Primula March 2007

[David Nicholson]

David, you need rest, lie down and have a stiff gin and tonic, though, if I'm having one with you, I prefer G + lemonade!

Right, I'll mix it in a bucket and we'll have a drink or three.

[Maggi Young]

Right, I'll mix it in a bucket and we'll have a drink or three

Sounds good to me. I have been finding myself drawn more and more to the double hepaticas and hellebores and I think this forum is to blame
Haven't got so far as liking Mark's frilly knicker primula yet, so all is not lost but between us we are needing some time to regain our floral equilibrium ....have you any olives or will I bring my own?

[David Nicholson]

Who said Olive could come as well??

[Diane Clement]

Diane,
like your P.vulgaris ssp. sibthorpii. Nice pale pink colour.
Was it raised from seed or can you recommend a specialist nursery?
brgds
Armin

I bought it, but I have had it in the garden so long, I can't remember where it came from.  They are fairly easy to come by in UK nurseries so would think you could source it quite easily.  Do you have the equivalent of The Plant Finder?  This is an excellent reference book for UK gardeners, it shows which nurseries stock which plants. 

Lovely pics and thanks. The P. nana alba is especially interesting. Very rare I imagine. And what a nice thing is P. podophyllioides. 

The P nana alba came from Keith Lever and is especially beautiful.  We shall wait on the so-called P podophyllioides (aka P jesoensis!) to see whether it flowers.  I have never seen a primula produce leaves like this.  This IS a very rare species in cultivation.  Most P jesoensis here in the UK in recent years invariably turn out to be something else.  This one is newly introduced by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones of Crug.  Good article about them, on their plant hunting trip in last month's RHS magasine.

David, you need rest, lie down and have a stiff gin and tonic, though, if I'm having one with you, I prefer G + lemonade!

Maggi, you have gone down in my estimation.   
Sniff the tonic, get the juniper aroma.  How can you drown that with lemonade??  The only partner is tonic   

[David Shaw]

Prefer the Queen Mum's formula myself;
Pour the gin
remove cap from tonic and wave bottle over gin
replace cap on tonic
drink gin!

[Maggi Young]

David, as you know, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, was Patron of the SRGC... seems the lady had more in common with us than merely a love of flowers!

Diane: Sorry I have disappointed you, but, having a well-stocked kitchen, there are always dried juniper berries to add to the gin (lightly bashes, that's the berries, not the cook)... so much nicer  a flavour with my lemonade for a long drink

[KentGardener]

Hi Diane

thank you for bringing my attention to the leaves on P. "podophyllioides" actually P. jesoensis- very unusual indeed.

regards

John

[Lesley Cox]

Juniper bashed, cook smashed? I agree with David and Her Late Majesty here. Tonic but not too much of it. I hate sweet drinks (even Sauternes!) and don't like lemonade at all. I do like a good long squeeze of lemon juice added to my G and T as well as a slice of course. (That's for your future reference David.)

Re `Halloween' though, I like the rather perky look of its flowers. P. allionii forms (and some auriculas too, forgive me David) tend to look smug in their full, roundness.

[Lesley Cox]

I should apologise to Diane for the reference to P. podophyllioides. While it may amuse slightly, it's the kind of stupid thing that can result in a genuine mistake on the part of others and even get into a seed list or somewhere under that name. So don't quote me John.

[Maggi Young]

Lesley, I've "interfered" with John's post to make the joke clear!

tend to look smug in their full, roundness.

While Lesley was referring to some flowers, I am sensitive on such matters so  I just want to clarify that while undoubtedly full and round, I make strenuous attempts not to appear smug... I merely have a contented countenance 

[KentGardener]

Now I'm confused.  What is the joke?  What is the actual name of the plant with the interesting leaves?

thanks

John (novice)

[Maggi Young]

Sorry John, this is how it goes:
 Diane shows great Primula, with leaves that make it look like a podophyllum. Primula is actually Primula jesoensis Lesley calls said primula "podophlylloides" as a joke.... you pick up on cod name.... I edit you post to show that it IS a joke name.... are you with me so far, or have you already left for the pub?

[Diane Clement]

Now I'm confused.  What is the joke?  What is the actual name of the plant with the interesting leaves?

thanks

John (novice)

It's Primula jesoensis.  I'm sorry I started this confusion, by saying it looked like a podophyllum emerging, umbrella-like with the middle of its leaves first.  Lesley perpetuated (and improved) the joke by calling it Primula podophyllioides (= like a podophyllum).  I appreciated the joke, Lesley, but agree that confusion can be caused very easily. 
A (science teacher) colleague was once covering a French lesson for an an absent colleague and was asked by a pupil "what is French for clock?" and he replied "le tic-toc".  Later in the year, the French teacher was puzzled as to why "le tic-toc" was appearing in pupils' essays   

Sorry John, this is how it goes:
  have you already left for the pub?

gone to the pub, I hope for a Gin and Tonic with ice and a slice, of course   

[Lesley Cox]

The moral is, John, don't mess with the Forum's women! we have convoluted minds with which your male logic can't cope.

[KentGardener]

woohoo - I got it (eventually...).

I went to bed - wish it had been the pub     (but it would have been for lager not gin and tonic)

I like the leaves on that Primula jesoensis.  Do they flatten out as the leaf grows or do they always have that shape?

cheers

John