IF you translate 'primrose' directly from the Latin we have the Prime-Rosa meaning, the first rose of spring.

The German name means 'the key flower' because it is said to unlock the spring. Gerard Manley Hopkins, a poet and Roman Catholic priest living for a time in Stonyhurst, wrote in his Journal of 1871 that the primrose "is remarkable due to the deeper yellow middle."

If you look closely at the centre of the flowers you will see that there are two varieties. In the Pin Eyed Variety the female parts are above the male parts.

In the Thrum Eyes Variety the reproductive parts are reversed. Primroses are pollinated by insects which crawl inside the flowers in search of nectar and they are attracted by the scent. Having two varieties ensures that a primrose cannot pollinate itself, so that weaknesses cannot be passed on.

At one time primroses were collected in huge numbers to decorate churches and for wine-making.

Children also sent poses to their mothers but the real decline came with the overuse of agricultural chemicals especially during the period between 1960 and 1980.

The Primrose once had a medical use and was mixed with animal fat and used as an ointment to cure cuts, bruises and boils.

We do not pick so many primroses these days and we do not use so many agricultural chemicals. This has led to an increase in primroses.