Primula denticulata Cashmeriana - Primevère denticulée, Primevère denticulée de l'Himalaya

Primula denticulata ‘Cashmeriana’, the Kashmir drumstick primrose, stands out for its particularly early flowering, in a lilac to mauve-blue colour, which precedes the full development of its foliage. Its round inflorescences rise on sturdy stems above a rosette of leaves. More delicate than the common forms of drumstick primrose, it displays narrow leaves with a farinose underside. Very hardy, it thrives in shaded rock gardens, cool borders and slightly damp meadows, in cool climates.

This plant of the Primulaceae family is a deciduous herbaceous perennial: its leaves disappear in autumn and the stump overwinters in the form of a large, tight bud, protected by scales. 'Cashmeriana' corresponds to an old botanical form from Kashmir, described in 1879 under the names Primula cachemeriana, Primula cashmeriana and Primula denticulata var. cachemeriana. Current classifications include it within the species Primula denticulata, widespread from eastern Afghanistan to western China and northern Myanmar. This western form comes from the mountains of Kashmir and the Himalayas, where drumstick primroses grow in damp meadows, grassy slopes, marshy clearings and montane woodland. In the garden, its growth starts early. The flower stems elongate while the rosette is still low, then the leaves reach their full size after flowering. At emergence, the inflorescences seem to sit at ground level; they gradually rise as the stems grow. The plant forms a clump of 25 to 35 cm in height when in flower and 25 to 30 cm in width. The leaves, 15 to 25 cm long, are oblong, finely toothed and narrower than those of the ordinary forms. They are fairly smooth at first, then become more puckered; their underside and the winter bud bear a fine farinose powder characteristic of the species. From March to May, each stem bears a globose inflorescence 5 to 7 cm in diameter, composed of numerous small tubular flowers. Each corolla opens into five slightly notched lobes around a yellow throat. Their colour ranges from bluish lilac to mauve violet. The stump gradually forms several rosettes. This variety withstands temperatures close to -20 to -23 °C. Mountainous and cool oceanic regions suit it particularly well. 

This primrose can be planted in small groups in a cool, partially shaded rock garden or at the edge of cool woodland. It pairs particularly well with the Primula denticulata ‘Alba’, its white version. Among the primroses, the chequered bells of the Fritillaria meleagris and the yellow flowers of the Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ bloom at the same time. The flower stems of this ‘Cashmeriana’ variety can be cut to make small spring cut flower arrangements, with the fosteriana tulip 'Albert Heijn', candy pink tinged with lilac, for example.