Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants
Alpine RockeryHerbaceous Perennial

Primula frondosa (Al)
  • RHS AGM

leafy primrose

An herbaceous perennial to 20cm in height, forming a rosette of narrowly obovate or spoon-shaped leaves, white-farinose beneath. Yellow-eyed, lilac-pink flowers 1.5cm in width are borne in umbels

Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0–0.1 metre
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Poorly–drained
pH
Acid, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Pink Green
Summer Pink Green
Autumn
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Primulaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus

Primula are herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennials, forming a basal rosette of simple leaves, with salver-shaped or bell-shaped flowers which may be solitary or carried in an umbel or in whorls on an erect stem

Name status

Correct

Horticultural Group
Farinosae section primulas are rosette-forming perennials, usually with powdery farina on the leaves or flower stems, with narrowly oblanceolate leaves and a simple umbel of lilac, pink or purple flowers with deeply notched corolla lobes
Plant range
Balkans

How to grow

Cultivation

Good for boggy conditions or waterside borders in sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed, root basal cuttings or take root cuttings when dormant

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Rock garden
Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, vine weevil, slugs, leaf and bud eelworms and glasshouse red spider mite

Diseases

May be subject to a leaf spot and grey mould

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.