Plantlife International is a charity dedicated to conserving all forms of plant life in their natural habitats, in the UK, Europe and across the world.  

Plantlife launched its County Flowers campaign in 2002, with the aim of highlighting our wild flower heritage as something to be cherished and conserved.  Members of the public were asked to nominate and vote for a wild flower emblem for their county.

Votes arrived in their tens of thousands.  The resulting list of 109 County Flowers emphasises the huge range of floral diversity to be found in the British countryside.  The full results can be viewed at Plantlife’s poll.

In Devon, the vote was won by the primrose.  What plant could be more appropriate for our County?  Our moist soils and warm, damp climate let the primrose grow widely throughout the countryside.  Every spring our lanes and hedges are transformed by the flowering of this beautiful plant.

It was once so abundant there was a thriving trade in picked flowers.  The paper mills of south Devon used to send bunches of primroses to their customers as ‘a breath of Devon air’.

We need to make sure that primroses remain a common sight in Devon – for their own sake and because the health of this pretty, widespread flower may reflect the fate of our countryside as a whole.

And after all, if we cannot look after our common plants and animals, what hope is there for our rare and endangered wildlife?

For these reasons, the primrose is included in the Devon Biodiversity Action Plan.  This plan lists key actions needed to help our most important flora and fauna.

There are many ways that you can help the conservation of Devon’s primroses and its other wildlife.  For example:

• Re-create a piece of ‘wild Devon’ in your own garden, including primroses and other native plants grown from seed or bought from garden centres.  If your garden is large or small, urban or rural you can turn it (or a part of it!) into a haven for wildlife.  Useful information on wildlife gardening can be viewed at Natural England web site.  This site also contains links to a number of other sources of information.  Alternatively, you can telephone English Nature’s Enquiry Service on 01733 455100.
  
• Join a conservation organisation such as the Devon Wildlife Trust (tel: 01392 279244) and get involved in conservation activities in your local area.

To find out more about primroses in Devon and about some of the work being undertaken to conserve them, please click on the link below:

• The Primrose Action Plan