When we moved here the garden beds were badly overgrown. I found some iris, peonies, phlox and these little beauties. Primroses. Well, really, kind of an old fashioned primula commonly called cowslips. I’ve never seen them in a garden nursery, but they should be more available. For me, they are much more reliable than what I can buy today. These plants come up early every spring, with such welcome colour and spunk.
Somehow, through the years, some red ones started appearing. They are really pretty and different.
The common name cowslip may derive from the old English for cow dung, probably because the plant was often found growing amongst the manure in cow pastures. Or it may refer to slippery or boggy ground, where this plant likes to grow. I would agree it likes moisture. In the heat of summer, the plants wither to such a point, you would think they were dead. A good rain, they perk up again, and live on to bloom another spring.
