How to Grow Primrose (Primula)

Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen and in this segment we're going to learn all about primroses or primulas. They're one of my favorite shade plants and they come in all different colors. So primroses are also known as cowslip and they do great in the shade. So they like a lot of moisture at the same time, they don't want to sit right in a bog of water but you never want to let them dry out completely. And they're easy to start, either you start them by seed in the spring or by division, you can just separate them out as long as you have part of the root and part of a leaf then you will have a new plant. They multiply very readily so you'll start with just a few and you'll have a whole bed that just fills up. And they come in all different colors in reds and yellows and pinks and they're really pretty. So this pot's been outside so it's getting a little bit ratty, it's been freezing at night so an easy way to clean them up and you can treat them as a houseplant too for the winter if you live in a real cold climate, but periodically I just like to take all of the dead leaves out and you can just pinch them off of you can cut them out and by doing that, it'll encourage new growth too. It's really easy to take care of them and even if they dry out or they die off in the heat of the summer or they get too much sun, just move them to the shade and they'll grow back again. As long as that root is alive, the plant is alive. So they're just such a gorgeous plant to have in your shade garden and they'll grow in nearly any climate from zone 3 to 9. So even if you live in a colder climate, they'll survive the winter. Wonderful plants.