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

Primula marginata 'Alba' (Au)

auricula 'Alba'

An unusual rosette-forming evergreen perennial with spoon-shaped, serrated pale green foliage, powdery as new leaves emerge in spring, and pure white flowers which appear in midwinter to early spring. Performs best in a cool, shady area of the garden

Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
Up to 10cm
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring White Green
Summer Green
Autumn Green
Winter White Green
Position
  • Partial shade
Aspect

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

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Primulaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
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

Accepted

Horticultural Group
Auricula section primulas are evergreen perennials with leathery, often farinose foliage and simple umbels of salver-shaped flowers which are usually pink, purple or yellow

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in partial shade in a cool and shady area of the garden or a cool greenhouse, in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained, humus-rich-soil

Propagation

Propagate by division in spring or after flowering

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Conservatory and greenhouse
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Garden edging
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

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

Diseases

May be susceptible to primula leaf spot, primula brown core and grey moulds

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.