Primula Crescendo® Blue Shades

Primula Crescendo® Blue Shades: Rare Spring Blue, Built for Northern Winters

Deep blue to violet flowers with sunny yellow eyes, popping up while there's still salt on the driveway. This primrose has absolutely zero patience for winter. SPRING STARTS WHEN IT SAYS SO.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Primula elatior hybrid
• Common Name: Oxlip Primrose
• Series: Crescendo®, bred by Benary
• Height: 25 cm (10 in)
• Spread: 20–30 cm (8–12 in)
• Flowers: Shades of deep blue to violet-blue with a yellow eye, in clusters on short, sturdy stems
• Bloom Time: Early to mid-spring (April to May)
• Foliage: Crinkled, medium green leaves in a low rosette
• Features: Early spring colour

Where to Plant: Plant it along the front of a shady bed, beside a path or under deciduous trees and shrubs, where it gets spring sun before the leaves fill in, with shelter from hot afternoon sun. Groups of five or more read best from a distance, and it's a cheerful choice for a spring pot by the front door.

Companion Plants: Helleborus HGC® Ice N' Roses® Merlot flowers burgundy from March to May, overlapping with the primrose. Dicentra 'Luxuriant' adds red heart-shaped flowers from May to August. Geranium macrorrhizum 'Ingwersen's Variety' brings pink flowers at 30 to 45 cm from May to July. All three are happy in part shade, so the bed blooms from early spring into summer.

Plant Care: Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. On heavy clay, mix in compost so the crown doesn't sit in water. Keep the soil evenly moist through summer and add a light mulch to keep the roots cool. Primroses dislike drying out in hot weather. Remove spent flower stems after blooming. Every few years, lift and divide crowded clumps right after flowering to keep them vigorous.

History: The wild oxlip, Primula elatior, grows in woods and damp meadows across much of Europe and into western Asia, and its genus name comes from the Latin primus, meaning first. The Crescendo® series was developed by the German seed company Benary as an extremely winter-hardy primrose suited to northern climates.

Final Thoughts: Deer resistant and easy going. Tuck it by the door and shake off the winter blues with actual blues. FIGHT FIRE WITH BLUE.