Primula Black Laced - Oxlip

Primula elatior 'Black Laced' is a vigorous and floriferous variety of perennial primrose with an unusual flowering. It produces upright flowering stems from spring to summer, adorned with flowers with almost-black petals, bordered in white, centred on a beautiful golden-yellow throat. It can be planted near a pathway to fully appreciate the design of its flowers, or in a pot on a balcony or window sill. This small plant will bring life to the partially shaded areas of the garden, in a humus-rich, fertile and moist soil. 

Primula elatior, also known as Oxlip, is a herbaceous perennial plant that belongs to our native flora and is often found in the dappled shade of clearings in woods or at the edge of forests. When abundant, the oxlip is an indicator of ancient forests relatively undisturbed by human activity.

This plant has given rise, through hybridisation with the Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris), to many short-lived perennial hybrids, often grown as biennial plants. This 'Black Laced' primrose has the advantage of being more long-lasting and reliably flowering year after year. It blooms from May to July, depending on the climate, for about two months. On each plant, several flowering stems of 25 cm (10 in) in height each bear clusters of 4 to 5 single flowers, composed of rounded petals, of a very dark brown-red, almost black, finely edged in white, arranged in a collar around a bright yellow centre. Their highly contrasting colouration is well highlighted by evergreen foliage in rosettes of large, deeply veined dark green leaves, which are decorative even outside of the flowering period. This primrose spreads more widely each year, forming a carpet up to 80 cm (32 in) wide in areas where it thrives.

Elatior primroses are less well known than stemless primroses but they have their own advantages: they are taller, hardier and more perennial, and their flowering is also more spectacular. They make excellent companions for shade-loving and cool woodland perennials such as heucheras, Brunnera, Anemone nemorosa, pansies, horned violets, or hostas. They can also be used to decorate a terrace, window, or balcony, planted in containers that will brighten up the dull days of winter. They also hold up very well in a simple little bouquet, a rare gift that is always a pleasure to give or receive.