morning when I opened the two layers of industrial grade garbage bags (ran out of the row cover) I had used to cover some of the Snap peas, I found the pea seedlings were looking like they had been in a freezer.  However, a little sunning during the day and they got the color back in their cheeks.  To my surprise the Primrose (Primula) and the daffodils (left uncovered) appeared unperturbed by the frost.  Darwin would be proud.

Primrose-morning after frost.
Daffodil-not even a slight windburn on the petals.