Primula Colibri Light Yellow - Oxlip

Primula elatior 'Colibri Light Yellow' is a variety of primrose that produces a 'layered' flowering in a light yellow colour, creating a striking bouquet effect. It is also characterised by a very long flowering period, from winter to spring, and a more perennial nature than standard primroses. Very hardy, floriferous, and unusual, this plant will make a sensation near a passage or on a window sill, to be able to contemplate it at leisure. It will bring life to any decor in partial shade, planted in a humus-rich, fertile and moist soil.

Primula elatior, also known as Oxlip, is a herbaceous perennial plant that is mostly found in the partial shade of clear woodlands or on the edge of forests. When abundant, this species is an indicator of ancient forests, little disturbed by human activity. This plant has produced many short-lived perennial hybrids through hybridisation with the Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris), often cultivated as biennial plants.

This 'Colibri Light Yellow' primrose blooms from early January for 11 weeks, until the end of March or early April. On each plant, a multitude of floral stems, more or less short and ranging from 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) in height, each bear umbels filled with single flowers, in compound cups with rounded petals, in a pastel-yellow colour. Their bright colour is well highlighted by evergreen foliage in rosettes of large, heavily corrugated leaves in a fresh green, which is ornamental even outside the flowering period.

Elatior primroses are less well known than stemless primroses, but they have their own advantages: they are taller, hardier, and more perennial, and their flowering is also more spectacular. They are excellent companions for shade-loving perennials and those in cool, light woodlands, such as heucheras, Brunnera, forget-me-nots, horned violets, or even hostas. They can also be used to decorate the terrace, window, or balcony, planted in planters that will brighten up spring scenes. They also hold up very well in a simple bouquet, mixed with forget-me-nots or early tulips.