Medieval
Latin: Prima rosa, translates as ‘first rose of the year’
but often known as ‘Ladies of the Spring’.
One of the seven sacred Druid herbs but
at its most popular during the Tudor and Stuart period,
where it was grown in Flowery Mead's (today’s equivalent
to a wild flower meadow) and was also tucked into knot
gardens.
Shakespeare refers to ‘the Primrose
Path’ in Hamlet, a path of pleasure so different from
the custom of planting primroses on a child’s grave.
Monks compiled a flower saints
catalogue for every day of the year, the primrose was for
St Agatha on the 5th February. In monasteries it was grown
for medicinal and culinary use and today the flowers can
be used in salads and sugared to decorate desserts.
It was the favourite flower of Benjamin
Disraeli (1804-1881), Prime Minister of England and often
considered to be the emblem of the 'Tory’
political party. Primroses are placed on Disraeli's statue
in front of Westminster Abbey on the anniversary of his
death the 19th April, which became known as Primrose Day.
