5 tips for getting the most from your primroses

When planted in the right spot, primroses are easy to grow. Use these tips to help your primroses reach their full potential.

The genus Primula includes hundreds of species, but if you want care-free primroses, it's enough to know only a few names.

• Polyanthus primroses (Zone 5) are a large, popular group of easily grown hybrids. They have blooms ranging from bright white to dark purple.
• Japanese primrose has a terrific thirst but does well in Zone 3, as long as moisture is abundant.
• Because of its globe-shaped clusters of fragrant lilac-coloured blossoms, Zone 2's drumstick primrose is worth its untidy foliage.
• If you want a primrose for the shade garden, try cowslips in Zone 4. These settle in easily to form colonies studded with small yellow flowers in spring.

• Primroses need a climate that's neither too hot nor too cold, and in partial shade. Use a humus-rich, acidic and moist soil.
• If that doesn't sound like your garden, primroses are best grown alongside shaded water features, in containers or window boxes.

• If you're just getting started with primroses, begin by setting out purchased plants first thing in spring.
• Prepare the site the previous fall if possible. Plants are eager to bloom soon after the soil becomes workable in spring.
• Dig in peat moss or another acidic form of organic matter. Make sure the site is convenient to water.
• In areas where winters are mild, provide primroses with good soil drainage. Waterlogged roots are susceptible to fatal root rot in winter.

• Expect the plants to flower for several weeks and then persist as green rosettes until about midsummer.
• At that point, they may seemingly melt away or go dormant. Or, they may hold a few of their leaves if they're protected from sun.
• Primrose leaves and flower petals can be tattered by night-feeding slugs and snails. Set out saucers of beer to attract and drown them. Or, collect and dispose of them at twilight.

• Although primroses can be started from seed, they're slow to grow. The easiest way to obtain more plants is through division.
• Simply dig an established plant in spring and use a small knife to separate the leaf rosettes.
• Replant each one individually, along with a piece of root, in a container filled with a potting mix of soil and peat moss.
• Set the plantlets at the same depth at which the mother plant grew.
• Starting the divisions in containers improves survival, as you can give them closer attention. Shift them to the garden after they've developed a mass of new roots.

Not every garden can offer primroses their preferred conditions. But if you pick the right kind, you can grow beautiful flowers that will flourish.