Primula Cottage Shades - Oxlip

Primula elatior 'Cottage Shades' is a variety of primrose grown for the bright orange colour of its flowers. It produces upright stems filled with flowers in spring that lighten over the course of days, creating a beautiful bouquet of shades of orange on the plant. Very hardy, floriferous, and uncommon, this biennial or short-lived perennial plant is best placed near a walkway or on a window sill where it can be admired. It brings life to all spring scenes, in partial shade, planted 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 most commonly found in the dappled shade of clearings or at the edge of forests. When abundant, this species is an indicator of ancient forests relatively undisturbed by human activity.

Through hybridisation with the Common primrose (Primula vulgaris), this plant has given rise to many short-lived perennial hybrids, often grown as biennial plants. This 'Cottage Shades' primrose blooms in April-May, depending on the climate, for several weeks. On each plant, multiple flowering stems, 25 cm (10 in) tall, bear umbels of simple flowers, in compound cups of rounded petals, in shades of orange with a golden-yellow centre. Their radiant colour is well complemented by evergreen foliage in rosettes of large, deeply veined dark green leaves, which are ornamental even outside the flowering period.

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 perennials and plants in dappled shade and moist conditions, such as heucheras, Brunnera, forget-me-nots, horned violets, and hostas. They can also be used to decorate a terrace, window, or balcony, planted in containers that will brighten up spring scenes. They also hold up very well in a simple bouquet, mixed with forget-me-nots or early tulips.