Primulas 2011.

[Tony Willis]

Its always a pleasure driving up the M11 from Stansted Airport towards Cambridge to visit family in Norfolk at Easter.  The motorway verges and embankments are liberally splattered with cowslips for miles.  I am looking forward to that drive next weekend already!

There are thousands out at the M61/M6 intersection and many more as you move up to the Lake District. A wonderful sight.

[Richard Green]

Why are cowslips so rare in Scotland, but primroses so common?  I had never seen cowslips here until a couple of years ago when they appeared by a roadside north of Glasgow where a new entrance had been made to commercial premises - possibly brought in by with the construction materials.  But there must be a physiological reason as to their absence, does anyone know of other natural occurrances here?

[WimB]

Some Primula's flowering here today:

Primula 'Cowichan Red'
Primula auricula 'Dusky Yellow'
Primula x pubescens 'Freedom'
Primula x pubescens 'Kath Dryden'

[ChrisB]

A few of my auriculas in bloom at the moment:

[ChrisB]

Few more:

[ChrisB]

Couple of others:

[WimB]

Christine, I love all you auricula's but Brookfield and Hinto Fiel are superb!

[DaveM]

Wim
Nice pics
However, the one you have labelled P x pubescens 'Freedom' is not actually that. Freedom has dark green, toothed leaves and lilac coloured flowers. Yours looks more like Rufus or The General, though neither seems to fit totally for me.

[mark smyth]

I was in a friends garden on Saturday looking at her goodies from the Harrowgate show. I was amazed to see a P. allionii in full flower out side in a trough. How easy are they outside? What do they need?

[David Nicholson]

I was in a friends garden on Saturday looking at her goodies from the Harrowgate show. I was amazed to see a P. allionii in full flower out side in a trough. How easy are they outside? What do they need?

Good, well drained limey compost to start. They often grow under over-hangs in the wild (sometimes on cave roofs) so they don't like too much moisture directly on the foliage but plenty to the roots. Oh, and start with a cheap one! Real experts will come to your aid no doubt.

[Giles]

Mark,
People usually grow them outdoors on tufa.
Jules Fouarge wrote an article on growing them on a tufa wall for The Alpine Gardener vol 69 p 338

Wim,
-was the Cowichan from Barnhaven seed?

Here:
Buckland Wine
Freckles
Nectarine

[WimB]

Wim,
-was the Cowichan from Barnhaven seed?

Giles,

no idea. Got it as a plant from a neighbour. I'll ask him.

[Giles]

...with an extra year of growth it should look something like this...

[WimB]

If that's the beast, what do you think is the beauty? 

[David Nicholson]

A few of my auriculas in bloom at the moment:

Lovely Auriculas Chris. Looks as though you've got them off to a fine art.