Primula 2012

[Hoy]

Last summer I found some very small specimens of Primula elatior growing at the verge of the main road in mid Norway. I rescued two plants and they flower in my lawn now.

[AmyO]

YAY Trond! I've been checking mine and they are coming up great this year. I really like the P. elatior ssp. meyeri, such nice colors. I'll be posting lots of pics here soon....no flowers yet.

[Hoy]

The auricles are in flower now:

[Michael J Campbell]

Primula waltonii
Primula watsonii ?

[McDonough]

You grow some true beauties there Michael.  In addition to the last two delights you show us, the slate-blue auricula is fetching, the color of some globularias, for which I have a totally soft spot for.

[Howey]

Michael and Trond - those primulas are really exquisite - makes me resolve to order more seeds this year and to step up their protection - chicken wire, that is.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

[Hoy]

Thanks Fran.
I'm going to collect some seeds if anybody is interested 

[Hoy]

Here's another Primula - from CC seed last year. I have several plants and almost all of them have buds now. This is the first to open its flowers. The plants look similar to P capitata.

[cohan]

A couple of questions:
I have some seedlings of P bulleyana and P florindae coming along very nicely, and am thinking about the garden placement; I've been reading about their likes, and think I have a grasp on it, but just trying to balance the sun/moisture/cool issue; I currently have one P auricula in the ground, and have found it wilting in mid-day on several days that have been over 25C, even though the soil is always moist; that bed I think of as partly shaded, but realise it actually gets direct sun at mid-day..
So, I'm wondering what if any, conclusions I should be drawing from that and extrapolating to the other P's I mention- the area I was planning for them would have a similar moisture level, and maybe similar sun- mid-day but not late day; I could probably find some deeper shade if that seems better, or I might be able to arrange it so that they have the local shade of one of the rock garden ridges they will be near (I think that would not really shade the plant in mid-day, but help keep the soil cool?
Any thoughts?

[Hoy]

Cohan, I am not accustomed to grow plants above 20C  but if the soil is moist I thinkthe plants will survive although the roots cannot provide water as fast as the plants transpire. I've seen it though on warm days at home but the plants revive in the cool evenings.

However, many Primulas are adapted to drier conditions like P auricula and lutea.

[Lori S.]

If you have enough seedlings, you could experiment.  I'd tend to put both in mostly shade, however I don't have any garden areas that stay moist so my choices are limited.  I've never had P. bulleyana winter over (strangely enough - have tried them often enough from the nurseries) but grew P. florindae for a long time - it's very fragrant, a bonus.  The latter was in mostly shade, though it didn't get any extra moisture where it was.

[cohan]

Lori and Trond- thanks for the suggestions - I do have lots of seedlings, especially one of them (haven't looked at the labels lately..lol) so I will try a couple of different spots.
Interesting you mention auricula as tolerating drier conditions, since that is what is wilting for me on sunny days that mostly I'd only call warm, not hot.. of course its a hybrid, so who knows what genes it has.. if I weren't running short of good sized rocks (!) I'd put one in front of it, maybe I'll find a
 Its funny, I've tended to think more about my lack of full, all day sun locations, so now I realise many of my part sun spots do get sun in mid-day when the sun is high- always more things to learn even just about a few acres like this! Of course I do have full shade areas, but many of them have a lot of native plants and I haven't done much bed development in those spots yet.. I could even plant a few in the wet woods behind the house, not quite the same as in the yard but might be an interesting experiment...
Too bad about bulleyana not overwintering, guess I will find out!
I have to get out this afternoon and try to finish (maybe not) the dryland area of the rock garden, then I'll be thinking about some of those shady spots..

[Krish]

Cohan I had a similar problem like you. I got double auricula seeds from Barnhaven primroses and germinated them year before last. I got six seedling.3 of them I planted in full sun .Other 3 planted in the space between my and my neighbours house which gets only morning sun. all 3 have flowers now and all are double. The ones in full sun have stunted look and also wilts in full sun. Last week I moved them also to the area between the houses.

[deesen]

My climate is roughly mild and wet in Summer and less mild and wet in Winter. As far as Summer is concerned, and in the last few days we have at last begun to have to one, Primulas don't like it unless they are well shaded. If not shaded the leaves soon crisp and the plants soon loose vigour and often die. Primula vulgaris often copes better than others in these conditions. So. for Primulas outside in Summer, shade would be my mantra. 

[cohan]

Thanks David and Krish.. I'll have to decide whether or not to move that auricula- the wilting is only for a short time daily, and only on those warm, dry days of which there have not been a whole lot this year! So far no leaf damage...
I'll probably then stick to mostly shadier spots for the new seedlings..