Primula-February to April 2008

[Gerdk]

Here are two pics of a late flowering Primula marginata

Gerd

[Diane Clement]

Diane, just seen the picture of your magnificant Primula vulgaris at the North Midlands Show. Would you share with us your Summer regime for the plant, or do you just start again with a new plant?

My "summer regime" is use of the hoe.   
One man's weed is another's desirable plant.  Primula vulgaris is an invasive weed in my garden.  Years ago I struggled to establish some seedlings and eventually a small clump grew poorly and never increased.  They were all pin form.  Then suddenly one year I started to see seedlings round the garden.  I assume that a pollinator had come from another garden with thrum pollen.  Now I have dozens, no hundreds of plants.  Sometimes I get a few hybrids - polyanthus types in muddy colours with large flowers and/or on P veris-type scapes.  Interestingly, when I lifted the large clump to pot up for the show, I noticed that the vast majority of my plants in the garden are still pin eyed and many of the muddy coloured and polyanthus types are mainly thrums. 
 
Sorry, David back to your question - I do nothing with the plants at any time of the year except dig them out!  They seem to flourish in heavy clay soil so it doesn't dry out (our garden is quite shady).  This year they do seem in good form as the slugs have yet to start nibbling.  In previous years when I have considered lifting some,every flower seems to have a hole in.   If the snow melts this afternoon I'll take some pics round the garden     

[Armin]

Gerd,
lovely P. marginata.
Isn't this an primula from the Italian Alps?

[Gerdk]

Armin,
Yes, Primula marginata is distributed in Italy and France (Alpes Maritimes and Cottian Alps).

Gerd

[Diane Clement]

Diane, just seen the picture of your magnificant Primula vulgaris at the North Midlands Show. Would you share with us your Summer regime for the plant, or do you just start again with a new plant?

One man's weed is another's desirable plant.       

Here's some pictures of my WEEDS to show David how I don't grow them, they grow themselves (none of the primulas have been planted, they have all arrived by seed). 
Invading the border
Typical clump in the border
Close up of same
This clump will soon have to be removed   
This is where the prize winner was lifted from - big gap in centre, look round the edge at all its progeny, including newly germinated seeds.   
Nasty coloured one - see it's a thrum - that one will also go soon

[johanneshoeller]

Some new seedlings
2287: latifolia
2295: spectabilis
2304: a lot of miniera which do not want to flower!
2341: auricula alba

[johanneshoeller]

The second part:
2356: hybrid
2257: marginata (wild)
2358: the smallest flowering marginata (wild)
2364: marginata dark blue (wild)
2378: hybrid

[Gerdk]

Johannes,
Really fine pics!
Did you select the dark blue P. marginata yourself?

Gerd

[Lesley Cox]

David, my bout of "white fever" must be so far advanced I can't see colour at all. Your second pic looks just as pristine as the first on my screen. I'll have to take your word for it.

Gerd, I love that foliage on your P. marginata. worth growing for that alone, never mind the flowers.

And Hans, the white auriculas are especially nice I think. There I go again, with this "white" syndrome. Who needs snowdrops?

[David Nicholson]

See what you mean Diane. I have a similar problem (well, it's not a problem at all really!) as Primula vulgaris seeds itself all around my garden also, so I have creams, whites, pale yellows, and all shades of pink. Trouble is I haven't the heart to dig them up.

[David Nicholson]

Hans, what a lovely selection of Primulas.

[Diane Clement]

See what you mean Diane. I have a similar problem (well, it's not a problem at all really!) as Primula vulgaris seeds itself all around my garden also, so I have creams, whites, pale yellows, and all shades of pink. Trouble is I haven't the heart to dig them up.

My trouble is, I haven't the room NOT to dig them up.   

[Paul T]

Gee it's a tough life when you have rogue Primulas popping up around the garden.  I could live with that!!    Here in Aus many of us tend to have the one variety of something as it was an old plant that has been divided and divided, shared around etc, so we all tend to have just a single sex of plant.... hence no seed.  I have finally managed to get the opposite sexes of the basic vulgaris and have seedlings coming along, but I don't think they're as robust as many of the more "natural" plants overseas.  It's always difficult when you have older stock that can't be replaced by seedlings.  I'd love the problem of having white, pale, yellow and pink species style vulgaris seeding around my garden! 

Isn't it great that we all garden in such different places with different experiences!!?? 

[mark smyth]

One (wo)mans poison weed another mans medicine flower

[johanneshoeller]

Gerd, yes I do select the dark blue P. marginata myself. There are white or pink marginata or with large or very tiny flowers too.