Friends kindly gave me this unusual primula, with beautiful dark patches on both sides of each petal. It has a similar shape to a cowslip, and the wonderful curly leaves of cowslips and primroses.

This one is called silver/ gold lace, and there is a look of broderie Anglaise in the shape of the dark patches.

Apparently the word ‘primula’ is the Latin feminine diminutive of primus, meaning first (prime), and these flowers are so called because they are among the first to open in the spring.