Irish Prime Minister and wife give special primrose to Obamas

From Skagit Gardens: 

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and his wife, Fionnuala Kenny, gave President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama an Irish primrose on March 17, 2013 -- St. Patrick’s Day.

Primula Moneygall was named in honor of the president's maternal ancestral village. The Kennys gave the first family the flower, which is a new addition to the Kennedy Irish line of primroses from Skagit Gardens, during the state visit, according to a press release from Skagit.

For millennia, the wild primroses of Ireland have been a beloved first sign of spring; these winter-hardy charmers burst through dormant foliage with cheery bright blooms. And, if symbolizing new life is not romantic notion enough, lore abounds about their power to keep evil witches and fairies at bay.

Similar in flower and habit to the native forms, Primula Moneygall is the result of a plant breeding program by Joe Kennedy and Patrick Fitzgerald that for more than 35 years has focused on conserving and selecting different forms and traits for modern use. A true perennial, it should prove ideal for mass planting in gardens and parks, or as a bright nosegay of color in a porch container.

Moneygall joins two other selections currently available in the U.S. marketplace. Boasting unusual chocolate-colored foliage, Primula Drumcliff's blooms are a dainty pink, aging to white, while more dramatic Innisfree flowers are deep red with a bright yellow eye. Grown in the Pacific Northwest by Skagit Gardens, these Irish varieties are available at independent garden centers throughout the region, and nationwide at mail order sources such as Plant Delights Nursery, www.plantdelights.com.

Moneygall will be available as an addition to the current collection of Irish primroses in spring 2014.