Primrose Season in the Garden

Most of the garden plants are still spikes of green, emerging from last year's leaf mulch; in another month the hostas will have leafed out, and the day lilies will be almost started blooming. But for now the lowly primrose at the edge of the garden, and the pansies in the planter boxes add a bright flash of colour.

Primrose are only a few inches tall, but they come in a range of bright colours, often with two distinct colours in the bloom. They probably appeal because they are almost the only flower in bloom at this time of year.

The pansies in the planters are bright, but also frost hardy. They withstand the cold morning frosts, even the late April snowfall we had, and bloom happily as it warms up. This year they seem particularly rich with yellow, royal blue, and deep purple blooms.