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Key characteristics

Family: Primulaceae
Height: 6 to 8 in
Width: 8 to 12 in
Flower color: Soft lilac to pale lavender, fully double flowers with layered, rosette-like petals
Foliage color: Medium green, softly textured, crinkled leaves forming a low rosette
Bloom time: Early spring
Light: Part shade to light shade
Water: Moderate moisture
Maintenance: Low, remove spent flowers to extend bloom and tidy foliage after flowering
Growing zone: USDA zones 4 to 8
Wildlife: Early-season bees

Groundcovers

Primula vulgaris 'Lilacina Plena'

Double Lilac Primrose

Primula vulgaris 'Lilacina Plena' produces fully double flowers in soft lilac to lavender tones, forming rounded rosettes that sit neatly above a low mound of textured green leaves. The blooms have a finely layered appearance and open gradually, creating a gentle, old-fashioned effect in early spring.

Blooming from late winter into early spring, this cultivar traces its origin to historic garden selections of European primroses.

Light

Part shade to light shade

Water

Moderate moisture

Bloom time

Early spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Woodland Gardens
Borders
Pollinator Gardens
Containers

Companion plants

Ajuga · Leucothoes · Heucheras · Blechnums · Tiarellas · Hellebores

Design tip

Place this elegant primrose along shaded paths or beneath deciduous shrubs where its soft blooms can be appreciated up close. Layer evergreen structure, graceful foliage, and spring-flowering companions to create a refined woodland planting with texture and depth.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)