Primrose is a classic woodland flower which has been greatly cultivated over the years to give us a huge range of colours for the garden, ideal for shady spaces. Personally I prefer the wild butter yellow version the most, and there are a few muted pinks available that I like too – I’m not so keen on the brightly coloured ones, they’re too garish for me but they suit some designs. The wild ones self-seed prolifically in our garden, which is another reason why I like them – great evergreen groundcover when they’ve established a patch.  

Many spring flowers are yellow or white to make them stand out for the few pollinators that are around, only primroses seem to glow in the dark though!