Primula 'Romeo' (Pr/Prim)

RHS

Synonyms

Primula × pruhoniciana 'Romeo'

Herbaceous Perennial

A compact, rosette-forming, semi-evergreen perennial with dark green foliage and pale purple flowers with a yellow eye appear from January through until May

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Neutral

Position

Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H5

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Primulaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Semi 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

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: Primrose group primulas are mainly grown as herbaceous perennials, and produce clusters of flowers on individual stems from the basal rosettes, although a few may also have umbel-like flowers. They are either spring-flowering, if grown without protection, or winter- to spring-flowering, if grown as biennial container plants in greenhouses or indoors.

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in full sun or partial shade in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil. See primula cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn or after flowering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
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