Primula Mister Gold Laced - Oxlip

Primula elatior 'Mister Gold Laced' is an excellent perennial or biennial primrose with prolonged, abundant, and remarkably visual flowering. It produces upright stems, adorned with contrasting flowers, with very dark petals edged in yellow, centred around a beautiful yellow throat. It is also a very hardy plant that will make a big impact when placed near a walkway, in a fresh rock garden, or even in a pot on a window sill. It will liven up all 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 mostly found in the dappled shade of open woodlands or on the edge of forests. When it is abundant, the oxlip is an indicator of ancient forests that have been little disturbed by human activity.

By hybridising with the Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris), this plant has given rise to many short-lived perennial hybrids, most often grown as biennial plants. This 'Mister Gold Laced' primrose blooms from March to May, depending on the climate, for more than two months. On each plant, 2 or 3 floral stems, 20 cm (8 in) tall, bear clusters of 4 to 5 single flowers, 2 to 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, composed of rounded petals, in a reddish-brown colour with black reflections, finely edged in pale yellow, arranged in a frilled collar around a bright yellow centre. Their highly contrasting colours are well highlighted by evergreen rosettes of large, deeply veined leaves, which are ornamental even outside of the flowering period.

The elatior primroses are less well known than the stemless primroses, but they have their own advantages: they are taller, hardier and more long-lived, and their flowering is also more spectacular. They are 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, when planted in planters that will brighten up the gloomy days of winter. 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.