Plant Database

Other Names:  Garden Primrose

Description:

A low growing perennial with bright, usually bi-colored blooms in combinations of yellow, white, pink, purple, or red, and are often fragrant; leaves tend to mature to gray-green; a colorful display in a border or container

Ornamental Features

Border Primrose features showy clusters of lightly-scented pink star-shaped flowers with white overtones and yellow eyes rising above the foliage from early to late spring. Its crinkled oval leaves emerge green in spring, turning grayish green in colour the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Border Primrose is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Border Primrose is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Border Primrose will grow to be only 4 inches tall at maturity extending to 6 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 8 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 6 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Border Primrose is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.