common cowslip
Primula veris
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size4 to 8 inches tall12 inches wide
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Common cowslip (Primula veris) is a perennial for borders, pollinator gardens, and shade gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist soil of most types. Fragrant yellow flowers open in early to late spring and attract butterflies and bees. It sits low on the menu for deer and rabbits. Plant it with early spring bulbs for a bright start to the season.
Pairs well with Picture tulip, First Frost hosta, Western sword fern, and Blue Muffin arrowwood viburnum.
Native range
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Altay, and 10 more places. See all 14
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Altay, Buryatiya, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, NW. Balkan Pen., Tuva, Türkiye, and Xinjiang.