Primula Species, Orchid Primrose, Poker Primrose, Vial’s Primrose

According to an article on the American Primrose Society's website, this species thrives in boggy/saturated soil. Its reputation for bein...Read Moreg short-lived may be due to attempts to grow it under well-drained garden conditions that most other Primula species prefer. http://www.americanprimrosesociety.org/info-on-species/viali...

In winter, plants retreat to tiny resting buds, and may seem to have disappeared or died. They don't emerge from dormancy until spring is well advanced, and it's easy to dig them out by mistake. It helps to mark their locations when they are in active growth. Don't give up on potted plants till very late spring.

Seeds live many years when kept cool.

This species has apparently disappeared from the wild in tis native Yunnan and Sichuan.

Comments based on personal experience: I live in Anchorage, Alaska (USDA Zone 4b) and I've had this plant growing in my yard for three ye...Read Morears/2 winters now. That said, we have had very mild winters the past 2 years. The winter of 2015-2016 we had the lowest amount of snowfall ever recorded.

The plant has reproduced vegetatively, increasing from a single plant to five plants now. Last year the plant produced viable seeds. The seeds ripened in early October, just before our first heavy frost. I grew hundreds of seedlings from the seeds I collected. Since the plant is rated for Zone 5 and higher, I would guess it's growth and longevity in Zone 4b might be marginal.

From Botanica Encyclopedia
PRIMULA - Primrose
This well-known much loved genus of perennials consists of around 400 species...Read More, found throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, although most densely concentrated in China and the Himalayas. They also occur on high mountains in the tropics, extending as far south as Papua New Guinea. They are mainly rhizomatous, though some have poorly developed rhizomes and are short lived (Primula malacoides, for example). The leaves are usually crowded into a basal tuft or rosette: mostly broadest toward their tips, they generally have toothed or scalloped margins. The flowering stems vary in form, but most often carry successive whorls or a single umbel of flowers or, in a few species, the flowers are tightly crowded into a terminal head or a short spike; in a few others they emerge singly or in small groups from among the leaves on short stalks. Flower shape, size and color vary so much that it is hard to generalize, though basically all have a tubular flower that opens abruptly into a funnel or flat disc with five or more petals that are often notched at their tips.
CULTIVATION:
Primulas like fertile, well-drained soil, part-shade and ample water. Propagate from seed in spring, early summer or fall, or by division or from root cuttings. Remove dead heads and old foliage after blooming. There is a primula for virtually every position and purpose.
PRIMULA VIALII
This 24" tall perennial species from Yunnan Province in China is remarkable for carrying its purple flowers in short spikes, quite unlike any other primula. The buds are bright crimson, giving the inforescence a two-toned effect. The foliage is lush and bright green. It needs a cool, mosit climate.
ZONES 7-9

beautiful plant, which has bloomed several times. I have several of the flower stalks drying on the plant as we speak. I will have the ...Read Moreseeds for those who would like to have them. This is the first time I have ever got this plant. I ordered it through Michigan bulb company. It has also done well in my mother's yard in Hillsboro, Oregon and for myself in Aloha, Oregon. I will also post some pictures.