Primula vulgaris - Primrose - (Primulaceae)

One of the first flowers to appear in early spring, the Primrose is still common and widespread throughout the UK and Ireland.

Primroses are found in some parts of Europe and Slovenia has Cowslips, Bird's-eye Primroses and Oxlips, too.

Steeply sloping damp meadows, hedgerows and banks are the favoured habitat of this early spring flower. You will often find these shallow-rooting plants in greatest abundance at the edge of a wood, where they receive some light but where the surface soil never dries out completely.

Primroses

The first primroses sometimes appear before Christmas, but they are usually at their best in March and April and continue blooming well into May and occasionally early June.

Mauve primroses found in a woodland setting

Not all primroses are yellow, even in the wild. These mauve specimens were found in Cenarth Woods in the Teifi Valley in West Wales in April.