The Primula japonica foliage should emerge later this spring, say mid to late April, as it does for me here in zone 4b. There are alot of primulas that are not hardy this far north, so they may not be hardy for you either.

Good question linnea. I've grown several Primula over the years, including the Polyanthus/Elatior 'Gold Lace' strain with no problems here. Also the P. veris 'Sunset Shades'. I'm sure the the foliage on these are semi-evergreen.

I'm also nearly convinced that some Polyanthus/Elatior strains are less hardy than others, e.g. typical grocery store plants.

As for P. denticulata (Drumstick Primrose) and P. japonica, these do not have "semi-evergreen" foliage, and should each winter, basically retreat to a tight crown of new foliage and even the future flower bud at ground level.

Hope this helps.

I have japonica coming up barely showing their leaves. I have Danova series blooming/ acaulis primula that is/
have primula capitata blooming as well and some others starting to show foliage. I do not have any primula that semi evergreen for me.
I find that primula polyanthus is being listed as hardy from some sources as zone 3 and from some sources as zone 7 perennial. I would think there are different strains of it going- some just greenhouse stuff good for potting containers and some could be easily grown in the garden.
While japonica needs steady moisture and will not grow anywhere where soil becomes dry, other primulas tolerate more drying and will take moist but well drained soil.

I have Primula japonica 'Miller's Crimson' and it has come back for me for about 4 years. I winter sowed it. It does disappear in the winter, but I see there is foliage already up under the leaf litter. I love primrose and I'm hoping to add more to the garden. I don't have any really moist areas. I am trying mine in shady and part shade areas where I would normally be irrigating more any way. For instance, where I have Hydrangea planted. Last Fall, I bought two more of the 'Miller's Crimson' and a Primula denticulata 'Rubin Selection' when Mahoney's had their 1/2 off sale. I will be interested to see how they do this spring. I just ordered three Polyanthus Primula from Bluestone that I wanted to try. I am always on the lookout for more hardy varieties that will tolerate average moisture.

pm2

Primulas are easy to grow from seed. I would try to obtain seeds from your own plants or trade for them. There is also APS- American primrose society which has nice seed exchange program.

as pretty as they are.. so early in the season .... i gave up on them as not reliably hardy in my z5 ....

too many of them are hothouse plants.. forced early .. for easter time..

if you can find them at a nursery.. in a cold house ... then they MIGHT make it..

if they are in the tropical house ... you ought to know they probably wont make it ...

not much science here.. just the old green thumb lunacy .. lol ... based on the old cost/benefit ratio .... you can only pound your head on a brick wall so many times.. before you start to realize.. pretty as they are.. they arent worth replacing every year ...

you were lucky to get one that does well from a friend who knew better than the nursery folks who sell plants that wont make it ...

ken

lindalana...I was getting pansies today and spotted primrose at the nursery. They were the Danova series so I picked up three. Maybe they will work for me too. I also checked the primrose I bought at Mahoney's in the fall and I see two of them coming up! :-)

While buying my vegetable seeds at the local Amish nursery, I saw a pack of Evening Primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana). I used to have these all over the garden for years and years until I waged war and eventually wiped them out. Now, I miss them!

It says on the packet that it is a tall plant but doesn't give the height. Mine were around 2'.

Evening primrose is oenothera as you pointed out primroses which are primulas- different species.
Once you grow primulas from seed they do not cost as much as bought ones, I hope your Danova ones will be as good as mine- love them.
I have had primulas in my garden for many years and while some of them short living, many are truly perennialized.
{{gwi:200511}}

{{gwi:200513}}

Those are so pretty.

No kidding! Primroses to fantasize about.

Love the pale pink with the deep rose together...very pretty! How many plants did you start out with and did they reseed?

pm2

those are japonicas and grown from seed/ hardyplants.com/
they do reseed but gently, I usually have few to give away each spring.
If you have spot with poor drainage and waterlogged soil in your garden- those beauties will fit right in, otherwise they are non demanding. Left corner top picture shows primula sieboldii, which is also has been in my garden for years with very little care.
I do not divide any of mine, just let them naturalize. Not all primulas want waterlogged soil, many such as veris, julia, vulgaris will do well in regular garden.
I think many confusion with primula is because it has been widely hybridized and some strains are hardy/ speically from European seed- see Barnhaven primroses/ and some bred for grocery store early spring sales and quite not hardy. Thus growing them from seed is very inexpensive and leaves you with strains that would do well in regular garden.

Nice pictures!!

I am really impressed with the Danova series. Mine were evergreen all winter and we had a hard one. Started blooming a bit in March and are in great bloom now. I grew a big crop of them for potted plants figuring they'd never winter over, had some left from the run, and planted them out and they go gangbusters. I'm in S.E. Ohio zone five/six cusp. I start a new run every year now by the flat and the clumps need divided. Great little primula.

Calliope, I am very happy to hear that. I am wondering, do they keep putting out new flowers, or just one flush? Did you grow yours from seed? I tried T&M seeds for Primrose two years in a row and no germination for those. I am not buying from T&M any more. I've had horrible results so often, I am done with that company. So, when you say you start a new flat every year, you aren't replacing them, you're just adding more? What are the conditions you grow them in?

Thanks..
pm2

My primula have flowers on them almost continually, but not heavily through all the cold months. In early spring, however, they are just loaded.

I get the seed through a commercial seed broker since I am in the greenhouse and nursery business. Yes, I grow them from seed. They take awhile to do like that. I start them in December for May or June sales. Got them started late this year, so will miss the potted window but they'll go in the perennial nursery to sell by the flat.

I start ten or fifteen flats of them each year and of course some end up in my gardens and are not replacements, it's just that I have acres in garden beds and I always try to use some of everything I sell to test them for garden performance in our local climate. These are winners here, but I still have a hard time convincing people they're reliably perennial.

All of the single plants I have planted are surviving and forming huge clumps of plants I'll need to divide and replant. I grow them mostly in semi-shaded beds, and started putting them in protected environments like near structures but the ones I planted last year in open situations seem to have made it through a hard winter just fine.

Swallowtail perennials has nice choice of Danova series seeds and also great germination. My seeds were from them and I do every year some new shade. They are in their second year, last year I had spring and fall blooms as they bloom with cold weather and rest in the summer.

Good to know. Thank you both for detailed responses!

:-)

lindalana ~~ if you check back on this thread; i have a question for you ~~

i goggled swallowtail seeds & there were no danova primroses listed ~ i suppose (?) they could be sold out ~~ now i want some worse than ever!!! (grin)

any suggestions? ~ phyl

ok, I am not sure how to post link better but here it goes

http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/primrose.html

and just wait I am planning to take pics today, those prims are really gorgeous in this cold and chilly weather

thank you! ~ i am definitely going to order them; but now i am wondering if it is too late to start seeds for this year ~ if yours are already in bloom ~ hmmmm ~ seems like i'd be getting a slightly LATE start ~ yes? ~ no?

looking forward to pictures of your primroses ~ i am in the northern chicago suburbs with NOTHING in bloom!

phyl

hey, ~~ anybody? ~~ somebody? ~~ i'm bumping this up, cuz i just don't know if it is too late to order seeds for flowers that bloom in the spring ~~ waste of money & effort? ~~ anybody?

thanks from phyl, who wishes she knew about these primroses a couple months ago (grin)

If they are hardy then they are perennials and even if it were too late for blossoms this year, you will get them next year. :-)

Phyl, I think it depends on whether you like to grow plants from seeds this late in the season. Personally I don't. For me there are tooo many other chores right now in the garden so germinating seeds becomes a problem. I know many people who grow their seedlings all year along and have great results.
Yes, if you get seeds now, you still get good germination as all genus primulacea likes to germinate on the cool side- hot temps are not for them. We still have plenty of cool chilly nights left so germination by itself is not a problem. You will get seedlings ready to planted in couple of months and may even get some to bloom in the fall. You will get beauties come next spring. Or get them for next cycle of WS.

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Danova primula coming into good bloom. You can see they already need dividing.

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Those look just like mine (the old one I have been growing for a while) except for the color. Leaf form is the same and flower form also, with yellow center too. I guess now I know what mine is! Love that blue. Mine are all magenta: just starting bloom now.

I have a question for lindalana or any one else who might know. Do the tall japonicas in your pictures make good cut flowers? They have nice long stems but do they last very long in a vase?

Thanks,
Steve

I do not know about cut flower never did it. I do know they love water so it stands to no reason why they should not. They bloom in a special way- first one ring appear, in a week second one on top then third, etc until there are about 5 rings on established plant. It is really magnificent plant to watch and blooms for good 6 weeks- among my most favorites ones I look forward every spring.

I have been looking since last year, well I gave up about May and then starting looking again in February for the Danova primula. I was hoping to get plants still can't find them here in Oregon.

Does anyone know a nursery that might carry them that i could order from?

My mother had these when I was little and I would like several for my garden as a tribute to her gardening. She has been gone for 6 years and I still think of the beautiful gardens that she grew.