Then in the autumn they have another period of more active growth, so we increase the watering a little again then. During summer, they are growing less actively and we reduce the watering a bit to keep them on the dry side. Auriculas do not like to be over-watered so if you are using plastic pots you will need a different regime to ours and to take care not to have them too wet. Under these conditions, we need to water them on average about twice a week during the spring. Remember we are growing in clay pots, and the glasshouse we have them in only has normal benches covered in a little gravel, so the pots are standing un-plunged on the bench. Primula auricula 'Pot O' Gold' ( a self Show type) Following tradition, we do not topdress our auriculas with grit. We take off any offsets (and use these as cuttings) to leave just the main plant which we pot into a 9 to 10 cm diameter pot, having removed much of the old root and the old compost. We do the latter as it fits in better with our other work. Primula auricula 'Lord Saye and Sele' (a striped Show type)Īlthough many growers do their potting/re-potting just after flowering has finished, an alternative is late August into early September. We use clay pots as we prefer these for displaying the plants, but most auricula growers use plastic pots these days. We add in just a small amount of extra fertiliser (Vitax Q4 at 1.5 grammes per litre of mix), because the fertiliser content of the John Innes is rather 'diluted' by the other ingredients.
What medium do we grow them in? Our mix is: The "Double" types are self-explanatory and here is an example:Īnd just to complete the set, here is an example of a Border auricula: Primula auricula 'Harry Hotspur' - one of the "Alpine" types The petals are usually paler at the edges and shade to dark at the base next to the central circle. The "Alpine" types do not possess any meal, either on the flower or the leaves, though they still, have a central circle of colour - usually white or yellow - surrounded by petals of a different colour. Primula auricula 'Greensleves' - one of the green edged show auriculas Here is another example of a "Show" type: The "Show" types - such as 'Joel' above - are those that have, round the centre of the flower a zone that looks "mealy" - this meal is called "paste" and appears rather granular. Show auriculas - Edged, Self, Striped and FancyĪlpine auriculas - Fancy, Laced, Gold Centred and Light Centred The "Show" and "Alpine" types have further sub-categories as follows: The various types of auriculas have traditionally been divided into groups -there are four groups called "Show", "Alpine", "Double" and finally the "Border" types which are those more usually grown outside in the ground. (There are over 700 cultivars listed as available in the current RHS Plantfinder!!) So in this log, I will point you in the right directions to this wealth of information, while describing here just how we do things at Wisley with regard to growing them and share pictures of a few of the huge number of forms available. As a result, there is a large amount of good, easily available information out there for anyone coming fresh to these plants. Of course Primula auricula in all its forms has had the devoted following if not obsession of a large number of growers over a long history. Though now towards the end of their flowering season this seems a good time to do another plant special and focus on these popular plants.
The extraordinary blossoms of auriculas have been putting on a great show for us over the past six weeks or so. The rewards are rich beyond belief.Scottish Rock Garden Club - >Wisley Alpine Log Two amazing coincidences! Having read the book again, it is a masterpiece in its simplicity - yet it details everything that the amateur grower needs to know to propogate these beautiful and unusual plants and the photographs are amazing! My mother passed away in 2001 but she would be pleased to know that interest in these wonderful alpine plants is as strong as ever and her book is an ideal investment for anyone who has a genuine interest and a willingness to tend the seedlings carefully as they grow.
It was a signed copy so I very quickly ordered it from Amazon and was thrilled when it was delivered that same evening, from the bookshop in my local shopping precinct. Having said that, I was trying to track down an article about my mother and her Auriculas in Country Living when the advert for this book popped up. It was then returned from the publishers, asking me to submit it again in double spaced typing - so I laboriously put a carriage return between every line, not realising that I could have instructed the word processing package to do this. I typed this book for my mother, Brenda Hyatt, when word processing was in its infancy.