DIVIDE YOUR PRIMROSES AND POLYANTHUS

The four Ps. Along with pansies, primulas, primroses and polyanthus are reliable for cheerful flowers through winter. There can be some confusion with the names, however, as polyanthus, primula and primrose are often used interchangeably. That’s understandable because primroses and polyanthus are both members of the primula genus which has around 400 species.

The name primula comes from the Latin primus or first as they are among the first of the spring flowers.

Primroses (Primula vulgaris) have clusters of flowers on erect stems arising from a rosette of basal leaves. Flowers can be single or grouped together as an umbel on a single stem. They are often yellow but have been bred in many other colours. Polyanthus, meaning many flowers, have larger clusters of flowers held above the leaves on sturdy stems. They are hybrids of the cowslip (Primula veris) and the common primrose (Primula vulgaris).

Polyanthus have been extensively hybridised and come in a wide range of often multicoloured petals. There are also auriculas (Primula auricula), the subject of much interbreeding for display by Florists Societies during the 18th and 19th centuries.

These perennials should not be confused with Primula malacoides, aka fairy primrose, which is a winter and spring flowering annual. The flowers look more delicate and the stems are much taller (to 30cm).

When it comes to bedding plants, more is more! A generous patch looks better than a sparse sprinkle dotted about. Luckily it’s easy to bulk up your stock of plants. Over a season, primroses and polyanthus grow into clumps of easily divided plantlets called crowns. Dig up each plant, shake or wash off excess soil and tease the roots of each crown apart. Trim off any woody or dead bits and replant. Keep moist until they are