Primroses are a fantastic plant because they provide a pop of colour in very early spring when there really isn’t much else about. But what colours are primroses available in? let’s take a look and find out.
Wild Primrose Vs Cultivated Varieties
Wil primroses are always yellow, these are the gorgeous delicate flowers we are lucky enough to have growing wild in our countryside.
Often called the English Primrose by Americans they have the Latin name Primula vulgaris.
That name actually derives from the Latin Prima Rosa which roughly translates to the first rose, and that is such an apt name for this early flowering plant. It will often be one of the first flowers you see in spring and is very deserving of that moniker.
These primroses are always yellow, or should I say a shade of yellow. There are differences in shades from a very pale, almost cream through to a much more full-bodied yellow, but they are always yellow.
Cultivated Primroses
Now, these primroses come in a wide range of colours and are the plants you will commonly see in supermarkets and garden centres. They are often a cross between Primula Vulgaris and other plants from the primula family.
They are often just called primroses, and there are a whole heap of different plants available here. now I won’t go down the rabbit hole of plant genii here but rather just show some of the different colours available.
The most common colours and the ones that pop into my head when I think of primroses are as follows: Yellow, red, orange, pink, purple, white and blue.
You can also get variegated, or two coloured primroses, here is an example of a red and yellow primrose. Now, this is different to most primroses which have a yellow centre as it is just the tip of the flower petal that is red.
Cowslip
Cowslips are of the same family as primroses and are sometimes just called primrose so I thought I would include them here.
They are another native wildflower and were a mainstay in traditional meadows. Like primroses, they are really early spring flowers.
Like native primroses they are only found in shades of yellow and have a much smaller flower, often bell shaped than a regular primrose.
