The petiolarid primulas (section Petiolares) are classic Himalayan (and Chinese) plants, thriving in cool, damp places (where there is humidity in the air as well as moisture at the roots), and complaining when it is hot and dry. But they are worth every effort to please, including some of the most beautiful and sought-after of all primulas. Many of them produce little seed in cultivation here, and so these ones are propagated by division, which they love, as they flourish in rich soil. Some kinds are evergreen, and make small mats of rosettes, with the mass of flowers at the centres, and others spend the winter as large resting buds, flowers and leaves appearing amazingly early in the year.