The Vernales section of primulas, correctly called section Primula, includes our beloved primrose, cowslip and oxlip, which are usually, but not always, pale yellow. There are also some bright pink species from further afield - not to mention the polyanthus hybrids, with appallingly vivid colours, fortunately kept away from us in municipal plantings in the middles of roundabouts.

Primula juliae is named after Julia Mlokosewitch, so we can be glad that this pretty Primula wasn't named after her surname, which was the fate of Paeonia mlokosewitchii, named after her father. This parent of well-known hybrids such as 'Wanda' makes a low mat, with the rich, deep, pink-purple flowers on very short stems above it.