Patch of Primulas

The garden centres are full of these pretty plants but this little clump were growing in the flower bed outside a care home I was visiting this morning. 

I have tried planting some primulas in my garden but they never last .... some creature that visits during the hours of darkness has a midnight feast on the flowers. The rockery at the side of my front lawn as been cleared of three rather large, and now very unattractive dwarf conifers, so I need to start at the beginning but no conifer this time. Any ideas would be very welcome.