Cowslip ∗ The 10 best care and planting tips

Plant the key flower correctly

Planting an early cowslip correctly does not require extensive horticultural knowledge. While you are weeding and raking the soil, the still potted root ball is placed in a container with water until no more air bubbles rise. It continues in these steps:

• Dig a pit twice the size of the root ball
• Enrich the excavation with compost, Horn shavings,(€ 32.93 at Amazon *)guano(€ 9.82 at Amazon *) or bark humus
• Repot and plant the cowslip while maintaining the previous planting depth

Water the young plant with a strong sip of water. Ideally, arrange the natural perennials in a small group of 3 to 5 specimens, which underlines the painterly effect in the long term.

Care tips

Caring for a cowslip is no problem even for hobby gardeners with limited time. It's that easy:

• Cowslips water during drought in summer and clear frost in winter
• Apply a starter fertilizer in the bed in March
• Liquid fertilize the flowers in the tub every 2-3 weeks during the flowering period
• Cut off the withered flower stalks at the base
• Cut back the fallen leaves close to the ground in late winter

If you cultivate wild species of a cowslip, you do not have to worry about winter protection. Highly bred hybrids, on the other hand, are piled up 20-30 cm thick with leaves, straw and needles. Potted flowers ideally move to bright, frost-free winter quarters.
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Which location is suitable?

In the wild, the high cowslip (Primula elatior) looks for a sunny to partially shaded spot in meadows or along a forest. Wherever the forest primrose finds humus, calcareous and freshly moist soil, it likes to stretch out its roots. The real cowslip (Primula veris), on the other hand, favors a full sun to sunny location with sandy-loamy soil, as the rock garden has to offer. The closer the location in the garden is to these characteristics, the more at home the pretty perennials will feel.
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The correct planting distance

The cowslip rises its slender flower stem from a rosette of leaves. This can - depending on the type and variety - reach a width of up to 30 cm. It is this growth width that also defines the ideal planting distance. The fragrant cowslip (Primula veris), for example, spreads between 20 and 30 cm, so a planting distance of 25 cm is good is chosen. Although the cowslip (Primula japonica) is up to 50 cm higher towards the sky stretches, it has the same growth width, so that the appropriate planting distance is also 25 cm amounts to.

What soil does the plant need?

Mother Nature has the right cowslip ready for almost any type of soil:

• Tall cowslip (Primula elatior): nutrient-rich, humic and fresh and moist
• Real cowslip (Primula veris): humus, sandy-loamy and rather dry
• Levels of cowslip (Primula japonica): nutrient-rich, loamy, preferably on the moist pond edge

The demands on the moisture content of the earth may vary; Of course, cowslip does not tolerate waterlogging.

What is the best time to plant?

The cowslip is planted all year round as long as the ground is not frozen. If you are considering direct sowing in the bed, we recommend late summer as the seeds are cold germs. This is how Mother Nature does the stratification.

When is the flowering time?

The specific species defines the flowering time of a cowslip. If you combine the signs of spring in coordination with their flowering, the blaze of color extends from March to September. The following arrangement shows a possible variant:

• High cowslip (Primula elatior): March to May
• Sky Key (Primula veris): April to May
• Common cowslip (Primula japonica): June to August
• Bell-cowslip (Primula florindae): July to September

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Cut the key flower correctly

Cut off the withered flower stalks immediately if seed formation and the associated self-sowing of cowslips is not desired. Otherwise, leave the flower in the bed until the foliage has been completely absorbed. In late winter at the latest, the cowslip is cut back close to the ground to make room for the next growing season.

Water the key flower

Do not let cowslips dry out. If the natural rainfall does not cover the water requirement, watering is carried out regularly. In the bucket, the watering can is used more often as soon as the substrate surface has dried on. An exception is the real cowslip, which also feels comfortable in the sandy, dry gravel bed. If it is dry in summer, water this perennial in the early morning, because the root ball must not dry out here either.

Fertilize the key flower properly

In nutrient-rich soil, the cowslip does not ask for fertilizer. On the contrary, an excessive application of nitrogen could force foliage growth to the detriment of abundant flowering. In the rather poor soil, however, we recommend starting fertilization in March with compost or liquid fertilizer.

A cowslip in the pot fertilize From March to the end of the flowering period, give them with liquid fertilizer for flowering plants or every 2-3 weeks Slow release fertilizer in stick form into the substrate.

Overwinter

Only the wild species are completely hardy. If you cultivate one of the colorful hybrids from specialist retailers, they should be protected in the bed from the first frost and placed in the pot. How to do it right:

• Cover real and high cowslip as a wild species only in rough locations with leaves
• Cover the cultivated forms from the shop in the bed with Garden fleece or pile it up thickly with foliage soil, straw and coniferous twigs

Clear cowslips in the planter in autumn and cut off the withered leaves as a prevention against diseases and pests. The winter quarters are frost-free and bright. Water the root ball every now and then so that it doesn't dry out.

Propagate the key flower

The most uncomplicated method of propagation is achieved by dividing in autumn. Dig up the cowslip widely, shake off the soil and cut the root ball into two or more pieces. A suitable segment has at least 2 shoots. Plant a part of the plant at the new location without delay, keeping the previous planting depth as far as possible. Subsequent watering abundantly helps the cowslip to take root.

Successful propagation also promises the sowing. After flowering, collect the ripe capsule fruits and sow the seeds. The seedbed should be as finely crumbly as possible. Only sift the seeds very thinly with sand or vermiculite, as they are light germs and water with a fine shower. If sowing takes place in autumn, the seeds receive the necessary cold stimulus over winter and germinate in early spring.

How do I transplant properly?

The cowslip accepts a change of location without complaint. Either in early spring or early autumn, dig up the root ball and shake off the earth. Examine the root system to cut out dried or rotten strands. In the new place, you put the perennial just as deep into the ground, which is ideally enriched with compost.

Key flower in the pot

In the pot, cowslips spread a natural flair on the sunny to partially shaded balcony. The undemanding flower thrives in commercial Potting soilthat with a little sand or Perlite(€ 39.50 at Amazon *) maintains the desired permeability. A drainage on the bottom of the pot above the water drain prevents waterlogging. Check the substrate with a thumb test every 2 days and water if it is dry. As long as the cowslip is in bloom, it receives a dose of liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks. Cut off the withered parts of the plant in autumn at the latest, in order to place the cowslip in a light, frost-free winter quarters. Although the perennial is hardy, the root ball freezes in the open air in the exposed position of the pot and will not produce any more flowers in the next year.

How is the cowslip cared for after flowering?

The cowslip is so undemanding that no special care is required after flowering. If the withered flower stalks affect the visual appearance, cut them off as well as the withered leaves. However, if the near-natural perennial can propagate itself by sowing, let the flower stand until the beginning of winter or early spring.

Is the cowslip under protection?

Cowslips have been under strict nature protection since August 1980. In the field, forest and meadow you can admire and photograph the yellow natural beauties. Picking or even digging, on the other hand, is punishable by heavy fines.
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What healing properties does the cowslip have?

The traditional use of cowslips in natural medicine is experiencing a brilliant renaissance. It is mainly the secondary plant substances that make a Primula elatior or Primula veris so valuable. Essential oils, flavones, tannins and other substances relieve coughs, headaches, migraines and insomnia. How to make cowslip tea:

• Harvest the flowers between March and May
• Always collect the flowers together with the calyx
• Pour boiling water over them, fresh or dried
• Let it steep for 10-20 minutes, add a little honey and enjoy

Since the cowslip is under nature protection, it is best to grow the perennial in your own garden. Picking or digging in the wild is strictly forbidden and is punishable by heavy fines.

key flower medicinal herb

Nice varieties

• Fragrant cowslip: the flower of the year 2016 captivates with its wonderfully fragrant yellow bloom; Growth height 10-20 cm
• High cowslip: the native species shows closeness to nature with sulfur-yellow flowers; Growth height 15-25 cm
• Tier cowslip: scores with pink-red flower whorls on several floors from June to August
• Cowslip: lovely yellow bell flowers and heart-shaped leaves from July to September; Growth height up to 70 cm
• Alba: white blooming cowslip for beds, balconies and wooded edges; Growth height 20-60 cm
• Amaranth red: purple-red pillow cowslip for dense carpets of flowers from March; Growth height 15-20 cm
• Rose cowslip: red blooming herald of spring for moist, sunny locations; Height 5-10 cm