Primula Puzzle from John at Cluny Gardens

[Maggi Young]

Included in  The International Rock Gardener - May 2014   which you can see here there is a primula puzzle posed by John Mattingley from Cluny House Gardens in Perthshire.

You can see various photos of the primula in that IRG - I'll just post one here :


Who has an idea as to what this beautiful primula might be?

[Steve Garvie]

 Is it Primula amoena (=Primula elatior subsp. meyeri)?

[Maggi Young]

Steve :  I think of Primula elatior subsp. meyeri as having a yellow throat  but I'm not sure if that is an invariable feature. Also  I thought the "mystery" plant's leaves were rather more rounded than I would expect from P. amoena/Primula elatior subsp. meyeri ( and other like names )

[Maggi Young]

Here ( circa 2/3 down the page)    John Richards shows  Primula elatior subsp. meyeri   "from wild collected seed". The  leaf  looks to have a winged petiole and this quite different and  the calyx looks quite hairy but is much longer than the mystery plant. There's another photo here which seems to show a dark purple throat.
Other pix of JR's plants show a yellow throat and with winged leaf petioles, as here http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6905.msg193116#msg193116

[ichristie]

Hello, I have a primula amoena which is that dark purple colour but am posting a plant photo from a show it was  Primula amoena, cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Maggi Young]

Super plant at a Perth show, Ian. We can see the yellow eye and the winged stems to the leaves - not as in John M's plant.

[ichristie]

Hello Maggie and all I can say that John Richards has informed me that Primula amoena is very variable but I do agree the John's plant looks different yet another debate to follow, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Lesley Cox]

Is it Primula amoena (=Primula elatior subsp. meyeri)?

I don't think so. At least, what I grow as elatior ssp meyeri looks exactly like elatior, only violet. This has very distinctive foliage as well as the beautiful calyces and the elegant droop of the flowers, something really special I think.

[Lesley Cox]

Having looked at the links to JR's plants, I'm now thinking mine perhaps ISN'T! Blast!!

[Olga Bondareva]

Yes Primula amoena is very variable some places it grows. Sometimes it does not have yellow eye and can be very dark.




I do not remember it's leaves features. Just can promice to check in the garden. 

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Olga