Is Primrose deer resistant?
Primula sp.
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Primrose
An enormous genus with wildly different needs, so identify which species you have before deciding where to plant it. Most garden primulas want cool moist soil and part shade, and most fail in hot dry summers. Divide the clumps every few years or flowering falls off.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 10 to 14 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Similar to Primrose
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Primrose grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Primrose belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Primrose
- Is Primrose deer resistant?
- Primrose (Primula sp.) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Primrose grow in?
- Primrose is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Primrose grow in shade?
- Yes. Primrose tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- Is Primrose toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Primrose as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.