Primula sieboldii

[Richard Williams]

Hi everyone
I run a small  nursery in the UK listed as Black mountain auriculas on the RHS
plantfinder. Where, as the name says on the tin I mostly specialise in auriculas,
now edging towards specialising in doubles. My interest also extends to Rhodohpyoxis,
Pleiones and Galanthus and am slowly increasing my varieties of these.
I also have around 100 varieties of Primula sieboldii based mostly on Japanese
varieties. With the demise of the national collection at Farmyard nurseries (a
convinient 25 miles away) I now find it increasingly difficult/impossible to add
to my collection. I am in contact with Staddon Farm, Ted Blakemore and John
Baxendale, and through this group would like to ask for help sourcing or ideas of
how to source new
varieties.
Would anyone have a suggestion for contacts in Japan or US? I have found some
fantastic Japanese websites but the language barrier is difficult to say the
least. Even my adventurous nature quails at the thought of jumping on a plane to
Japan...
I'd be very interested in swapping sieboldii or even auriculas and rhodohypoxi if
wanted or just get in touch with fellow sieboldii'ist
regards
Richard Williams

[Maggi Young]

Welcome Richard - good luck in your quest. 
I confess I  have been singularly unsuccessful with Primula sieboldii in my Aberdeen garden....

There are Japanese forumists who may offer  you assistance, who knows 

[Richard Williams]

Thanks Maggi
Sieboldii seem to cause as many headaches as delights. Cold wet winters and drying out in summer just a few of the problems they encounter not only in your neck of the woods but much further south. Here's hoping for some answers
Richard

[Susan Band]

They grow well for me out in the field. Perhaps they like good fertile soil. None of these are named varieties, they are grown for seed but never set very much. The picture was taken in 2008 they are still there but a lot more weedy. I must redo the bed, it won't be this year as the field is still too wet to get into
Susan

[Richard Williams]

Susan
Those look fantastic, I think the trouble with some of the Japanese varieties is that they may not be as hardy as some of the home sow seed grown varieties or perhaps we don't grow them as the Japanes do. I've got a lot of home saved seed grown plants flowering for the first time this year so it will be interesting to see what comes out.

[Maggi Young]

Removing this thread to the proper section, a query remains in the galanthus area.
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10288.0

[Olga Bondareva]

All people here complain on a climate.  But sometimes I think ours is better than mild.
P. sieboldii and many of it's kinds is hardy here. No any problems. Easy, well growing and increasing, hardy. Ideal plant. 

Susan your fields of primula take my brief away!

[olegKon]

Agree with Olga. It must be the most reliable primula here

[Susan Band]

Just back from having a look at them in the field and they are just showing through the soil now. I might dig a few up for potting, pot luck at which colours. They spread about quite a bit so some people might have a problem if they are not allowed plenty of room or new soil  Maybe vine wevils in pots 

Susan

[Helen Johnstone]

Just pricked out some Primula sieboldii sown last April.  Good roots

[Richard Williams]

When I grew some from seed last year I was concerned that they would not be big enough to overwinter. But the rate of growth of the seedlings is really good and did not die back as quickly as the adult plants. Even the tiny seedlings seem to have survived the winter and now popping their heads up out of ground. Now it's wait and see what colours and flower shapes appear, most of the seedlings are open pollinated from Jessica plants. This years seelings, when they hopefully come up will be from various Kashima pollinated Japanese variety parents.

[Helen Johnstone]

I decided not to prick out the seedlings in the Autumn as I have lost primula seedlings doing that before. 

[annew]

The lovely P. sieboldii is actually a bit of a thug here, probably just the common kinds though. My favourites are the luminous light blue ones.

[Richard Williams]

Anne
I better not plant them next to those lovely galanthus I bought from you a few weeks ago then.... Being surrounded by farmland we have an investigation of rabbits and I have to keep the sieboldii in pots as can be seen below. This is being slowly remedied by 2 x 4 legged killers in the form of Lucien and Daisy who within a couple of month of each other wondered up our farm road after some irresponsible swines (polite version) dumped them on the side of the road. They are slowly but surely munching their way through our rabbit problem. The only down side is they have taken a liking to my prop tunnel and like to sit on the pleiones. My main polytunnel is cat proofed but they are planning an assault as I can see it in their beady little eyes....
Richard

[Richard Williams]

Still getting to grips with posting photos, here are some of my sieboldii in their greenhouse last summer. With weather like it is outside tonight getting them to this stage of growth seems a long way off...