White Spots on Primrose Flowers

Question

I discovered primroses when they were on sale in late spring at my local Lowes. Unfamiliar with them, I planted the yellow flower primroses in one container and purple flower primroses in another container. The containers are identical, are side-by-side, as well as using the same type of potting soil, amount of watering, etc.

The yellow primroses have done beautifully from the first day. The other primroses had pretty purple flowers in the beginning and now the flowers are spotted with white spots. It doesn’t look like anything is on the leaf, it looks like spots of white — as if someone threw tiny drops of bleach on each flower. Additionally, the flowers seem to bloom and die in a very short span, in comparison to the yellow ones.

Can you tell me what is wrong with the purple primroses and how to fix it?

Answer 1

If care is identical, it’s nothing you are doing wrong. Since the plants came from a box store, it is possible that the grower used two different “series” of primrose. And, sometimes different colors of the same series don’t act exactly the same. Maybe the flowers on the purple plants are older, and fading. Since the foliage seems okay, It’s just an act of nature.