First Rose

Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

Now that spring has well and truly arrived (though it was feeling a bit wintery today), we have Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris) blooming all over the garden. We've left quite a bit of the property unmowed so far — despite the speed at which the grass is growing — because we don't want to chop their lovely heads off! This widespread flower is one of the first to appear each spring; in fact, it's vernacular name means "first rose". The pale yellow form I've photographed is the most common, though it also naturally occurs in pink or white. There are loads of cultivated forms as well (breeding of various coloured forms became popular in the late 19th and early 20th century), so we're not sure if the few pink clumps we've found in the garden are natural or cultivated.

Common Primrose is a short-lived perennial. Native to southern and western Europe, it blooms from February to May in the UK. It's found in woodlands, and under hedgerows, but is also widespread in other damp, shady places, like under the trees in our garden. It's an important source of pollen and nectar for early-emerging bees, and serves as the larval food plant for as many as eight species of moth — most of which we've recorded in the garden. Both flowers and leaves are edible, and both they and the plant's root have been used medicinally in the past. Despite the fact that humans can consume it without problems, though, the plant can be toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.