Country life
“ Now extensively bred to come in a wide range of colours and shades , they ’ re loved for their bright , multicoloured petals and ability to instantly brighten up any garden .”
Ready-potted “ Polys ” come in a huge range of vibrant colours , and not surprisingly are a popular buy at garden centres in early spring . They will instantly cheer up garden beds and borders and look lovely in pots , troughs and baskets to give your doorway , porch or windowsills a welcoming splash of colour . So what ’ s the origin of this pretty little garden plant , with its surrounding frilly collar of foliage and simple , open flower heads ? Polyanthus is in fact a common name for flowers that come from the primula genus . You may notice their similarity to the creamy yellow , wild Primroses that will be popping through banks and hedgerows later in the Spring . While they may be similar to Primroses though , a Primula ’ s flowers stand proud of the leaves of the plant . They are named Primula from the Latin primus , meaning ‘ first ’, because they are among the first flowers to appear in Spring . Polyanthus plants are actually a natural hybrid between the cowslip ( Primula veris ) and the common primrose ( Primula vulgaris ). Now extensively bred to come in a wide range of colours and shades , they ’ re loved for their bright , multi-coloured petals and ability to instantly brighten up any garden . Like Polyanthus , the common Primrose – as its name suggests - also comes from Primula genus . Whilst they can often be confused , there are a few things that separate Primroses and Polyanthus . Like Polyanthus , Primroses are closely related to the cowslip , but they ’ re also known to be linked to the Oxlip too . Primroses are obviously best known for their creamy yellow colouring , and they ’ re a flower always much-loved by children .
In Springtime , there ’ s nothing nicer than hunting for naturallygrowing ones on sunny banks and in deep woodland . Traditionally , children would pick them for their mothers , but these days the picking of wild flowers is somewhat frowned upon . It is not actually illegal though – so long as they are picked just for personal use and not for sale . The big no-no is digging up wild plants by their roots , and the law firmly forbids uprooting any wild plant . If in doubt , just select from the huge range on offer at garden centres and nurseries for your home and garden , and enjoy the sight of wild Primroses growing out in their natural environment .
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