I’ve spotted lots of cowslips growing wild along roadsides this year and would love to grow some in my own garden. What’s the best way to go about this and where can I buy plants?
It’s been a particularly fine year for these dainty, pollinator-friendly wildflowers, whose slender stems of scented, golden flowers are one of the joys of late spring. After decades of being in decline as a result of widespread herbicide use, regular mowing and intensive farming, it’s great to see them making such a comeback.
A member of the primula family, the cowslip (Primula veris) is closely related to the primrose (Primula vulgaris), but differs from it in having taller stems topped with a cluster of several nodding, bell-shaped small flowers. Both species have two distinct forms to ensure cross-pollination, known as “pin-eyed” and “thrum-eyed”. Sometimes these cross naturally in the wild, producing what’s known as the false oxlip (Primula x polyantha), another very pretty Irish wildflower.
Cowslips enjoy a moist but free-draining, not overly fertile, lime-rich soil in full sun or light shade, which is why they favour the often sloping, stony ground along the sides of motorways. As with any wildflower, it’s important not to pick their flowers or to dig the plants up in the wild, both of which adversely affect their ability to reproduce as well as the complex natural habitats to which they belong.
To grow it successfully in your garden, you’ll need to offer it similar growing conditions, perhaps along a grassy bank, or the edges of a wildflower meadow or a grassy verge that’s only mown in early autumn. To propagate your own plants, it’s best to collect small quantities of fresh seed from a plant growing locally, rather than buying seed. This helps to conserve any subtle genetic variations present in local populations.
As for all members of the primula family, it’s important to use fresh seed recently harvested from fully ripened seedheads, quickly surface-sowing this on to a good quality, damp seed compost lightened with fine vermiculite. Cover with a clear upturned plastic bag sealed with an elastic band and place the pot somewhere cool and bright but not in direct sunshine. If you don’t see signs of germination after four weeks, place the pot in the fridge for five to six weeks to break seed-dormancy, then remove and grow outside in a cool spot out of direct bright sunshine. Once the young seedlings are large enough to handle individually, you can then prick them out into modules or small pots for transplanting out into their final growing positions in late autumn.
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