Primula 2013

[alant]

I showed a picture earlier of my allionii living under glass.  Here is a picture of my Primula Arduaine emerging from the snow for the fourth time still looking bright and shiny.  This primula lives happily in the corner of a trough outdoors.  The person who gave me this primula many years ago lost his.  I have now been able to give him back a plant.  It pays to spread your good plants around.

[Maggi Young]

is the primula marginata worth showing, I know some are so common people dont bother

 Maybe so, but what a sad indictment of those people that is. If a plant is well grown and well presented, why should it not be a show plant?
There is so much "angst" about the number of exibitors decreasing in the beginners' sections of the shows but what else is to be expected if there is a feeling that some plants are too ordinary, or that there is no chance for such plants in a competitive show. As has been argued elsewhere, the perceived rarified atmosphere of shows and the unrealistic perfection of many exhibits is counter productive to the health of shows in many cases.  I am now a "retired"  SRGC show secretary  but what I always told anyone  thinking about an entry  was this : does the plant look good? Are YOU pleased with it?  Do you think it might give pleasure to a visitor to the show- who, after all, many never have seen these plants that members of the likes of SRGC and AGS may consider quite "run of the mill"?  These, for me, are the vital questions to consider for a show plant. It seems to me that the introduction of show  visitors to well grown specimens of plants that are, in fact, good garden plants and not purely the preserve of  "those in the know"  who are able to obtain rarities (and who have the time and conditions to give, for instance, a rare cushion plant the conditions it needs to live for twenty years and be a perfect dome of flowers) are much  more likely to enthuse new members and draw them into getting involved. 

Of course the show-stopping rarities are a terrific feat for their growers and demonstrate what can be possible, but not at the expense of the well grown, well presented quality garden plant.  There is in some folks, a very great emphasis on "pot-hunting"  at shows and the wider benefits and possiblities of the show are too often lost in those cases. If the most important thing about a show becomes the list of points accumulated rather than the plants involved, what is the message given out?  Not a good one, in my view.  Happily, that situation is not prevalent in the SRGC:  you'll find no lists of points totals in the SRGC.

Hmm, that was probably more than you wanted to hear- but you did raise a very valid point with your question about the suitability of a "common" plant - and these are important questions for us all!

 And besides : Primula marginata is a "classic" alpine plant- of course it deserves to be shown!! 

[Maggi Young]

I showed a picture earlier of my allionii living under glass.  Here is a picture of my Primula Arduaine emerging from the snow for the fourth time still looking bright and shiny.  This primula lives happily in the corner of a trough outdoors.  The person who gave me this primula many years ago lost his.  I have now been able to give him back a plant.  It pays to spread your good plants around.

That plant is a cracker, Alan!

[Helen Johnstone]

Thank you Maggie for your response which was incredibly helpful and encouraging.  Whilst the members at my local AGS are friendly I do feel a little in awe and a real novice.  There is an element of not wanting to look stupid so your simple guidance is excellent and I will bear that in mind in a ccouple of years when I, hopefully, will have some plants big enough to show

[Maggi Young]

I'm pleased you found that useful Helen.
If you should decide to try showing, good luck and remember, even an Olympic champion athlete began as a crawling baby, wearing nappies- just the same as the rest of us!

[Martinr]

Patient gardener, another year or two and that P marginata will grace any show bench as either a flowering plant or a foliage plant. Go to some of the shows (well, if we don't have to cancel them all ) and look at the plants in the novice section. you are almost there, don't be intimidated, we all started there. I can still remember how nervous I was the first time I showed (it wasn't that long ago honest). Ask for help, most people will gladly give advice on all aspects of showing either beforehand or during staging.

Good luck with your growing, hope to see you showing soon.

[David Nicholson]

Helen, your P. marginalia is very nice form and you should cherish it.

[Helen Johnstone]

Martin - I went to a show last year and discovered lots of plants I had never heard of but of course they were all difficult for a newbie like me.  I will go to some more and check out the novice section but I seem to remember that there wasn't much at all in that category of the show I went to  

[Helen Johnstone]

Thank you David - I will

[Mark Griffiths]

nice plants Alan and Patient!

my other marginata, Pritchards and P.allionii Kermis

[Maggi Young]

 I learn that  the Primula Show at Arden School, Knowle, 23rd March  of the NATIONAL AURICULA & PRIMULA SOCIETY  was cancelled because of the weather - what a lot of bother the snow is causing to plant lovers!

[Mark Griffiths]

A couple more allioniis,

Crystal, starts white and goes pink and Eureka

[David Nicholson]

It looks as though P allionii 'Eureka' is a very good white form. Jozef Lemmens shows an excellent plant here:- http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10165.75

[Mark Griffiths]

David, it's supposed to be the best white after many years of attempts by Ken Wooster, hence "Eureka". One thing I've noticed is that to does have the odd four petalled flowers.

I quite like the Kermis but it does sometimes have reflexed petals - it's particularly bad this year.

I remember when Avalanche came out and I got one of the first ones from Joe as a single rosette - he said in his promotion something like a washing soap ad about seeing the difference from "alba" and it being whiter than white. I had to take it back and he swapped it beccause mine had some pink in it. I find it variable - sometimes I get white with a touch of pink, or pure white or ivory/cream.

[ruweiss]

Now flowering in the Alpine House: