Primula 2016

[Regelian]

I do very poorly with Primula.  Fortunately, I often find attractive-interesting plants at the garden centre.  Here are two border auriculas.
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[Tristan_He]

Oleg, here is a close up of my P. frondosa for comparison. Although they are similar I don't think yours is the same as mine. I'm no expert on Primula taxonomy but I'd say P. farinosa looks reasonable. Nice to have it self seeding!



Best, Tristan

[Tristan_He]

Some other primulas are starting to flower now.



Primula chionantha. Unfortunately this is the white form - I prefer the purple. The farina on this one is very beautiful though.



Primula munroi. I picked this up at Aberconwy last year on a whim. It was in the tunnel where they generally keep the rare (= easier to kill) stuff. When I planted it out I found the pot actually contained several small plants, so I teased them apart and planted them in the damper, peaty end of the rockery. I was surprised by how chunky the growth has been this year despite the very wet winter. It looks like a lovely species, hopefully I will be able to increase it as I think it would be very effective massed.

[olegKon]

Thank you, Tristan. So It is not likely to be Primula frondosa. Neither is it Primula farinosa, as I compared it with my specimen and they don't look alike. Now I have another idea. Primula scandinavica? I used to have it but lost some year ago

[Giles]

..this, a bit of a tatty mess of a primula....

[Maggi Young]

..this, a bit of a tatty mess of a primula....

Huge leaves, Giles - what is it?

[Giles]

..the best I could come up with was Primula mollis (which isn't what it was meant to be)...

[Maggi Young]

 Yes, it may well be that. Not the prettiest of the genus, for sure.

[Giles]

Primula sieboldii  (Barnhaven seedlings)

[David Nicholson]

I wonder if any of you interested in pot-grown Primulas have started re-potting yet? I started today some three weeks later than I had intended to find quite heavy infestations of root aphids (mealy bugs). I did some 20 pots today with some half-dozen consigned to the bin that were too heavily infected to bother about resurrection. Of the others infected I treated them with cotton buds dipped in methylated spirits followed by the whole plants dunked in systemic insecticide. Time will tell if this has been successful.

I've been growing Primulas for quite a few years now, and grew a lot of Auriculas before that, and have never before been infected with root aphids. Mary Robinson, in her book (1990) says [root aphids] "is often a sympton of underwatering" and I may well be guilty of that this year. She later says "It seems very prevalent at present as a result of two extremely mild winters"

If others find that they have the same problem do please let me know.
 

[Lawrence]

Hi David I haven't started re potting mine either, it has been and still is unseasonably cold here in North Yorkshire.
Do the plants show any indication of infection, or is it only apparent when the plants are knocked out ready for potting on?

[Graeme]

David - don't see it very often at all now except when I buy plants from one person.

When I buy from there I always give them a dip

Mine tend to live on damp sand most of the time - which seems to keep them at bay

Did some repotting early spring - some will be done in autumn

[David Nicholson]

Hi David I haven't started re potting mine either, it has been and still is unseasonably cold here in North Yorkshire.
Do the plants show any indication of infection, or is it only apparent when the plants are knocked out ready for potting on?

On one or two bad ones Lawrence I could see the woolly evidence on the necks of the plants when I shook the grit topping off. On others it only became evident when I started to shred the old compost off.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Very happy with this aquisition of earlier this year.  Primula cockburiana lights up the shade in my little peatbed with its vivid orange/red colour.
Third photo focuses on the stalk and the buds to show how mealy they are.

[Graeme]

last lot of the year taken early May









P. Victoria