(PROO-nus PER-see-kuh)

General Information:

Prunus ‘Marion Jarvie’ has a mysterious past. Around 1997, a well known Toronto gardener, Marion Jarvie, obtained a small rooted cutting from Japan. The cutting grew into a fine specimen tree which produced a very unusual flower display. The colour is very bright and the petals are narrow, more like a Magnolia 'Royal Star'.  It became the highlight in Marion’s spring garden.

Prunus ‘Marion Jarvie’; photo by Marion Jarvie

The original cutting did not have a name. The best guess is that it belongs to the species Prunus persica, a peach from north-west China. The flowers of this species have 5  petals. Since Marion’s tree has more petals than this it is more likely to be the flore plena version; flore plena meaning double flowered.

The tree proved to be very popular and everyone who saw it wanted one. A few years ago Tom Intven of Canadale Nurseries (St. Thomas, Ontario) was kind enough to propagate it and make it available commercially. This year it was available at several area nurseries as a top grafted standard.

In honour of the person who discovered the tree, it is now called Prunus persica flore plena ‘Marion Jarvie’. Commercially it is being sold as Prunus ‘Marion Jarvie’, since there is still some doubt about the exact species name.

Prunus ‘Marion Jarvie’; photo by Marion Jarvie

This small spring flowering tree seems to be topping out at 15 feet. The commercially available standard can  be easily pruned to a smaller size so that it fits even small gardens. It will grow and flower in part shade but seems to do better in full sun. It seems to be hardy in zone 5 and has even survived a couple of winters in zone 4b. The flowers are sterile and therefore do not produce fruit.

This is a very special tree that will fit most gardens and is available in limited quantities.

Life Cycle: tree

Height: 5 m (15 ft)

Bloom Time: spring

Natural Range: China (for the species)

Habitat: unknown

Synonyms:  none

Cultivation:

Light: part shade to full sun

Soil: good drainage

Water: average moisture

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 (maybe 4b)

Propagation: grafting, cuttings

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): none

 (PRIM-yew-luh VER-iss)

General Information:

Primula veris is best known as the common cowslip. With a name like that you would think everyone grew it, but it's not common in gardens or nurseries which is really odd since this is a very easy to grow primula that sparkles every spring.

Primula veris, good sized clump ready for division: photo by Robert Pavlis

The cowslip starts to grow very early in spring and flowers mid to late spring. If it gets enough water it will stay green all summer, but if things get too dry it just goes underground in late summer until next year. It is probably the easiest primula to grow and seems very long lived. It quickly forms a large clump that can be divided every three to four years. You will also get some limited seeding.

The only negative about this plant is that the flowers are funnel-shaped and don’t open as much as some other primulas. To compensate, it produces a lot of flowers on each plant. The natural color for Primula veris is a lemon yellow, but cultivars exist in other colors. The cultivar Sunset Shades comes in yellow, russet, red and even some bi-colors.

Primula veris :photo by Robert Pavlis

The common cowslip is also known as cowslip primrose, St. Peter’s keys, palsywort, tisty-tosty, cowflops and culver keys. The term cowslip probably originated from the fact they grow very well in cow pastures. Veris means spring.

This plant is easily confused with Primula elatior , also known as the oxlip primula. The cowslip has flowers that face in several direction while the oxlip has flowers that all face in one direction. The leaves on the two plants are also different. The cowslip is ovate with the widest part at the base. The oxlip has the widest part in the middle of the leaf.

Primula veris, 'Sunset Shades' :photo by Robert Pavlis

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 30cm (12in)

Bloom Time: spring

Natural Range: Europe and western Asia, naturalized in eastern North America

Habitat: well-drained rich grasslands, woodland edges and calcareous cliffs

Synonyms:  Primula officinalis

Cultivation:

Light: part shade to heavy shade

Soil: humus rich, well drained

Water: average to moist

USDA Hardiness Zone: (3?) 4- 9

Propagation: seed, division

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): regularly

 (PRIM-yew-luh  ee-LAY-tee-or)

General Information:

Primulas are great garden plants for part shade and Primula elatior ssp pallasii is one of the best. I normally do not care for pale coloured flowers, but the light yellow of this one, combined with its early flowering, makes it stand out in the garden. It is a real gem that seems easy to grow.

Primula elatior ssp pallasii:photo by Robert Pavlis

Primula elatior is also known as the oxlip primula. It is similar to the more popular Primula veris, the cowslip, but the oxlip has flowers that all face in one direction. Primula veris tends to have bright yellow or red flowers. If you find a plant that has pale yellow flowers that face in all directions it may be the natural hybrid between these two, commonly called the false oxlip.

There are a number of subspecies of Primula elatior, and P. e. ssp pallasii can be identified by it’s glabrous (hairless) leaves. 

Most primulas are easily grown from seed, even though the seed is very small. I usually add the seed on top of the seedling mix and cover with a very thin layer of chick grit. Germination rates are usually high.

Plants form offsets and slowly grow into a larger clump. At this point they can be dug up, divided and each piece can be planted separately. This can be done in very early spring or after flowering. Keep them well watered until they have established themselves. They seem to do better with regular division.

Primula elatior ssp pallasii:photo by Robert Pavlis

The one pictured here was planted under a sugar maple in fairly heavy shade and it did well there. The tree has now been removed and they are in full sun and quite dry. They are still doing well, but tend to grow smaller leaves and go underground sooner. In a wetter, part shade location they would do better and stay green all summer long.  

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 20cm (8in)

Bloom Time: early spring

Natural Range: Russia

Habitat: damp woodland conditions and woodland edges

Synonyms:  Primula pallasii

Cultivation:

Light: full sun to part shade

Soil: variable, prefers humusy soil

Water: prefers damp woodland conditions, but will grow drier

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 - 9

Propagation: seed, division

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): occasionally

 (PRIM-yew-lah den-tik-yoo-LAH-tuh)

General Information:

Primula, also known as a Primrose, is a sure sign of spring. Grocery stores and nurseries sell them by the millions. If you have tried growing these same plants in your northern zone gardens you were probably disappointed. The commonly sold Primrose has not been bred for the garden and just doesn’t do well in our climate. But there are many primulas that grow extremely well in the garden and Primula denticulata, the drumstick primula, is one of the easiest and showiest to grow.

Primula denticulata; photo by Robert Pavlis

Primula denticulata blooms very early in spring with buds starting to show just as the snow drops are finishing. Over a period of several weeks the spherical flower heads get taller and larger as the flowers fully develop. What a show they put on! Flowers come in white, pink, mauve, blue and rosy-red on top of 30 cm (12 in) stems.  

The leaves are a light green color and form a rosette near the ground. This primula grows best in a moist location and if it gets enough water the leaves will stay green all summer. In drier locations the leaves will die back by mid-summer and the plant goes dormant until next spring.

Primula denticulata; photos by Robert Pavlis

Primula denticulata is not very common in nurseries, but you will find it with a bit of searching. They are very easy to grow from seed and will bloom in their second year. A mature plant benefits from a fall division every few years.

If you are ever in Juneau Alaska stop by the Jensen-Olson Arboretum which specializes in collecting primula and claims to have “the largest documented collection of Primula this side if the Atlantic”.

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: flower 30 cm (12in), leaves 15cm (6in)

Bloom Time: earlyspring

Natural Range: Eastern Afganistan, Pakistan and China

Habitat: open woods and meadows in moist ground

Synonyms: none. 

Cultivation:

Light: part shade to full shade

Soil: prefers humus rich moist soil, but not too fussy

Water: moist or wet

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 - 9

Propagation: seed, division in fall

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): frequently