Primula 'MacWatt's Cream'

Primula 'MacWatt's Cream' Primulaceae

An old-fashioned primula with the sort of quiet charm that never goes out of fashion. ‘MacWatt’s Cream’ is a compact, reliable polyanthus-type hybrid, forming neat rosettes of deep green foliage topped with clusters of soft buttermilk-cream flowers. The blooms have a yellow eye and a gentle, understated colouring that makes them particularly useful for bringing a little spring sunshine to the front of a border.

The cultivar is associated with Dr John MacWatt, the Scottish physician and celebrated primula enthusiast whose early twentieth-century catalogues helped spread his enthusiasm for the genus. It belongs to a traditional group of primulas valued for their modest stature, dependable flowering and garden-worthiness. The precise introduction date of ‘MacWatt’s Cream’ remains unconfirmed in the sources consulted.

Give it humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil in sun or partial shade, avoiding prolonged drying out in summer. It is equally at home edging a woodland path, brightening a spring border or growing in a pot where its cheerful flowers can be appreciated at close quarters. No flashy modern hybrid here, just a thoroughly decent old garden plant that knows how to earn its keep.

• Hardiness: H5 (–15 to –10°C)
• Height: 10–15 cm
• Spread: 15–20 cm
• Flowers: February–April