I like to think of vulgaris as meaning "rude". So many rude plants, all over the place. It's very heartening. Love that these have made it off your naff list.
Officinalis on the other hand always makes me think of someone from the council with a clipboard and a tight expression on their face. Which is a shame since it's such a herby one.
Do you think the Officinalis plants stand on one side of the garden, going 'oh how vulgar' at the Vulgaris's on the other side? Sylvestris is probably the cool kid.
Taking issue with you Jack on the "naff paintings of faded watercolour fairies"! It was just such a painting of a primrose plant in a childhoood storybook (Enid Blyton, to make matters worse...) that sparked my interest in this plant, and plants in general, at the age of 3 or 4. The lesson from this is "you never know where naff may lead".
Haha I take note of your complaint and shall learn from it Linda! You're right, I'm guessing the naff fairy pics also sparked my imagination. In fact, now you mention it, there was a cartoon when I was growing up about gnomes which I loved and certainly captured or set the tone for how I feel in wilder spots! Follow the naff as you say, for it may point in the right direction.
Exactly the same for me with Flower Fairy books of Cicely M Barker - the beautiful illustrations and poetic folklore (some would say twee) sparked a lifelong interest in wildflowers.
Quick question - do you think it matters when you dig primroses up to split them? I have some big plants which I'd like to split up and dot around - I feel I should wait until the flowers are over but by then I'll probably have forgotten - I think this happens every year. I love Primroses - they just keep on flowering - we often have a few in December and they just keep going - amazing compared to other spring flowers which are so fleeting. Beeflies love them too. I think of them as being subtle rather than naff (compared to Daffodils for example!). They are slowly spreading around our garden (South Wales so mild and damp)....
Spring is a great time to divide them, it might affect flowering a little bit this year but it's a good time to do it. You probably already know, but when dug up they come apart easily and can then just be replanted. That's all I do, no prep, and they always continue growing happily.
Really interesting article and enjoyable 'naff' debate! I've always personally thought of them as a bit naff but I can see why they're so popular. I prefer cowslips as to me they are more wild looking.
😄 yes I know what you mean, I always used to prefer cowslips for the more upright stems. But I always liked wild primroses in moss or on walls. So now I aim for that use, avoiding the planting in beds that I think does end up looking a bit naff, especially when regimented. What I like most about primroses at their best is that they glow in low light.
Always struggled to grow these in my last garden. Now these beautifully 'rude' plants self-seed prolifically across my borders and are most welcome. Great article Jack.
Fantastic, I'm really hoping ours start self seeding for us. I might try getting some seeds to increase the variety a bit in case I'm just multiplying one that won't set seed! lol Thanks Mike, hope you are well and having a good start to the year!
Ok I’ll hold fire and try to be patient. Yeah we’re good thanks, I’m just excited about the coming season now - which I always am of course but even more so this year for some reason 😄
I wonder if their proclivity to seed themselves around depends on the conditions Jack; here in rainy Galway, they arrived in both our front and back patches within a few years of our cultivating what had been unloved suburban lawn. It's such a wonder when plants just appear as if by magic; there are a mass of common forget-me-nots about to flower in the front also, wherever they came from. The soil is sandy here and they appeared right at the path edge of the front patch - NW in aspect - which is in full sun before noon in summer, but it doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Thanks for the encouragement and words of wisdom Feargal. Perhaps I am being impatient, I would love for them to seed around freely. It really is a wonder when plants appear all by themselves.
i love the impulse to use common plants in creating a beautiful yet complex, robustly natural and holistic ecosystem! I am slowly coming around to primroses as well. A lot of plants I don't envision using surprise me and I wind up just overwhelmed by the beauty of common sense and the way they respond to being part of a whole in a local, social way with other plants.
Yes, that is a wonderful way of describing it. I enjoy it too, that moment when we look at a familiar plant and for some reason see it in a whole new light.
Oh blimey that’s a good question but quite a hard one to answer. I guess I’d say it’s something that’s just a bit uncool or rubbish. It doesn’t mean it’s bad in anyway, it could be technically very good but just misses the mark. For instance, crochet table cloth could be extremely skilful but I wouldn’t (necessarily) want it in our house.
I like to think of vulgaris as meaning "rude". So many rude plants, all over the place. It's very heartening. Love that these have made it off your naff list.
haha yes I think that too really - rude plants. I'll have to count how many other vulgar plants are lingering in the corners and beneath hedges.
Officinalis on the other hand always makes me think of someone from the council with a clipboard and a tight expression on their face. Which is a shame since it's such a herby one.
Do you think the Officinalis plants stand on one side of the garden, going 'oh how vulgar' at the Vulgaris's on the other side? Sylvestris is probably the cool kid.
They shady.
😂😂😂
Taking issue with you Jack on the "naff paintings of faded watercolour fairies"! It was just such a painting of a primrose plant in a childhoood storybook (Enid Blyton, to make matters worse...) that sparked my interest in this plant, and plants in general, at the age of 3 or 4. The lesson from this is "you never know where naff may lead".
Haha I take note of your complaint and shall learn from it Linda! You're right, I'm guessing the naff fairy pics also sparked my imagination. In fact, now you mention it, there was a cartoon when I was growing up about gnomes which I loved and certainly captured or set the tone for how I feel in wilder spots! Follow the naff as you say, for it may point in the right direction.
Exactly the same for me with Flower Fairy books of Cicely M Barker - the beautiful illustrations and poetic folklore (some would say twee) sparked a lifelong interest in wildflowers.
Which is very appropriate because primroses are tied very closely to fairies
Quick question - do you think it matters when you dig primroses up to split them? I have some big plants which I'd like to split up and dot around - I feel I should wait until the flowers are over but by then I'll probably have forgotten - I think this happens every year. I love Primroses - they just keep on flowering - we often have a few in December and they just keep going - amazing compared to other spring flowers which are so fleeting. Beeflies love them too. I think of them as being subtle rather than naff (compared to Daffodils for example!). They are slowly spreading around our garden (South Wales so mild and damp)....
Spring is a great time to divide them, it might affect flowering a little bit this year but it's a good time to do it. You probably already know, but when dug up they come apart easily and can then just be replanted. That's all I do, no prep, and they always continue growing happily.
Really interesting article and enjoyable 'naff' debate! I've always personally thought of them as a bit naff but I can see why they're so popular. I prefer cowslips as to me they are more wild looking.
😄 yes I know what you mean, I always used to prefer cowslips for the more upright stems. But I always liked wild primroses in moss or on walls. So now I aim for that use, avoiding the planting in beds that I think does end up looking a bit naff, especially when regimented. What I like most about primroses at their best is that they glow in low light.
Always struggled to grow these in my last garden. Now these beautifully 'rude' plants self-seed prolifically across my borders and are most welcome. Great article Jack.
Fantastic, I'm really hoping ours start self seeding for us. I might try getting some seeds to increase the variety a bit in case I'm just multiplying one that won't set seed! lol Thanks Mike, hope you are well and having a good start to the year!
When we first came here, not knowing how many primroses there were, I also sowed seeds. I needn't have bothered. They're very excitable.
All good here thanks Jack, and hope the same with you too?
Ok I’ll hold fire and try to be patient. Yeah we’re good thanks, I’m just excited about the coming season now - which I always am of course but even more so this year for some reason 😄
Just need the incessant rain to move on. See you soon hopefully.
I wonder if their proclivity to seed themselves around depends on the conditions Jack; here in rainy Galway, they arrived in both our front and back patches within a few years of our cultivating what had been unloved suburban lawn. It's such a wonder when plants just appear as if by magic; there are a mass of common forget-me-nots about to flower in the front also, wherever they came from. The soil is sandy here and they appeared right at the path edge of the front patch - NW in aspect - which is in full sun before noon in summer, but it doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Thanks for the encouragement and words of wisdom Feargal. Perhaps I am being impatient, I would love for them to seed around freely. It really is a wonder when plants appear all by themselves.
i love the impulse to use common plants in creating a beautiful yet complex, robustly natural and holistic ecosystem! I am slowly coming around to primroses as well. A lot of plants I don't envision using surprise me and I wind up just overwhelmed by the beauty of common sense and the way they respond to being part of a whole in a local, social way with other plants.
Yes, that is a wonderful way of describing it. I enjoy it too, that moment when we look at a familiar plant and for some reason see it in a whole new light.
For those of us outside the UK can you please define “naff”? 🤔
Oh blimey that’s a good question but quite a hard one to answer. I guess I’d say it’s something that’s just a bit uncool or rubbish. It doesn’t mean it’s bad in anyway, it could be technically very good but just misses the mark. For instance, crochet table cloth could be extremely skilful but I wouldn’t (necessarily) want it in our house.
Superb!
😍