Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Primula => Topic started by: Gerdk on January 19, 2010, 04:33:38 PM
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Despite cold and snow and a shortage of light Primula 'Blue Wave' is flowering - a gift from a nice Forum member!
Gerd
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Wow,Gerd, that is absolutely gorgeous - what a colour - a really cool photo 8)
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Nice to see it Gerd and it's a long way in front of my own plants ;D
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Hi -- Blooming in my greenhouse right now. As we are in full winter it brings a breath of spring
Marianne
Vermont, USA
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Well done, Marianne. Very nice. What else have you got tucked away in there?
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Very lovely Marianne. Is it a cultivar of P. allionii?
edit:
...answered in this post on page three: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4976.msg142008#msg142008
it's P. allionii 'Anna Griffith'
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Here's a species Primula allionii flowering in a vertical piece of tufa last weekend. I inserted a small rooted cutting in the tufa almost a year ago and the plant is still very small.
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Blooming in my greenhouse right now. As we are in full winter it brings a breath of spring
A really lovely Primula, Marianne, such a delicate pink to start your 'Spring in the greenhouse', congratualtions :)
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Here's a species Primula allionii flowering in a vertical piece of tufa last weekend. I inserted a small rooted cutting in the tufa almost a year ago and the plant is still very small.
David, that's a great success story - your Primula allionii cutting obviously loves tufa! I have never grown plants in tufa and wonder how different the conditions are to growing amongst rocks?
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Robin:
You are right. Plants in tufa grow differently compared with plants amongst rocks. The main difference is that they grow much more slowly so they retain a compact habit if you like that kind of thing. I certainly do. So you need lots of patience both watching them grow and also planting in tufa as the technique is quite exacting and takes time. The good news is that you can fit lots of plants into one tufa block so it is a great space saver.
One observation that I have not seen in the literature, is that plants in tufa flower more readily than in regular rock garden soil. My theory is that they are a little more stressed which brings on flowering. I have very small Kabschia Saxes that I planted last year that have already flowered this year.
Of course you can really only grow lime-loving or lime tolerant plants in tufa. I like to choose plants that have a natural habitat on vertical limestone rock such as Primula allionii and Saxifraga longifolia. I have found it best to have tufa beds mostly north facing as they could have a tendency to dry out in the summer. Plants that grow on vertical rock also tend to like north facing slopes so that works out well.
If you have the patience (and the tufa), try it. If you love alpine plants you will love tufa!
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If you have the patience (and the tufa), try it. If you love alpine plants you will love tufa!
Now there's a challenge.....but no idea if tufa is available here....there are limestone outcrops in the region and locally we're on granite but i would love to grow lime-loving alpines if I can. Thanks for your detailed information David :)
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David, lovely little plant. I wish I could grow allionii outside, but I am afraid the climate is too harsh. When I have a larger supply I will try your method in tufa.
Marianne
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Marianne:
I could not keep the species Primula allionii alive in our climate until I tried tufa. Allionii hybrids have been OK though in regular rock garden soil.
I think if you can replicate the natural habitat (to the extent possible) you have a better chance. They do seem to prefer growing in a vertical limestone face. I have a winter rain shelter over that part of the tufa garden which may also help.
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I wish I could grow allionii outside, but I am afraid the climate is too harsh.
I wonder if it is not cold-hardiness that is the limiting factor there, but conditions (e.g. winter wet, as may have been alluded to in David's comments), since P. allionii cultivars (I don't have the "straight species") grow outdoors here in regular soil in this cold but dry climate? (On the other hand, perhaps mine are P. allionii hybrids and thus I am seeing some hybrid vigour?)
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I believe that it is winter wet which is a problem ....and here, in Aberdeen, the next problem is summer wet! These plants just don't enjoy sitting about in the rain.... who could blame them/ :P
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Primula kisoana is an "easy doer", although can flag when too dry (which it often does in my dryish garden). I try to hit it with water in the summer, to keep the fuzzy foliage looking its best.
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From Rick Lupp's website for Mt. Tahoma Nursery:
"Primula "Pink Ice" is a vigorous hybrid of P.allionii x p.pubscens "Harlow Carr". This is the perfect choice for the grower who wants the perfection of form and beauty of P.allionii without all the difficulties. This plant is compact, strong growing and buried under a bloom of large, crystalline pink flowers for several weeks in spring. Not to be confused with the P.allionii cultivar "Pink Ice"."
Huh, now I'm thoroughly confused.
Any guesses on which this is then? (In other words, is it P. 'Pink Ice', or is it P. 'Pink Ice'?? ;D)
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I'd say it is this one, Lori....
."Primula "Pink Ice" is a vigorous hybrid of P.allionii x p.pubscens "Harlow Carr".
I think the other willhave flowers which are more or less sessile and likely single. ( Well, dating maybe, but single!)
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From Rick Lupp's website for Mt. Tahoma Nursery:
"Primula "Pink Ice" is a vigorous hybrid of P.allionii x p.pubscens "Harlow Carr". (snip).
Not to be confused with the P.allionii cultivar "Pink Ice"."
Brilliant! ??? The one that dies is the true allionii. ;D
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The allionii cultivar 'Pink Ice' is likely to have tacky (sticky) leaves whilst the hybrid 'Pink Ice probably doesn't. Note the use of the words "probably" and "likely" ;D
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Primula allionii - from France
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Beautiful Hans, what is the name of the allionii?
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Marianne,
this allionii is wild collected in France (a cutting)!
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I am very frustrated now!
Although we have a lot of snow the mice have awaked last Friday and then they have eaten 3000 Primulas incl. the roots over night!! All Show Aurikulas - 500 plants, 500 Primula allionii and nearly all of my new young Alpine Primulas - 2000 plants and more than 100 different Androsace. So the work of the last 10 years was destroyed while some hours. Only the larger plants in my green houses have survived. They has eaten all Lilium seeds and all seeds of Daphnes, too, although the soil is frozen.
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I am very frustrated now!
So sorry for your losses - it must be heartbreaking for you and rather puts my winter losses into perspective.
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What a shame, it made me feel ill seeing your empty pots.
Marianne gardening in Vermont
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So sorry Hans.
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The one that dies is the true allionii.
That's like the method used to distinguish Cyclamen africanum and C. hederifolium: leave them outside during the winter. The ones that freeze to death are (were) C. africanum.
Speaking of P. allioni: I grow all my auriculoid primulas in pumice and they seem to like the conditions. I keep them under cover at all times and water by immersing the pots. So far, so good. Come back in five years for a more definitive report.
In the open garden, the only primulas doing their thing here are the old double mauve-pink 'Quaker's Bonnet' and pale butter yellow Primula vulgaris, the ordinary primrose of English hedgerows and banks. It is a surprisingly difficult plant to acquire! If any member lives near a wild stand of P. vulgaris, they would be doing the world a favor to gather seed for the exchanges. Gardens need simple, calm plants as well as high-strung, nervous ones.
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I am very frustrated now!
Although we have a lot of snow the mice have awaked last Friday and then they have eaten 3000 Primulas incl. the roots over night!! All Show Aurikulas - 500 plants, 500 Primula allionii and nearly all of my new young Alpine Primulas - 2000 plants and more than 100 different Androsace. So the work of the last 10 years was destroyed while some hours. Only the larger plants in my green houses have survived. They has eaten all Lilium seeds and all seeds of Daphnes, too, although the soil is frozen.
So sorry to hear this news Hans it is awful and must be heartbreaking
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Hans,
very regretable to hear you got so much damage on your collection.
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I'm horrified to see how much damage the mice have done.... dreadful mess to be left with, Hans.
On Saturday Beryl McNaughton was telling me that they are having terrible trouble with mice attacking their hellebores. I was surprised by that but I suppose a hungry animal will eat what he can in this winter..... I cannot see a hellebore is tasty :-\
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Very bad news Hans !! :( What an awfull disaster for a plantsman !
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Didn't E. A. Bowles refer to mice in the garden as vampires where crocuses were concerned? Seems like their destructive tastes are even wider than perhaps commonly realized.
A good friend on Saltspring Island has endless trouble with mice and rats eating seeds and seedlings of all sorts of things in his greenhouse, though his new cat appears to have taken care of the rat population.
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Hans, what an appalling scene to have your collections so devastated by mice - I hope you can start re-collecting soon and look forward to seeing your successes.
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This is one of my favourites.
Primula bhutanica
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This is one of my favourites.
Primula bhutanica
And I can see why, lovely colour.
Angie :)
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Does Primula bhutanica only grow in your greenhouse John? No wonder it's your favourite, such a beautiful shade of blue and the leaf is wonderful
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Regretably,I am afraid so.The asiatics are notoriously difficult in this part of the U.K. but I believe grow easily in the north.
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no where near the bhutanica standard but Primula moupinensis in flower.My only petiolarid.
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Maybe voles did all that damage
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no where near the bhutanica standard but Primula moupinensis in flower.My only petiolarid.
...and here it is in the wild (Hailuogou, 2300m) three weeks ago :)
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no where near the bhutanica standard but Primula moupinensis in flower.My only petiolarid.
...and here it is in the wild (Hailuogou, 2300m) three weeks ago :)
Hey! You've been travelling, Bjørnar ?!!
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Hey! You've been travelling, Bjørnar ?!!
Just a vacation, I'll try to get some pics up once I get them sorted. Primula petelotii below (Hoang Lien Son/Fansipan, 2100m, 10/2/2):
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hi, not sure if Marianne answered about the first allionii in these pages. It looks like "Anna Griffith".
A few from me, hopefully in the right order, "Malcolm", "Rosemary" "William Earle" and "Jan". The last one seems very slow here but a really good deep colour.
I wonder whatever happened to "Crowsley's Var". It used to be the most common of the three varities mentioned in books from the late 50s/60s. I have Apple Blossom and Viscountess Byng (that one I've kept losing) but no sign of Crowsley.
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Lovely stuff Mark (nice to haveyou back posting again) lost my Crowsley's Var. over the winter.
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It's good to be posting back though I have been enjoying many of the pictures of the irises, Cyclamen and Narcissus here on and off.
I find I rarely lose them. Even if the tops rot off (yay! cutting material) most varieties they come from the base again. It happened to virtually all of them when they spent the winter with my father and he decided to put up bubble wrap, 4 months in a warm moist giant plastic bag.
Can I ask where you got the crowsley from (assuming it was a commercial sourse)?
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I think it was from a plant sales table at a NAPS Show a couple of years ago at least.
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You are right Mark the allionii is 'Anna Griffith' I have been traveling so I must have missed the question, Sorry!
Marianne
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Here are some "white" allioniis
"Eureka" which is supposed to be one of the best pure whites.
"Avalanche" which was regarded as one of the best in the 70s when it was being sold by Joe Elliott. My first one had a touch of pink and he replaced it. I always regard it as cream. Often there is a touch of pink in it.
"Lacewing" picotee. Not sure I really like it.
"Crystal" opens pure white and then goes pink. Rather fetching.
"Kermis" old pic. I noticed this one hasn't flowered for the last few years, I have no idea why that it.
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Nice Mark,I must check on how mine are doing.
Eric
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Regretably,I am afraid so.The asiatics are notoriously difficult in this part of the U.K. but I believe grow easily in the north.
Like this one in a shallow no sun trough?
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Lovely Mark.... super photo .... who could resist that colour?
The trough may make it easier to combat the vine weevils, too?!
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It's Margaret's plant and I lust after it ::). She controls vine weevils with pesticides
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Hi to you all! I know that I'm not very present, but I don't have such beautiful plants as yours. I like very much to see and read your comments.
Yesterday I went in the woods and there were millions of P. vulgaris , a yellow carpet.
But, I found this (sorry, I cannot manage to insert photos as clickable thumbnails :-[):
<img src="http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb87/MadBruno/Immagine101.jpg" width="400">< /a>
<img src="http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb87/MadBruno/Immagine103.jpg" width="400"></a>
{edit by maggi: thumbnails added below, as an alternative.... 8) }
Is it P. vulgaris ssp. sibthorpii?
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Hi, Maddi.... good to see you again!
Yes, it is P. vulgaris ssp. sibthorpii ..... and very nice too.... have you photos of the yellow primroses also?
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Hi Maggi! :) Thanks for the thumbnails! :-*
Of course I have photos of the P. vulgaris .
Here are two of them (links again...):
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb87/MadBruno/Immagine161.jpg
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb87/MadBruno/Immagine106.jpg
Why is there only one ssp. sibthorpii in all the region (I never saw another one)? How did she reached that place? ???
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Well, strictly speaking, since the pink primula is not in the exact geographivcal range of P. sibthorpii, it is not that... though if the plant were being cultivated one would certainly give it that name..... the natural range os sibthorpii is Northern and central Greece,the Crimea, Turkey, the Caucasus and Armenia (this from John Richards' book) ..... given that you found it in your local woods it must simply be an unusual colour break.... which is, after all, how the sibthorpii will have arisien in the first place.... ;)
Here are Maddi's pictures of both magnificent yellow vulgaris and a lovely pale form, for those unable to download her photobucket images....
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Thanks Maggi! In fact I consulted too the Richards' book too and I was not sure of the identification because of the area. But... there were no other ID possible... Especially after seeing the photo on Primulaworld site. :P ;D
I will check better that zone, maybe I'll find some other forms.
I'm happy that you like the others two. Even if they are common, I think they are breathtaking when all in flower in the woods.
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I am very frustrated now!
Although we have a lot of snow the mice have awaked last Friday and then they have eaten 3000 Primulas incl. the roots over night!! All Show Aurikulas - 500 plants, 500 Primula allionii and nearly all of my new young Alpine Primulas - 2000 plants and more than 100 different Androsace. So the work of the last 10 years was destroyed while some hours. Only the larger plants in my green houses have survived. They has eaten all Lilium seeds and all seeds of Daphnes, too, although the soil is frozen.
Hans
Mice are a menace and I am very sorry for you.
In the time I grew auricula primulas I sometimes had mice eating the rhizome. I then found that there is a small chanse that root fragments left in the soil will act as root cuttings. So please do not throw it all away oo early. Some cultivars may recover even if decreased to small stumps of roots.
Perhaps you already know this.
Regards
Göte
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I think they are breathtaking when all in flower in the woods.
I agree, a wonderful sight and the clumps you photographed are very nice and fat! 8)
Göte, a good point about the root cutting possibility for Hans' eaten primulas.
It must be hard to face that scenec of destruction and keep calm.
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The first few Primulas of my season. I had been thinking that they were late this year but I see from my records that some I'm posting now were later last year by just a few days. Maybe my cultivation has not been as good as last year as the plants I won prizes with at the South West AGS Show last year (28 March 2009) will need at least another week (or two) to get to the same condition as last year and the Show in on Saturday. Oh well, can't win 'em all!!
Primula 'Blindsee'
P. 'Wharfedale Superb'
P. 'Lindum Heavenly'
P. 'Lindum Moonlight'
Then a couple of queries which the allionii growers on the Forum may be able to help with. I don't know why but I have two plants, both different, labelled Primula allionii 'Mary Berry', can any one tell me which is and what the other one is please?
P. allionii Mary Berry query1
" " " " " 2
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David, I believe your second plant named Mary Berry is the proper colour, though the flowers look very large .... I wonder if the paler version is a seedling from your plant? I know that 'Mary Berry ' does set seed.
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Beautiful primulas David,
'Blindsee' has such pure white color - an eye-catcher!
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hi, as Maggi says, the second plant looks more like "Mary Berry". The other one, not sure, it does look nice though. Maybe it's another named clone but the labels got mixed at the nursery?
I sowed seed from my Mary Berry, I think all were fairly dark though. I just label them as P.allionii, I passed some on but I kept a couple. I'll probably put up some pics over the weekend.
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I doubt that either of them is Mary Berry.Definetly not the paler one and I don't think the second one is red enough.If I get chance I will take a picture tomorrow.
Meantime here are one or two that I took a couple of days ago.
Lindum Memories
Lindum Malcolm's Mate
Lindum Minuet
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I think all of the Lindum plants are very good John.
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Here is a primula hyb that I raised from allionii Avalanche and an unnamed seedling.
It is in a 16cm pot.
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Primula Joan hughes.
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I hope this is the right place to ask. How would you treat Primula maximowizii?
At the moment they are in pots which are set into life sphagnum. I got them from china as roots. Now they are flowering. Do I have to work at them for pollinating?
There are four different plants flowering and I don't know if there are insects around which would do the job.
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I hope this is the right place to ask. How would you treat Primula maximowizii?
At the moment they are in pots which are set into life sphagnum. I got them from china as roots. Now they are flowering. Do I have to work at them for pollinating?
There are four different plants flowering and I don't know if there are insects around which would do the job.
Axel,
You obtained a fine plant from these roots. Indeed a rare and attractive species.
It is told that they are completely hardy here. I suggest they need a cool place and please take care that they never get too dry.
For pollination at first have a look into the flowers. Primula have thrum-eyed and pin-eyed flowers (in German: kurz- und langgriffelige Blüten). Take a small brush and give the pollen of a thrum-eyed flower to a pin-eyed one (or vice versa).
Gerd
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Thank you Gerd. They were kept in a greenhous at first. When I got them two weeks ago, I put them in this box with sphagnum. They liked it. Before they were kept more dry than I did, because there was some rotting material at the outer part.
They are very narrow I could not see whether they are thrum-eyed or pin-eyed. In some flowers there were quite a lot of pollen so I just kept going from one flower to another. I hope it helped.
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Axel,
Please 'google' for thrum- and pin eyed primulas (pictures) and you'll easily note the difference.
Otherwise to pollinate like the way you described can't be wrong. I was told that at least the primula hybrids are not aware of the fertilisation rule.
Gerd
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Thanks again Gerd I already did it. German was no success. But English was easy. I will look again with a magnifying glass.
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David,this is Mary Berry.
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Alex,
I am not particularly interested in primulas but your plant is absolutely fantastic.
Paddy
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I am *very* interested in primula, and starting a brand new garden after a move. The only species that fit into the moving truck were the allioni, marginata and auricula. I am trying to start the remainder of the former collection again from seed.
As I also have no greenhouse or other proper growing space on my new property, some 100+ species of primula seedlings are presently perched here there and everywhere in the house, awaiting spring, so I can work with them better somewhere outdoors, once I construct a proper potting bench in a corner.
As I will still have a year to think about it, considering the stage of the seedlings, I would appreciate some ideas/input from those of you who grow large collections of the genus IN THE OPEN GARDEN.
Obviously the alpine sorts can find homes in the rock garden and many can go into a woodland setting.
Now that I no longer have naturally moist/wet areas as I did in Ontario, I am contemplating the species that would like consistent moisure at their roots. I am also thinking about some the challenging Asian species and where I might be able to keep them happy.
I realize this is a very open-ended, general question with such a large genus---but I am trying to find some unique ideas (back in Ontario I was at the start of building a "fernery" to house some of the difficult to grow in the garden ferns, grew some specific primula in troughs with specialized growing material etc). I am thinking about some of the "Cypripedium areas" that others have built, or digging in a moisture-retentive barrier....etc. etc.
The only given is that the collection has to be open-grown.
Who has seen some interesting solutions? Or has solved some primula cultivation problems in a unique way, so that a number of species requiring similar conditions can be grown together????
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A few more P.allionii, hopefully is this order.
P.a "Mary Berry"
P.a. 81-19-3
P.a. Malcolm
P.a "Austin"
and finally a seedling I raised, though it might be a hybrid. It always reminds me of a slightly faded fabric but I still like it.
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Re: Primula allionii 'Mary Berry' thanks to Maggi, John and Mark for feedback. If John's plant is "right" then neither of my two plants are correct nor is Marks. I had a bit of a Google to see if I could come up with anything else and pinched this from Jim Almond's Web Site (hope he doesn't mind).
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Lots of delightful Primula pics over the last few days folks.
I though Primula addicts might like to see the following couple of images I took from the South West AGS Show last Saturday. Dave Philbey, who in his growing career, stretching back many years, has probably forgotten more about Primulas then most of us will ever learn mounted a display of some of his breeding work.
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Personally I can't see any difference in John's, mine or Jim Almond's. The colour isn't quite right in my pic but to me they look more or less the same. Mine came from Brian Burrow "back in the day".
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The Primulas in the Alpine house are now at their best.
I got the x miniera Riesenblüte from the Stopp nursery and
it is truly a giant flower!
In our meadow garden P.vulgaris starts to spread all over the
meadow, we began with a few plants from Zigana Pass from
North Eastern Turkey about 20 years ago.They also crossed
themself with the other P.vulgaris.
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Lovely show Rudi.
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Lovely plants Rudi,I have the vulgaris/sibthorpii types self seeding all over the garden.
Here is Primula kialensis from China
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That is very nice Tony, grown from seed?
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David
I was given four small plants on a visit to Germany. I gave one away to a friend.Mine turned out to be pins and he had the only thrum which died! I am trying for seed but do not hold out much hope.
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Lovely Primula in your Alpine House Rudi and those in your meadow look wonderful too 8)
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At our local club's show last week, I acquired a small offset of Primula × pruhoniciana 'Schneeweiss' aka 'Snow White', one of the Ahrends hybrids. The exhibitor was kind enough to give me one of the crowns at the end of the show, which makes three of these cultivars now in my possession (with the proviso that I have to take the names on faith).
This incident led to our other primula enthusiasts mentioning that at one time she had 'Schneekissen' and may still have it. If she can find it and there's enough to share, that would make a fourth of the Ahrends 'Schnee' cultivars to come into my hands.
This are excellent little primulas. They are nearly as dwarf as their parent Primula juliae, with the same tendency to creep about by rather thick underground rhizomes. As far as I know, their flowers are all white or near-white. The ones I have are all a pale ivory color, which I greatly prefer to a dead bone white.
As has been mentioned in these forums before, I've had 'Schneesturm' (Snowstorm) and 'Schneetreiben' (Snowdrift) in the garden for many years. Snowstorm has performed very well and gradually spread into a mat that is, as I write, covered in flowers. Snowdrift, planted in the same area, never did well, barely hanging on to life. It seems to be a weaker plant than Snowstorm in all respects. I've moved some of Snowdrift to a location where other hybrids of P. juliae do well, and potted some up, but neither of these treatments has invigorated the plant. Possibly it's become badly virused with age and thereby weakened. According to Smith, Burrow, and Lowe's Primulas of Europe and America, Ahrends was working on his hybrids of P. juliae as early as 1913, so these are now very old cultivars
The only cultivar names I've found for members of this specific group are:
* Schneekissen (Snow Cushion)
* Schneereisin (Snow Journey or Snow Travel)
* Schneetreiben (Snowdrift)
* Schneewittchen (Snow Witch?)
* Schneesturm (Snowstorm)
* Schneeweiss (Snow White)
Does anyone know of other members of this small group of cultivars?
Also, who is growing these, and where are they available commercially? Google and the Plant Finder reveal that Schneekissen is available in the UK, and Schneesturm in Germany, but what about the rest? As a group, they are nearly out of cultivation, perhaps having weakened fatally with age. It would be a shame for these charming plants to utterly disappear.
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Thank you all for the kind comments
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Primula clusiana and spectabilis in my garden.
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Lovely to see primulas again, and there have been so many super plants on the Show threads.
This one is way out of season because it is in the southern hemisphere. It is one of two seedlings I gave to a nursery friend. Mine are about the same size but not in bud, probably not until OUR spring. It is the soldanelloid Primula wollastonii.
[attachthumb=1]
Now I look at it, it's a really awful picture. I should have focused on the flower instead of mid stem. Louise might send me a better one when it's fully out. She gave me P. primulina in exchange. :)
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Here is the same primula a week later, this sent to me by my friend Louise Salmond in whose tender care it resides.
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A little gem, Lesley. I am very fond of these primulas.... wollostonii, reidii, (the horribly named....) flaccida (I much prefer "nutans" all of these dusty little pets.... if only they now grew as well in our garden as they did thirty years ago, or even 20 years ago....there are so few of the family at all that will enjoy life here now that the summers are warmer. :P :-\ :'(
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An exquisite beauty Lesley. What a gift! :D
johnw
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My fav of the moment is P. kisoana.... It's blooming a little early here but loving its spot. There are dozens of soft-pink flowers on the mother plant, and, best of all, a couple of dozen little plants scattered hither and yon, some blooming (in a much quieter way) in their first above-ground appearance!
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My fav of the moment is P. kisoana.... It's blooming a little early here but loving its spot. There are dozens of soft-pink flowers on the mother plant, and, best of all, a couple of dozen little plants scattered hither and yon, some blooming (in a much quieter way) in their first above-ground appearance!
Now, isn't that exactly what brings a spring to our step and a big smile to our face..... little plants that are so eager to flower and delight us? Makes it all the easier to endure the long years that are sometimes neccessary to wait for blooming in some plants and bulbs ;)
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Thanks for all the wunderful primula photos. 8)
Some early primulas from my garden.
P. vulgaris var. pulchella...more whitish compared to P.vulgaris. I've no record if this 'var. pulchella' is correct. Any comments?
P. veris...likes calcareous soil and dryish, sunny place
P. elatior...grows in shadow in moist loamy soil
P. elatior hybrids...likely hybrids with P.vulgaris or P.veris, showing larger flat flowers
P. auricula...still in bud stage; beautiful and absolutely hardy.
P. x pubescens 'Blue Wave'...a phantastic color, still small plant. I love it! A special thank you to the generously donator ;) ;D
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Really wonderful to see Primula in gardens from the simple to the exotic...just saying "Spring", thanks everyone.
Armin it's a great help to have the information you provide on preferred soil and conditions - your P. x pubescens 'Blue Wave' is just stunning 8)
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Lovely show Armin ;D
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Lesley, I am growing P. wollestonii, and the foliage is looking ok so far. I really want to flower it if possible, so if your friend could tell me what I need to do, I'd be most grateful. At the moment I'm pouring water over it a couple of times a day and it does seem to be responding to that treatment very well.
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Really wonderful to see Primula in gardens from the simple to the exotic...just saying "Spring", thanks everyone.
Armin it's a great help to have the information you provide on preferred soil and conditions - your P. x pubescens 'Blue Wave' is just stunning 8)
Robin,
yes 'Blue Wave' has a fascinating deep blue- extraordinary contrast.
In the Swiss there are now many places with masses of P. vulgaris (in meadows) and P.elatior (in forests).
Their flowers perform magic yellow carpets with marvelous displays.
Have you found and seen some already?
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Yes Armin, there are lots of Primula vulgaris around chalets on South East facing slopes but not really in the meadows locally ::) and i haven't seen Primula elatior in forests here but they must be in the area. I'm trying to encourage both in our 'meadow' and 'forest' corner around the chalet ;D
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Chris, I don't know that you have to do anything except make sure it is cool and shaded at all times, damp compost. It won't like direct sun or drying out at all. JUst a matter of waiting I think until it's ready to flower. If it died down over this last winter and is through again, it may well flower or begin to make a bud down in the rosette, very soon. It is after all spring flowering, not autumn and the one on Louise's plant is an aberration but very welcome of course. Keep it free of green fly too as they tend to distort the foliage and may allow virus in.
P. wollastonii has a very pleasant trait in that when it is planted out and one lightly weeds around it, any root that is hit and slightly damaged, may send up a new, little rosette of growth. I grew it in the early 80s in a cool, shaded raised bed and had little lines of rosettes from where I'd weeded around it. If one were to trim off whole roots they should make successful root cuttings.
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Hi Lesley,
Wow, if I had to courage to just plant it in the garden.... right now its being totally cossetted! Here it is, looking very healthy. Yes, the foliage died right off last autumn and now its nose has sprouted with this lovely foliage. I got it from John Richards and the name has a question mark after it, so if it flowers I'll send a pic to him to see if it really is what it says on the packet.
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Here are a few primulas I've managed to bloom:
Primula auricula 'Spring Sonnet'
Primula allionii
Primula clusiana (plant purchased from Margaret Taylor at an AGM three years ago)
Primula xhirsuta (there is no sign of hairs on the leaves of this plant, so I'm not sure if it is correctly named)
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Chris, your Primula auricula 'Spring Sonnet' is very striking and what a photo you have taken :D
A great collection altogether 8)
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Thanks Robin. I'm quite taken with it too. But it only managed three flowers on the stem, so its probably not worthy as a show plant unless I can persuade it to do a bit more. I'll try harder next year now I know what it looks like....
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Can you send the second picture I posted to John Chris? I'd like his opinion though I have no reason to doubt it. The source was a good Primula man and not, so far as I can tell, puzzled at all. ;D
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Chris, having enlarged your picture, your foliage looks much hairier, like our Teddy's fur compared with that of a smooth Jack Russell. Perhaps this is just natural variation? Of the 30-odd seedlings I had to start with (lost some now) all were the smoother kind, though with a soft, velvet pelt.
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Hi Lesley,
I'm off to our AGS meeting tomorrow night, so I'll print off the picture and take it to show him, see what he says.
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Primula bilekii
Primula Carniolica
Primula warfdale villiage
Primula rhenaniana
Primula beatrice lascharis
Primula cortusoides
Primula frondosa
Primula air mist
Primula Linda pope
Primula hirsuta red form
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Primula viscosa
The rest are some of my own hybs, past their best because of the hot weather we are having.
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There are some seedlings of a true P. auricula (wild collected on an avalanche, the first seed of this plant in my garden). Only the leaves remind us of the yellow auricula. I think the first pic shows auricula x carniolica. Any ideas of the others?
The last two plants are a dark blue marginata (France) and maybe a hybrid between marginata and albenensis.
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Michael, your early Primula are absolutely glorious - what wonderful colours shades of violet :)
Your hybs are beautiful forms and I wondered which you crossed with Primula viscosa which in itself is lovely
Primula hirsuta red form is stunning - it grows in the wild here and I wonder where the red one is found?
Primula cortusoides is my favourite for flower, Primula Linda pope for serrated leaf.
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There are some seedlings of a true P. auricula (wild collected on an avalanche, the first seed of this plant in my garden)
Hans, these seedlings flowering in your garden are magic! It is so rewarding to have collected the seed from such a remote place and to see them happy close by. Many congratulations :D How long did it take for the P auricula seed to germinate?
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Robin,
the auricula hybrids are 2 (or 3) years old.
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primula maximowizii has set seed thank you for the necessary informations.
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Some of my Primula hybrids and a white allionii (France). The last one could be villosa x allionii.
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Robin,
the auricula hybrids are 2 (or 3) years old.
Thanks for the information Hans. Your Primula hybrids are really beautiful.
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primula maximowizii has set seed thank you for the necessary informations.
Axel, congratulations - so you'll be able to have more plants soon. Primula maximowiczii seems to be one of the best 'new' primroses from China.
My own plants were a little bit later than yours - nevertheless I'll show some additional pics.
1. just opening
2. inflorescence
3. + 4. pin eyed flowers
5. thrum eyed flower
6. whole plant - from SRGC seeds - sown January 15th 2009!
Gerd
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Here are some pics from different forms of Primula marginata - a species well suited to grow in troughs. The white one is ' Casterino '.
Gerd
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Great looking Primula Gerd, I do love the leaves of P marginata and the collection of photos of your Primula maximowiczii is fabulous - what a colour towering above the leaf rosette.
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Gerd very beautiful your P. maximowiczii. I have two pins and two thrums. The seedpods of the pins are really swollen. Thrums still flowering. They were not that distinct as yours, and the red was more orange.
I purchased seeds too and they germinated readily. I planned to plant them in a trough in the ground with waterreservoir. What about wet from this reservoir in winter? Do I have to protect them from the wet winterconditions from above? Some glass?
Would you be interested to swap seeds?
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Gerd; do you mean 2009 or 2010? They've flowered in 4 months here with heavy feeding.
partisan; there's absolutely no need to protect it from winter wet :)
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@ RR: Thanks for the compliments!
@ Axel: If there will be seeds we can swap, of course.
@ Arisaema: I ment 2009 and thought that was pretty fast, according your experience it seems Primula maximowiczii is an easy and quickly growing species.
Gerd
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They were fed like tomatoes and kept under glass, but I was surprised by the speed myself. P. tangutica grows just as vigorously, haven't tried any others from the section yet.
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I've been lurking on this thread... I only have a couple Primula species, but like them all, seeing Primula maximowiczii creates primula lust. My tried and true P. kisoana (pink form) is in bloom now. I was at a NARGS chapter meeting last week, where they held a plant auction, but everything was going for "stupid" prices well beyond my price range; a white P. kisoana went for something like $25.
Two picture just snapped, one with P. kisoana in front of Jeffersonia dubia (I think I like the look of Jeffersonia just as much in foliage as in flower). The second shot shows more kisoana, and some shoots: Arisaem sikokianum, Cypripedium reginae.
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Despite the neglect this Primula marginata never fails to flower well.
johnw
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Good grief Mark is that Jeffersonia on steroids?
Lovely Erythronium Wim.
johnw
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Good grief Mark is that Jeffersonia on steroids?
Lovely Erythronium Wim.
johnw
And Jeffersonia dubia seeds around like a weed... such weeds to have :o ;D . Actually, when the plant is happy the foliage flush on J. dubia is really something; as I said before, I like them in foliage as much as in flower, the fleshy scallopy foliage all jammed in together into lush foliage domes.
By the way, that's one darned nice P. marginata there!
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Despite the neglect this Primula marginata never fails to flower well.
johnw
Lucky you, it's really lovely John :)
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Primula auricula and 2 other P. auriculas (unknown hybrids) from the Upper Austrian Alps (found at 2500m and 1700m the last year). There you can only find auricula, clusiana and minima.
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Some of my hybrids (villosa, hirsuta and auricula)
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I really like many of the Primula that are shown in this thread but dont have many myself.
I think that Primula maximowiczii is amazing - maybe one for the future.
A couple of mine that are in flower now.
P. laurentiana in a trough
Two closer views of P. laurentiana
The next two are of a P. Hose in Hose. The label from the nursery named it Primula epiphylla Hose in Hose but I can't find any reference to epiphylla and Primulas can anyone shed any light on this please.
Graham
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Graham, your hose-in-hose primula looks like the one I have as 'Wanda Hose-in-hose'
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Thanks Roma,
Wanda is what I was thinking. I just don't know where epiphylla came from.
Graham
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Graham, I will be photographing P. laurentiana here in the wild over the next month when it begins blooming. It will look nothing like yours in floriferousness!!!!!
So many primula species happily flowering in the open garden here---I think this genus will really like the cooler, moister weather of Nova Scotia. I have never had such prolific and long bloom compared with the open and gone bloom I used to get in Ontario.
Primula auriculas sitting pretty.
Also can someone help with identifiying this species originally grown from wild seed from the Alps????
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Kristl,
I will look forward to your photos of how they are supposed to look.
Graham
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Kristl, you have P. spectabilis (Italy, Südtirol) - a good clone!
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More auriculas:
Avril Hunter
Brasso
Dales Red
Elsie May
Elsie May habit
Florence Brown
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Couple more:
Indian Lovecall
Lemon Drop
Miss L Hearne
Mohave
Primula Wharfedale Bluebell (not an auricula tho')
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Chris, a fabulous show of Auriculas, the colours and geometric shapes are guaranteed to stop you in your tracks 8)
You obviously have exceptionally green auricula fingers :D
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Just love these things Robin. I don't grow them as well as I'd like to, but love the range of colours and shapes you get with them.
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Couple more:
Indian Lovecall
Lemon Drop
Miss L Hearne
Mohave
Primula Wharfedale Bluebell (not an auricula tho')
Lovely selection of Auriculas Chris, and very well grown too, almost makes me wish I hadn't given up with them (lack of space!). By the way Miss L Hearn is actually a married lady and should be Mrs L Hearn.
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As I've said in the Bearded Iris thread life is hectic in the Nicholson household at the moment with little time for gardening and for catching up with the Forum. I missed the flowering of most of my Primula allioniis and marginatas this year but here are a few of the later flowering x pubescens and one little marginata that Luc kindly sent to me, thanks Luc.
Primula x pubescens 'Yellow Form' a little past it's best.
A little x pubescens seedling sown in December 2007-worth giving a name too?
Primula marginata 'Jack Drake'
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..... and a few more.
Primula x pubescens 'Apple Blossom', a bit tatty round the edges.
Primula x pubescens 'Blue Wave' now fairly widely distributed and more to go out when flowering is over.
Another x pubescens seedling, this one sown in June 2007.
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Chris & David,
congratulations - lovely allioni, auricula & x pubescens primulas.
'Blue Wave' is my personal favourite ;D.
'Avril Hunt', 'Dales', Elsie and Wharfedale - Bluebell are stunners too.
Finally, Davids last violet seedling is very beautiful too.
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Two interesting Primulas I bought recently.
First - Primula 'Kusum Krishna'. I thought at first glance, Primula sonchifolia but the leaves are different and unusual. The label says, a new hybrid raised in Scotland, but does not give the raiser or parentage. Does anybody know any more ?
The second I bought from Kevock Nursery's stand at the Perth SRGC Show. It was labelled 'Blairside Yellow' but may be a seedling. Flower shape, colour and leaf are all different (but I like it).
Ps. Maggi, we seem to have two early Primula threads.
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Thanks for the nice comments Armin. I'll change the name on my Mrs Hearn, David - Love that yellow form of P. x pubescens. I have the pink one.
Think I'm going to put some of my marginatas in the garden. They seem to love the gravel and sandy soil, and even though I lose the farina, they bloom better.
Just invested in 6 more show auriculas after buying the latest book about them, so next year should be even better.
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Ps. Maggi, we seem to have two early Primula threads.
Oops! So we did... I've sorted that out now; thanks Roma!!
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Chris,
primulas can be a real passion. They are so variable in color and forms.
P. veris is one of the local wild primulas naturilizing very well in my meadow and surrounding raised beds. Seedlings appear now everywhere and many 'escapers' please my neighbours with their tiny flowers for the time being.
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Two interesting Primulas I bought recently.
First - Primula 'Kusum Krishna'. I thought at first glance, Primula sonchifolia but the leaves are different and unusual. The label says, a new hybrid raised in Scotland, but does not give the raiser or parentage. Does anybody know any more ?
This primula has been raised by Graeme and Hilary Butler of Rumbling Bridge Nursery, Roma.
They describe Primula x ‘Kusum Krishna’ as a deep blue, white eyed Auricula."Our best hybrid yet, received a P.C. in 2007. Large, stunning deep, blue flrs. Stemless habit."
http://rumblingbridgenursery.co.uk
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Armin,
I love all the primulas, but especially the wild ones growing by the side of the roads. And your P. veris (we call them cowslips for some reason - does anyone know why?) are so lovely. I grow a red one which I've had to curtail or it would have populated my entire garden! It comes up in the paving cracks and everywhere. It was labelled Coronation Cowslip when I got it, but I've no idea why. Its a deep blood red colour. I'll try taking a photo tomorrow - weather permitting!
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Armin,
I love all the primulas, but especially the wild ones growing by the side of the roads. And your P. veris (we call them cowslips for some reason - does anyone know why?) are so lovely. I grow a red one which I've had to curtail or it would have populated my entire garden! It comes up in the paving cracks and everywhere. It was labelled Coronation Cowslip when I got it, but I've no idea why. Its a deep blood red colour. I'll try taking a photo tomorrow - weather permitting!
Chris,
I don't know why P. veris is called cowslip. But if you don't mind I would be very glad to receive some seed of your red Coronation Cowslip and a photo please ;) :D
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Thanks ,Maggi. Nice to know the origin of a new plant.
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Roma, I found the parentage.....P. auricula x P. hirsuta :D
...and a photo of a plant at an AGS show....http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/274113/ which really shows the foliage and the deep colour of the buds
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This red P. veris strain I have now for some years out of the garden of the late Mr. Kellenberg. I was passing by his garden while driving to work. Many times I admired red primulas on the opposite side of the road.
One time I took a heart and stopped. A neighbour told me that the original Gardener had died the year before and the Primulas were planted by him.
Since I had only a few of the yellow type in my garden it was easy to dig them out and give them to friends.
Since then I only have this red type. For some years I dug out every lighter shade, but this year I let them bloom.
From light orange down to nearly black. But true yellow will still be dug out 8)
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This one is truly lovely Axel and I would love to see the deep red to black ones when you have time - if ever you have any seed I would love tot try it here but I suppose it would be pot luck as to the colour variation?
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Armin, please pm me and I'll save you some seed for sure.
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Armin, here are pictures of my Primula:
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A few more auriculas are now in bloom:
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No problem with sending you seeds Robin, I just mark the darkest this year and you will get enough to have lots for selection. This year they are on average lighter than last year. The plants which flowered last year red and darker which were my darkest last year (and the year before)are now from dark red to even orange (this I would have abjected). There are some a wee bit darker from these old plants (which nearly died last summer for lack of water) and are smaller than their offspring from last year. Some shown here.
I will try some pictures tomorrow if it stops wetting (rain would be boasting).
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Thanks so much Axel, it would be great - look forward to more photos
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Two more from me and the last for this season.
Graham
Primula veris
Primula farinosa
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These ones you won`t get seeds from. This year very late I cut all too yellow types for a bouquet.
One flower of glow I left. It will be sown separate. So from the motherline you will only get true reds, Robin.
Still raining here, just a bit all day so no picture from outside.
I will be in Swiz at the Vierwaldstätter lake from the 16 th to 26th of may. Gersau is the city I will do some sculpturing (Dragonia). If you could make it there I could even dig out some Primulas for you.
I have also some friends in Schwyz where I could leave some for you if you think it fitting for you. Otherwise I will send you only seeds ;).
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So many kind offers Axel but we are heading back to the UK in May and so it won't be possible to collect a plant, although i would love to do so - so i guess it will be seeds if you can at some point. Really interested to know you are a sculptor and would love to see some of your work if you have a website?
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Dear R.Robin so you will get lots of seeds. The primulas grow fast. :D :D
I do have a site it is http://www.lutherart.de. I should update it again especially the english part. :-\
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The sculptures are amazing Axel - I love the unicorn!
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Hi Axel, I should be 'doing things' but am still sitting here at my computer riveted to your site transported through flashes of cave painting inspirations, communing with creatures to understand their essence and dancing with the alluring foil - your work is a bubbling fount and I love the connection with Nature, Colour, Words, Imagination, Seeds (germinating ideas :D)
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I do have a site it is http://www.lutherart.de. I should update it again especially the english part. :-\
SO MANY talented Forumists!! 8)
Axel, I am so pleased to learn you are a sculptor.... for I suppose that the Ram's head in your avatar is your work? Until now I rather thought it might be the plastinated head of a sheep by Dr Gunther von Hagens :o :-X I prefer that it is a sculpture!! ;) :)
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Primula x grignensis (Grigna Massif, 2300m, Italy) and a Primula hirsuta hybrid.
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thank you, Hans, for identifying my P. spectablis!!!!
i believe this is p. scandinavica---but could someone tell me if it is not.
nice rich colour, compared with the very similar native canadian P. mistassinica and laurentiana.
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Thanks a lot for the compliments. A gardener is always a artist. I am a artist who found out that he is primarily a gardener.
The ram is of course one of my works and stays in a nice garden :D.
Since yesterday I have again a small garden an allotmentgarden in fact. Still I am gardening everywhere.
Since I have been for two years without garden I know I need it more than anything else (maybe apart from my wife 8))
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[
I do have a site it is http://www.lutherart.de. I should update it again especially the english part. :-\
[/quote]
Love that cat on the tree, 8), I could imagine this cat happily in my garden.
Thanks Robin for asking if there was a website.
Angie :)
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A couple named forms of Primula sieboldii. They're getting swamped from Corydalis nobilis, must take corrective action soon. Both of these cultivars are by local Iris breeders in the area, who also work on other groups such as P. sieboldii.
1-2 P. sieboldii 'Sparker'
3 P. sieboldii 'Lacy Lady'
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Thanks a lot for the compliments. A gardener is always a artist. I am a artist who found out that he is primarily a gardener.
The ram is of course one of my works and stays in a nice garden :D.
Since yesterday I have again a small garden an allotmentgarden in fact. Still I am gardening everywhere.
Since I have been for two years without garden I know I need it more than anything else (maybe apart from my wife 8))
beautiful work, axel! the aluminum foil work is fascinating, i'm always interested in different and available materials!
and congratulations on getting a garden space :)
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Thank you Cohan
From Tuesday on I will be working in Gersau, Dragonia (Swiss)at some aluminium foil sculpture in a park. Will be there till October (depends a bit on weather conditions 8))
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Thank you Cohan
From Tuesday on I will be working in Gersau, Dragonia (Swiss)at some aluminium foil sculpture in a park. Will be there till October (depends a bit on weather conditions 8))
wow--that's a long project! good luck with the weather!
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Sorry, the aluminiumfoil sculpture (created there) will be there. I will be leaving after one week. 8)
Not that long. I think Gersau would be too small for what I could do till October. ;D 8)
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Graham, I had promised pictures of Primula laurentiana in the wild....here is the link to another section of our forum, They were photographed yesterday growing on rocks at Brier Island in Nova Scotia.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5267.new
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Kristl You made my mouth watering. Your Sarracenias (I have now a collection of named varieties just germinating)...this cute primula laurentiana, all these berries Iris etc., this year I start my bog. When it is running and your yellow Sarracenias will be mature I might ask you for seeds ;)
We have the same variations of Sphagnum here. :D
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Some double auriculas from my collection, the yellow and the terracotta ones are without
names, the red one is Crimson glow.
Pr. japonica seeds itself freely in the moist part of my garden.
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My absolute favourite alpine plant is in flower, Primula reidii in blue and white forms. Scent is incredible so it is one of Susan's favourites too. I have to keep it going from seed and have a stock in the fridge and try to sow some each year. All the flowers so far this season are thrum which does not bode well for seed production.
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What a little beauty. Does it live only one year?
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No Axel - it is a perennial but tends to be fairly short lived. Terry at Edrom nurseries tells me he has kept their stock plants going for several years by frequent division and repotting into fresh compost.
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Pr. japonica seeds itself freely in the moist part of my garden.
Your garden must look wonderful Rudi with those pretty Primula - P. Crimson Glow is amazing almost like wax 8)
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My absolute favourite alpine plant is in flower, Primula reidii in blue and white forms. Scent is incredible so it is one of Susan's favourites too.
Darren, your P reidii is gorgeous, no wonder it's a favourite - I imagine you grow it inside?
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Hi Robin,
I do but only to keep the winter wet off it, so a frame might do just as well. It dies back to a tiny resting crown in the winter and I just put it in a tray under glass so I can water it occasionally from below to keep the compost moist but the crown dry. Once growth starts I repot it into fresh compost then move it outside into a shady plunge with my cypripediums etc. This also raises it up to nearer nose height!
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Sounds an ideal arrangement 8)
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They've finally started here as well; P. limbata, calderiana, chionantha ssp. sinopurpurea and maximowiczii below :)
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P. deorum
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Does anybody know this Primula? My mystery is not so easy, isn't it.
If it is of interest I could show more pics of this species.
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Sorry Hans ... I immediately typed Primula minima without even considering the foliage ... now, of course, I realise how silly I was!
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Does anybody know this Primula? My mystery is not so easy, isn't it.
If it is of interest I could show more pics of this species.
Hard to tell what is or isn't the foliage. Can you post some more photos please. Reminds me of Primula × bileckii. Where was the photo taken?
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Lovely primula.... I'm thinking a glutinosa x minima hybrid.... P. x floerkeana ? Though the flower is more starry than any I have seen.. so pretty!
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On last Friday 2 members of the SRGC, Sid and Brian, visited me and wanted to take pics of Primula clusiana in the wild. Sid will write a Primula book. So we went to the best location of Primula clusiana in the Alps which I know, and this location is at the mountain behind my house (garden). All were so surprised because we saw so many different forms of flowers what is never seen by other Primulas. So it is nearly impossible to identify Primula clusiana if you have not seen the leaves,...
The colours of the flowers are not correct, it should be blood-red, my camera is not the best.
Now I will show you some Primula clusiana and other plants.
Then we went to a location of Cypripedium calceolus (near my house, too) where Sid and Brian took many pics. They were so happy to see such wonderful Cyps in the wild. I will show some pics under "Cypripedium calceolus".
I hope my pics are of interest for you.
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The second part:
The last pics show Soldanella alpina, Pulastilla alpina, Gentiana verna and Ranunculus alpestris
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Beautiful Hans.
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What a load of gorgeous little Primulas Hans !! I second David : beautiful !
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I'll add to that too....glorious wild Primula, Hans, and to think they are just on your doorstep waiting to be admired.
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Super images of some gorgeous plants Hans ... hope all is well with you?
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Primula parryi and P. tangutica.
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A lovely hybrid between Primula vialii and P. flacida occurring in a bed of Vaillii. Not sure if there is a name for this particular hybrid, I know it is a fairly common occurrence. Picture alongside one of its parents.
Susan
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Primula x vaniana according to Richards. Nice.
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Primula x vaniana according to Richards. Nice.
No, not nice...... FAB!! ;D
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Oh go on then, Fab! It would really be fab if I got one to survive in my garden.
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Here are two pictures of Primula rusbyi. I got the seeds as P. ellisae, but I haven't found any references to this species on the internet, so I think it is P. rusbyi instead, but maybe it's not...one can never be totally sure with names no matter where the seeds come from.
It grows in a crack in pretty dry soil, and has nice pink flowers:
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A link (among many) for Primula ellisiae
http://www.primulaworld.com/pwweb/gallery/ellisiae.html
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What difference a simple missing i makes. ;D 8)
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And here is a photo from the Aberdeen Show of a potful from the Drs Bainbridge.....it seems luminaries of the RHS Rock Garden Plant Committee can have a different take on the spelling too....
[attach=1]
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I hate to be the bearer of bad (taxonomic) tidings ... ;)
but it seems P ellisiae (note spelling!) has been absorbed into P rusbyi. It's been there before, as a subspecies and a synonym, but it's now there again
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRRU (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRRU)
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I wasn't going to mention that................ :-X
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I hate to be the bearer of bad (taxonomic) tidings ... ;)
but it seems P ellisiae (note spelling!) has been absorbed into P rusbyi. It's been there before, as a subspecies and a synonym, but it's now there again
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRRU (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRRU)
Aha, the ol' missing "i" trick. Diane, I find the USDA links incredibly useful for North America flora, even having info pages on invasives that exist here. At the bottom of each USDA Plant profile page, there is typically an ITIS link (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) for that species, useful to find out what the latest taxonomic standing is, as sometimes the USDA is slower on the uptake. There is also typically a link to CalPhotos, with a good selection of photos, many in situ, although for P. rusbyi, only one photo. And the last thing I check, is to see what the genus-species standing is in the new online Flora of North America... sometimes there's a link on the USDA page for it, sometimes not. As an example, you can check by googling Flora of North America Primula to get to the Primula classification IF IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN YET, large parts of FONA are still not published. For issues of synonymy, the FONA often gives some good insight:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250092248
excerpt on P. rusbyi: Some individuals from the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico have a shorter corolla tube more or less equal to the calyx; these plants have been described as P. ellisiae. A single population can include individuals of both types, and the difference probably represents only a developmental stage of the flowers or minor morphological variation in some localized populations; preliminary genetic analyses (S. Kelso and P. Beardsley, unpubl.) reveal no substantive genetic distinction between these individuals and those from elsewhere in the range
I have grown both "species", find then amenable in clutivation (this was years ago), and glad to see some consolidation as I agree they are not sufficiently distinct. Wish they'd do the same for little red-and-yellow Aquilegia species in Western USA, as it seems every slight different characteristic has resulted in a new "species", yielding dozens of lookalikes. ::)
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Diane, I find the USDA links incredibly useful for North America flora, even having info pages on invasives that exist here. At the bottom of each USDA Plant profile page, there is typically an ITIS link (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) for that species, useful to find out what the latest taxonomic standing is, as sometimes the USDA is slower on the uptake.
The USDA site is extremely helpful, and I actually find it more up to date than most sites. For examply, it's now quite a few years ago that North American asters changed to Symphyotrichum and other genera, but the RHS database has not yet caught up. Maybe the UK taxonomists didn't agree, but they did actually print the changes in the RHS Garden magazine, they just never changed their database.
Every year when I am checking the names on the AGS seedlist database (just started). I download the whole USDA database as I find it is the most up to date, easily accessible resource for N American plants (and, as Mark says, some invasives)
http://plants.usda.gov/dl_all.html (http://plants.usda.gov/dl_all.html) Warning - it's too big a file to be practically maneagable for searching - so I download it in alphabetical chunks. I also use the list to create my own list of cross references as they are now listed the wrong way round for me with the old names alphabetically in the order of their new names (they used to do it the other way, with the "old" names listed alphabetically which is more useful for my needs, often easier just to scroll down an alphabetical list then use a search)
There is also typically a link to CalPhotos, with a good selection of photos, many in situ, although for P. rusbyi, only one photo.
Agreed, CalPhotos is a brilliant resource, I use it a lot.
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The USDA site is extremely helpful, and I actually find it more up to date than most sites. For examply, it's now quite a few years ago that North American asters changed to Symphyotrichum and other genera, but the RHS database has not yet caught up. Maybe the UK taxonomists didn't agree, but they did actually print the changes in the RHS Garden magazine, they just never changed their database.
Thanks Diane, interesting to learn how you are using these resources.
How do you handle areas where the North American Flora and those outside of North America don't necessarily agree, specifically where there is not universal agreement and adoption of Dodecatheon and Douglasia as being Primula & Androsace. One thing I like about the Flora of North America treatments, is that they spend a lot of time summarizing the genus, particularly on controversial ones. On Douglasia, the 2nd paragraph makes a strong detailed argument for Douglasia as a valid genus, as the body of current evidence and science is, as of yet, inconclusive. It states: "This treatment follows the current, conventional view in North America of a segregate generic status for Douglasia". So, does the RHS follow the FONA decision to maintain Douglasia as a separate genus?
Douglasia in Flora of North America
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=110869
Similarly with Dodecatheon, but here they took a "have it both ways, while sitting on the fence" approach, stating: "These observations have resulted in the transfer of all species of Dodecatheon to Primula (A. R. Mast and J. L. Reveal 2007). For those wishing to adopt this concept, the appropriate names are provided here in synonymy".
Dodecatheon in Flora of North America:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=110733
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Anyone know what this is? Received as P. bella, but that doesn't look right...
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P.florida ?
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Thank you Giles, that looks correct!
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A lovely hybrid between Primula vialii and P. flacida occurring in a bed of Vaillii. Not sure if there is a name for this particular hybrid, I know it is a fairly common occurrence. Picture alongside one of its parents.
Susan
This is a lovely plant Susan - I was wondering if it has the same wonderful scent as flaccida? Given that both parents tend to be pretty much biennials with us I won't ask if it is any longer-lived! We currently have neither. Not too bothered about vialii but I'd like to grow flaccida again.