In nature, a low perennial with a rosette of oval gray-green leaves is found in the temperate climates of Europe and Asia, takes root on the slopes of the Himalayas and Alps, and feels comfortable in North America. The most beautiful plants from the Primrose family have chosen inaccessible mountains, the ends of glaciers, and deep gorges, but they are not accepted in gardens and parks. Breeders have developed many cultivated varieties of primrose. Some types of flowers delight with delicate tones, others with variegated and bright colors.
General description of the plant
There are legends about this beautiful representative of the numerous genus Primula. In ancient times, people believed that the flower was given to the earth by heaven. In Rus' they believed that primrose opens the doors to spring. The bush is small in size; together with its buds, it grows up to 20–30 cm in height, some types up to 50. The branched root of the herbaceous perennial is located close to the soil surface. A rosette of leaves with jagged or solid edges forms just above the ground. They are covered with short fibers, have no pattern, and have different shapes.
At the top of a long peduncle, in most types of ornamental plants, an umbrella is formed with corollas of oval petals, which at the base are rolled into a narrow tube with bending edges. After pollination by bees, capsules appear. Inside them are sown oblong seeds covered with brown or black skin.
What colors are there?
The family consists of 4 hundred species, which are divided into sections. Primroses surprise with their variety of shades. The petals delight with rich colors, they are:
- red;
- purple;
- pink;
- white;
- burgundy;
There are not only variegated, but also plain corollas. The center of the primrose is most often colored yellow. The leaves of perennial grass in different varieties, and there are about 200 of them, differ in both shades and shape.
Popular types of primroses
The Primrose family is conventionally divided into sections. Some plants of this genus are unpretentious and take root in cool climates, others can only be planted in pots and kept in an apartment; varieties with double flowers are especially demanding of care.
Stemless
The compact primrose acaulis grows no more than 20 cm in height. The rosette is formed from long leaves in the shape of an oval. They are distinguished by their rich green color.Flowers with a diameter of 30–40 mm are collected in a dense umbrella. The corollas of stemless primrose delight with a variety of shades. The buds bloom in April, flowering continues until mid-June.
Siebold
Several centuries ago, in the suburbs of Tokyo, a very beautiful primrose grew wild. The Japanese began to plant decorative perennials in pots. The flowers of the Siebold species have an unusual shape, the corollas are directed to the sides or upwards, and descend downwards. Smooth, star-shaped or fringed petals are colored in different colors, but are not yellow or blue.
There are primroses in which the inside of the flower is white and the outside is purple or pink. Some varieties captivate with bright and cheerful eyes.
Japanese
In the impassable gorges of the mountains of the Asian islands, a rather tall primrose with flowers collected in several tiers has found a place for itself. The plant migrated from Japan to Europe, where they began to decorate flower beds. Buds of white, purple, and soft pink petals bloom in May. The length of the leaves of the Japanese beauty, ending in large notches, reaches 25 cm. Tall flower stalks look great in bouquets.
Royal Primrose
The slopes of volcanoes are often overgrown with grass, but then a terrible element wakes up and throws ash into the sky and floods the earth with lava. On the slope of the crater, which often reminds the inhabitants of Java, there is a primrose, called royal. People are afraid of the flower because it blooms at the wrong time, and this portends a new eruption. In fact, before the volcano begins to become active, high-frequency vibrations occur, the plant absorbs nutrients faster, and it blooms.The ash layer retains heat and moisture; the decorative perennial is comfortable on the slopes of the volcano.
In the wild, the Royal primrose often has a bright orange or yellow color, but cultivated varieties have been bred with petals of various shades - lilac, pink, violet, purple.
Cortusoid
The flower, which still grows in the mountains of Altai and the Urals, and in the forests of Siberia, is characterized by high winter hardiness. The cultivated perennial plant has attractive, toothed, hairy leaves. Tall umbrellas consisting of a dozen flowers add elegance to the cortus-shaped primrose:
- red;
- pink;
- purple.
The diameter of the corolla does not exceed 20 mm. Several plants are planted in flower beds and used to decorate alpine slides.
Polyanthus
Repeated crossing of different varieties of primrose led to the creation of multi-colored varieties. The hybrids turned out to be very beautiful and attract:
- original bush shape;
- corrugated leaves;
- large corollas;
- variety of shades.
Primula polyanthus blooms in late spring. The polyanthus type of flower does not tolerate cold well and freezes in frosty winters.
Serrated
A perennial plant that grows wild on the slopes of the Himalayas, it forms an umbrella of pale oval leaves. Against their background, amazing inflorescences stand out, consisting of balls of various colors - from white to ruby and scarlet. The bushes of fine-toothed primrose are covered with plaque. In its cultivated form, the perennial is used in landscape design; florists create elegant bouquets from flowers.
Elatior
Tall primrose has large red, scarlet or burgundy corollas. The yellow center stands out against their background.The rosette of the perennial elatior species is formed from short wrinkled leaves. The large-flowered primrose blooms in early spring and is cut for bouquets.
Capitate
Perennial plants with oblong leaves that gather in a rosette at the root climb up slopes 4 km high. At the ends they are rounded or pointed, at the base they taper into a petiole. The bushes of capitate primrose are covered with a whitish coating. Flowers are collected in umbrellas.
The purple corolla has a long tube and a short silver bell-shaped cup. Primrose tolerates shade, withstands frosts up to 29 ° C, and looks great.
Voronova
In the forests of the Caucasus, you can still find an evergreen perennial with petiolate leaves covered with fluffy hairs on top. The ornamental plant loves partial shade; in April, on short stalks, single corollas with a diameter of 30 mm appear, consisting of delicate lilac petals.
Vialya
In the mountains of China, a perennial grows that sheds its oblong leaves in the fall. When growing cultivated varieties of primrose, which are completely different from other species, shelter for the winter is required. In summer, buds up to 15 cm long bloom on peduncles reaching a height of 0.5–0.6 m. The tubular corollas have unusual red calyxes and blue and purple petals.
Criterias of choice
Ornamental plants, which in the wild have chosen the slopes of mountains and gorges, lend themselves well to selection and adapt to different conditions. Large-flowered hybrids with unusual shapes of petals and leaves will decorate both the flowerbed and the garden; terry varieties look incomparable. Francesca is popular in Europe because it has original green corollas.
Flowers of the auricula type with orange eyes look impressive on the site. Yellow and purple primroses are successfully combined; red flowers add sophistication to the flowerbed. For the design of borders, varieties of bright colors have been specially bred, the corollas of which are collected into large umbrellas.
In order for the plant to delight with its sophistication and beauty not just for one month, but for a long time, species with early, middle and late flowering periods are selected.
Using primrose in landscape design
The variety of shades of decorative perennials helps create amazing patterns. Primrose produces buds at different times, and if you choose the right varieties, primrose will delight you with its beauty from the beginning of spring until the end of summer. The decorative flower goes well with:
- with tulips;
- phlox;
- daffodils.
Alpine hills and flower beds are decorated with primroses, borders and ponds are edged. Florists use long spherical umbrellas to make bouquets.
