Against the Odds: Primroses
And in the wood, where often you and I Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie... William Shakespeare, in: A Midsummer Night's Dream . As Shakespeare is the man of the moment, so consider the above as my small contribution to the festivities. Primroses are amongst our favourite spring flowers, especially as they're a native wildflower. It's name is derived from the Latin, prima rosa , meaning the first rose of the year, though it's not a member of the rose family. Primrose-beds aren't as common as they were in Shakespeare's time due to over picking. Now they're protected by law and I'm always pleased to see a huge bank of them on my way to my allotment at this time of the year. A perennial plant, they can reach maturity in a single year and may self-seed prolifically. It means they can recover well if conditions are right. We found lots of them on holiday in Cornwall too. A more surprising sight was the pictured plant at Wheal Martyn Chi...