Primula eliator Gold Lace Black - Oxlip

The Primrose or Primula eliator 'Gold Lace Black' is a hardy perennial or biennial with a particularly unique spring flowering. It produces upright stems adorned with flowers in unusual tones, very graphic: a collar of black petals edged in yellow surrounds a golden yellow throat. This lovely variety, which should be placed near a pathway to be able to admire the design of its flowers with ease, will brighten up the partially shaded areas of the garden, in a humus-bearing, fertile and moist soil.

The Primula eliator, also known as the Tall Cowslip or Wood Primrose, is a herbaceous perennial plant that belongs to Europe's native flora and is often found in the semi-shade of clear undergrowth or on the edge of forests. When abundant, the cuckoo flower is an indicator of old forests, little disturbed by human activity.

This plant has produced many short-lived perennial hybrids through hybridisation with the Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris), most often cultivated as biennial plants. This primrose blooms from April to June. On each plant, 2 or 3 flowering stems 20 cm (8in) tall each bear bouquets of 4 to 5 simple, slightly fragrant flowers, composed of rounded petals, in burgundy so dark that they appear black, finely edged in golden yellow, arranged in a collar around a centre of the same yellow. Their highly contrasting colours are well highlighted by evergreen foliage in rosettes of large, dark green wavy leaves, ornamental even outside of flowering.

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