Primula 2013

[TC]

A few more primula in flower.
Primula Scotica grown from old seed collected at Cape Wrath.  The plant is flowering at the same time as I would expect in its native soil.
It does not even reach 1" in this picture.
The others are of candelabra primula which have self seeded in the garden and will reach weed proportions if I do not move them on.

[Hoy]

Could this be a monroi too? Or a close relative? Probably Chadwell seed but it germinated where it shouldn't and I have no other like it.

[Hoy]

- and could this be Primula sikkimensis?

[TC]

It looks very much like sikkimensis as described and illustrated in John Richards PRIMULA and also like a few I have in my garden.
I am always a bit wary of naming my primula as there seems to be a bit of cross pollination going on with florindae.  My sikkimensis are also  scented.
Your monroi is a dead ringer for mine although your's has more flower stalks.

[Hoy]

Thanks Tom. Have to  sniff the sikkimensis to be sure then!

[ashley]

Primula flaccida

[Maggi Young]

Super plants, Ashley: the scent must be glorious.  Such a shame they are stuck with the name flaccida - I much preferred it when we could call them P. nutans.

[ashley]

True about the name Maggi, but to my nose the 'scent' is like one of the more horrible 'air fresheners'
I love the bracts on top, like grey roof shingles.

[Maggi Young]

Crikey- what a different take on the scent - for me it's almost as good as reidii-williamsii.  I find the differing perceptions of scent quite fascinating-  Malcolm  McGregor always thought fragrance in plants would make a good journal article- but I couldn't see how it would work - with so many conflicting opinions on each scent, how would they be described, or make sense (! !) of it?

[ashley]

Perception of scent is not just subjective either; there's probably a strong genetic component, for both smeller and smellee
My reidii won't flower this year so unfortunately I can't make a comparison.

[TC]

Scent is always a difficult subject.  I can only smell a few species of cyclamen much to Cindy's annoyance.  She will come into the glasshouse when the cyclamen are in bloom and say what a gorgeous smell to which my reply is I can't smell anything.  "But you MUST !   ....NO, I can't !
Almost fisticuffs !  Then I will say, that magnolia has a beautiful scent....well I can't smell it,and so on.
I presume it is something to do with the receptors in our nose.  I cannot stand the smell of cucumber-it's overpowering to me.  I can smell it in the minutest quantity and it can even taint a salad if a knife has been used for cucumber and then used for cutting tomatoes or any other veg.
Sometimes I can even smell water !  I would have been handy on the old western cattle drives leading the herd and cowboys to the hidden water holes !

[Hoy]

I planted this one before I knew what it was, it is too huge for the place: Primula florinda I suppose. And an updated P munroi.

[Helen Johnstone]

I have a number of seed trays of various primula seedlings which havent been pricked out due to me being away and work commitments - should I wait now or is it Ok to prick out now.  They look very healthy and have definately grown in the last week or so

[Lesley Cox]

I understand the UK is having a heatwave so I'd be a bit wary of pricking out primulas right now Helen. But perhaps, if you have a cool, shaded place to put the little ones and can keep them damp. I'm doing some potting here which I NEVER do in June/July because the disturbed roots don't start to grow until there's some warmth in the air and there certainly ain't right now, right here, but I have these two little polytunnels - well, joined together to make one actually - and so I'm hoping the night air is a little warmer and the sun, the little we're getting, will be intensified by the plastic covers. The nearest thing I've ever had to a glasshouse, after all these years.

Of seed I've been sowing up to almost two months ago, not a single germination yet, so it's still winter, but crocuses everywhere.

[Helen Johnstone]

Thank you Lesley
The heatwave is meant to be ending this week - I do hope so.
I think I might try some and see how they go but provide lots of shade and mositure.