Primula vulgaris | common primrose

Regular price: $8.99
Regular price
Sale price: $8.99

Shipping calculated at checkout.

4" pot

order now for FALL 2025 shipping or pickup

Grown from seed in living soil without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or carbon fuels.

There are over 500 species of Primrose and many of them can be quite difficult to grow. As a rule, they prefer a slightly shaded location with humus rich soil that never fully dries out. The selections we grow are good garden plants that require relatively little care.

English primrose or wild primrose is one of the first signs of spring. In fact, Primus is the Latin word for first, giving an indication of the early bloom time. Dainty pale yellow flowers with darker yellow centers light up the garden when they burst into bloom. Easy to grow in humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in part shade. They will quickly colonize when happy.

Distinctions: Winner of an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticulture Society

Fun Fact: The seeds of similar species P. veris and P. elatior are spread by wind, but the seeds of P. vulgaris are spread by ants.

Zones: 5 to 8
Family: Primulaceae
Type: Perennial
Height: 4 to 6 in.
Spread: 4 to 9 in.
Exposure: part-shade
Soil Conditions: average
Bloom Time: March to April
Bloom Color: yellow, rarely white
Native Range: western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia

Special Characteristics

Deer-resistant
Juglone tolerant
Groundcover
Snail Resistant

image credits

Image 1 (blooms) mattbuck (category),CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 2 (form) Robert Flogaus-Faust,CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ordering information

Preorders

You may place your order anytime to reserve plants for fall 2025 shipment. If you place multiple orders, we will combine plants into one box (or as many as needed) and any extra shipping charges will be refunded.

We will resume shipping plants as soon as temperatures cool in our location and yours.

We will check in with you a week before shipping to make sure you receive your plants at a time that is convenient for you.

Shipping

Live plants ship in spring and fall only. Plants may ship dormant, depending on variety and season. Shipping costs are most reasonable when bundling like size plants.

4-inch: 1-6 plants ship for $15.00 / 7-13 plants ship for $18.00 / 14-30 plants ship for $40.00
1-gal: 1-2 plants ship for $18.00 / 3-4 plants ship for $25.00 / 5-6 plants ship for $40.00
trees & shrubs: $27.00-$40.00 each, height dependent
seeds: $6.75 or free with orders over $15.00

We regret that we cannot ship internationally or to the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, or WA.

Nursery pick up

Plants can be collected from the nursery Monday through Sunday from 10am-4pm in Spring, Summer, and Fall. We prefer 24 hour notice to get your order together and will email you when ready for collection.

Plant Sizes

We most commonly use the following pot sizes for perennials:

4-inch pot: 3.5" H x 3.5" W x 3.5" D
2-quart pot: 6" H x 5.25" W x 5.25" D
1-gallon pot: 6.87" H x 8" Dia (this is a true one gallon pot, not the smaller 'trade' one gallon pot used by many nurseries)

Check out our illustrated pot size guide here.

Representative trees & shrubs are photographed in their pots and posted on each plant page.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at The Old Dairy. We grow all of our plants outdoors without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, carbon fuels, or peat.

Many of our perennials are grown in the ground and dug upon order (this is especially true for larger sizes). This practice allows us to grow stronger, healthier plants using native soil, and ultimately reduces our impact on the environment.

Our open-pollinated seeds are collected from plants in our mother beds, which have never been treated with chemicals or sprays of any kind.

Read all about our sustainable practices here.