Some lucky people in Groton, Steve and Barbara Moriarty,  sent me a great photo of their male grosbeak with his mouth full of sunflower seeds. At least somebody has grosbeaks. Last Friday a lone female grosbeak arrived at our feeder and ate and ate. Then she left. Yesterday, a male arrived and ate a lot, too. With no female around, I doubt he will hang around long. Sigh... Isn’t life just full of bad timing and missed opportunities?  

Last week, I had a chance to visit Nick Nickou and Carol Hanby’s gorgeous garden in Branford. I remember several years ago when Carol was mucking out the worst-looking piece of boggy ground you can ever imagine. At the bottom of their incredible garden is a permanently soggy area that she decided was perfect for growing Japanese primroses, once she dug out a pond with little islands. I can’t imagine a less promising, muckier spot or a more horrible job.

Then she planted a few Japanese primroses and a lot of seeds from the late Dick Redfield, a famous Connecticut gardener. Now, the area is like a fairyland. The light and dark pink, purple, and burgundy candelabra primroses are in glorious full bloom and are magically reflected in the still dark water of the pond. It’s one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Japanese primroses also come in shades of yellow, orange and red, but Carol’s favorites are the cooler colors. With time, Japanese primroses self seed generously, so her primrose garden is only going to get more lovely with time. If you would like to see the primroses, as well as a world class garden (Nick was featured in Horticulture magazine) it is open this Sunday through the Garden Conservancy Open Days Program from 10 to 3. Admission, which benefits the Garden Conservancy, is $5.00 a person. You can get directions on the Garden Conservancy’s website.

The moral of the story is, even the worst places can be made into beautiful ones if you chose the right plants for the spot. Lots of rocks? Plant a rock garden. Soggy soil? Plant Japanese primroses, which need permanently wet soil. They can even be briefly submerged.

I grow lots of primroses, but only the kind that require more ordinary conditions. Unlike late-blooming Japanese primroses, mine have already gone by. The great thing about primroses is that they can be divided (they should be divided) after they finish blooming. That’s why a primrose path is possible without much financial outlay. Just dig up your year old primrose, shake off the soil and pull or cut it apart into several sections. Replant the divisions in rich soil with some fertilizer and by the following spring, you will have nice fat blooming plants. Do it for a few years, and you’ll have a primrose heaven.