Primula-February to April 2008

[ranunculus]

Beautiful, Luit, beautiful....

[Maggi Young]

What gloriously 'untidy'  lawns these Swiss have! Lucky people!

[Lesley Cox]

I've never seen either 'Peter Klein' or 'Johanna' though I've met the names in bulletins somewhere, AGS probably. One is, or both are (I think) hybrids with P. rosea, and that would accord with the foliage on yours Anne, longer, less round, that P. clarkei. It would also account for the umbels.

[Lesley Cox]

Michael, your primula hybrid (reply 216) is quite like my own P. auricula `Rose Window.'

[johanneshoeller]

David, 2616 is an ordinary Primula auricula but a selected one.

[Gerdk]

Hans,
What a range of variation in Primula marginata!
Fantastic!

Gerd

[Paul T]

Hans,

Congratulations on some wonderful successes there in the Primula seedlings.  I am SO jealous!!    Wish I could grow them like that.    Fantastic pics!! 

[Michael J Campbell]

Primula frondosa. and a couple of hybs

[David Nicholson]

I haven't had much to shout about this year with my Auriculas. They didn't like our wet and muggy Summer (even though they were under cover) and I lost a lot to rot. My re-potting with too much Dolomite Lime in the mix hasn't helped them at all, and overall they are a bit of a disappointment. The few that have looked reasonable have been my home grown seed raised varieties whereas the named varieties have sulked. Here's one a rather nice Purple Self with a good strong scape.

[ChrisB]

Thats a beautiful, rich purple there David.  Here is a wee primrose I photographed whilst in the Lakes last week.  They are so sweet I had to take their photo.

[annew]

Late reply to Mark - the trough in which the primulas live is on the north side of the house, but gets sun in the morning.

[Martin Baxendale]

A real stunner, David. Sumptuous colour.   

[David Nicholson]

A real stunner, David. Sumptuous colour.   

Yes, it is a lovely colour Martin. The pity is that in the Auricula world the plant would be a reject. It isn't an Alpine because they don't have the paste circle in the throat and the petal colour is darker at the centre, shading lighter on the edge. It isn't a Self because they have no colour shading. I doubt if the plant would 'bulk up' enough to grow on as Border Auricula. It is obviously an Auricula flower rather than a Primula x pubescens so I couldn't really pass it off as that.

Having said all that I like it and I shall keep it and grow it on.

[Lesley Cox]

I'm pleased you'll grow it on David and continue to enjoy it. How DARE they? The "experts" and those who make the arbitrary rules for types of plants, then encourage -or demand - that the growers follow those, and throw out what doesn't conform. The practice has been a disaster for many dog breeds who must conform to a "look" even though the achieving of it results in weak constitution, inability to eat properly and general ill health in some cases. Look at the poor old bulldog. He may be as British as Churchill but he's not up to a decent walk up a hill nowadays. Some Narcissus vars and others especially tall beared and siberian irises are going the same way. Weak plants with no resistance to any pest or disease.

Here endeth this lesson. No doubt there will be others in the future

[ruweiss]

Some Primulas flowering now:
Primula 'Dale's Red'
Primula 'Twilight' Can't find it in literature,maybe somebody knows it
Primula 'White Linda Pope' (Hope,it is the true thing,would be
grateful for comments from the experts)
Primula marginata 'Amethyst'