Primula Crescendo® Pink Shades

Primula Crescendo® Pink Shades: Pink Drifts With a Relaxed Mix of Shades

Soft to deep rose-pink flowers with yellow eyes, in shades that look like somebody tried every lipstick at the counter. This primrose couldn't pick one. IT KEPT THEM ALL.

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 soft to deep rose-pink 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 woodland bed, at the base of shrubs or in drifts under deciduous trees where spring light reaches the ground. Because the colour varies slightly from plant to plant, a group looks natural and relaxed, and it's lovely in a spring container too.

Companion Plants: Pulmonaria 'Pink-a-Blue' adds pink-and-blue flowers at 41 to 46 cm in May and June. Phlox divaricata 'May Breeze' brings white flowers over the same weeks at 30 to 40 cm. Geranium maculatum adds lavender flowers at 45 to 60 cm in May and June. Pink primroses lead off in April, and all of them suit part shade.

Plant Care: Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Add compost if you're working with heavy clay, so the crown stays out of standing water. Keep it evenly moist through summer and mulch lightly to keep the roots cool. Cut off spent flower stems after blooming. Every few years, lift and divide crowded clumps right after flowering to keep them going strong.

History: The wild oxlip, Primula elatior, is native to woods and meadows across much of Europe and into western Asia, and Primula comes from the Latin primus, meaning first. Benary, a German seed company, developed the Crescendo® series for hardiness in northern climates and intense colour.

Final Thoughts: Low growing, deer resistant and happy in part shade. Plant a few among your spring bulbs. SPRING, BUT MAKE IT GLAMOROUS.