Southern Hemisphere Primulas

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Some of my rather poorly collection of Primulas..... I am not showing you the whole plants as you'd all be shocked.    Besides, the flowers are the nice bit.  I hope it is OK to start a Southern Hemisphere thread, but I figure it keeps the Primulas together.  Lesley posts some from time to time as well (saw your recent ones and loved them Lesley), so maybe she can make this topic a little more respectable than my plants. 

These pics were all taken today..... predominantly Primula auricula varieties, all with names as I received them so please let me know if things are incorrectly labeled.  I've included a pic of my hose-in-hose that was called 'Garryard's Variety' when I received it but I now know isn't that (but still don't know what it is).  Nice plant whatever it is, and I love the hose-in-hose flowers.  The Primula auricula 'Alice Hayson' is a stunner.  I've only had it this year so this is it's first flowering..... what a colour!  The unnamed yellowish auricula is different, but I'm not sure I'd call it nice (probably a good thing that it can't read this forum or it'd just curl up and die after me saying something so awful about it).  The double mauve auricula is so perfect, but I don't have a name for it either.  Then of course there is Primula veris, this plant is a seedling flowering for the first time.  Trying to get a colony of this and vulgaris going, as so often here in Aus we have a single plant that we divide and spread around the garden..... I want seeding colonies if possible so that they are self perpetuating if anything happens to the main plant.

Enjoy, everyone!!

[David Lyttle]

I really do not want to twist the knife Paul but here is Primula veris happily seeding round my garden.

Another plant that I like is the old style Polyanthus primulas in the second picture. I like the white and cream shades. I once had I good colony but am now down to a few plants and I need to build the numbers back up again.

Getting back to the problem of Primulas there are two sorts of flower in Primula; pin and thrum.  Without going into the genetics pin is needed to fertilise thrum and vice versa - both types are self incompatible. If you have only one plant and divide it will still be self incompatible as they are all clones. You need flowering plants of both types to get good yields of fertile seeds.
Modern hybrid polyanthus are often self fertile.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great primroses Paul and David - keep'em coming - we've got 5 or 6 more months to go before we have any ourselves.
Paul, if your plants don't look smart, you sure know how to camouflage them !! 

[Armin]

It is interesting to see what's blooming on the other side.

Nice primulas from everybody.

[David Nicholson]

Paul, given your climate you've done a good job with your Primulas. The double mauve auricula is very nice as is 'Alice Hayson', not a cultivar seen a lot nowadays in the UK. If I were you I would persevere for another year with your Yellow self auricula and see if next year the ring of 'paste' is more clearly defined. It might (or it might not!) be some consolation to you to know that in Auricula growing circles your plant, because it is pin eyed, would have been consigned to the compost bin Your dark red x pubescens is a good looker too. Your veris and vulgaris stand compare with UK plants as well. So, overall a nice bunch of plants.

[Paul T]

David,

So they actually throw out plants that are pin not thrum?  I guess it is good that I am not interesting in showing them then, eh?

Luc,

You can't see the plant itself..... I've shown the flowers to disguise that they look so bad.

David,

Cool!!  That is why I want to get my seedling established so that I can get a colony.  I do like your white one, but I am assuming that is a single clone?  Plants aren't actually self-infertile by the way, they are just difficult.  If you break open a flower you can pollinate between itself, but all offspring are the same pin or thrum as the parent.  It is a good way to increase plants if you really need to (although you still don't get a lot of seed) try to increase vigor by producing seedling "diversity" (if you know what I mean) but it doesn't d anything to promote an actual colony of them. 

[rob krejzl]

Paul,

Nice plants. We should consider a swap or two. If you want I could also look out for something of Sue's for you next month.

As for pin flowered auricula's, I could send you an offset from a pin-flowered plant very close to 'Alice Hayson' in appearance (an unnamed seedling, ex Woodbridge); might be useful...

To me your double purple looks similar to the plant which Marcus & Sue tentatively identify as 'Alice Crousse' and which I believe is the same as the unnamed double purple distributed by Woodbridge.

[Paul T]

Rob,

Oooh... that 'Alice Hayson' lookalike sounds interesting..... would be fascinating to get seed of them and just see the variation.  Mine of that is only new this year, but currently growing rather well.  If it is like some of the other auriculas it will multiply fairly well I think.  Let me know which of those I have you are interested in... if I have enough I am always happy to share anyway, regardless of trading or not.   So much fun!! 

The double purple probably came from Woodbridge originally, given who I got it from.  So do you think it actually IS 'Alice Crousse'?

[rob krejzl]

Paul,

The pin is a seedling from Alice. Dan's site suggests a flower colour range of red to tan in the seedlings. Mine is very close to Alice in colour,  etc. (slightly less vigorous, flowers a shade lighter red & slightly smaller, larger bracts on the flower stem and a little less farina on the leaves).

As for the purple, the Alice Crousse theory was from several years ago, and I haven't seen or heard anything different since. Might try and buttonhole Sue next month and ask.

I'll PM you with a list of what I have later today.