Primula Forbesii

Primula forbesii, the baby primrose, forms neat rosettes of rounded, toothed leaves and slender stems carrying several tiers of small mauve-pink flowers with golden eyes. The display can begin in autumn under cool glass and continue through winter into spring, creating a delicate haze above the foliage. Native to moist ground in Yunnan, it is often grown as an annual or biennial because individual plants may flower once and die. Its willingness to set seed makes it ideal for a self-renewing colony in cool, humus-rich soil or a temperate greenhouse.