Primula vulgaris ssp. sibthorpii, purple form

[Gabriel B]

Hi! I'm pretty new to posting on this forum. Till now I've mainly read posts, or to be more precise, looked at the awesome photos posted by the forum inhabitants.

A few years ago, I noticed a plant while reading the blog An Iowa Garden: Primula vulgaris subsp. sibthorpii. Ever since I saw it, I wanted to grow it, because I love the intense yellow and magenta colors. The blog author reports that it grows well in southern Iowa, which suggests it will also grow well in southern Minnesota, where I live. However, I've never found it in a nursery, and am not sure where to get ahold of it. I can't contact the blog owner to ask him for a plant or seed.

As I understand it, there are several different color forms. All have the yellow ring on the inside of the petals, but the outer part can be white, light pink, or deep magenta. I'm looking for a deep magenta form, as shown in the blog post, because I like the strong color contrast. I'd also be glad for a selection that is known to grow well in a continental climate, though that is being picky.

If anyone can sell me a plant, I'd really appreciate it (or trade, though I don't have much to offer). If only seeds are available (or legal), that would be great as well.

[arilnut]

Check out Wrightman's. Harvey doesn't list it but there are many to drool over.
http://www.wrightmanalpines.com/search/alphasearch?page=2&name=p
I have ordered a few this year for growing in Kansas.

And check out "Little Gem" at Arrowhead
http://www.arrowheadalpines.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65_114&sort=20a&page=4

John B

[Don B]

Gabriel,

I'm the blog guy. Usually sibthorpii is available at numerous mailorder nurseries  but for some odd reason, in a quick look around, nobody seems to have it this year. The Plant Factory near Madison has it for $5, but they don't do mailorder (look at their plant list, though, and you might find it worth a trip over)! It's not worth driving all the way to Iowa City for a $5 plant, but if you found yourself down here for some other reason, I could give you a plant (contact me through SRGC messaging). If you don't already have Primula sieboldii in your garden, that's easily the most hardy of all primulas for the midwest. Also Camelia Forest Nursery has a line of sibthorpii x vulgaris that does very well for me, in a variety of mixed colors. Now if the Brits would just share their sibthorpii's in colors other than magenta, that I see on here!

[mark smyth]

Timpany Nursery here in Northern Ireland has plants available. I saw them there last Friday

[Maggi Young]

Timpany Nursery here in Northern Ireland has plants available. I saw them there last Friday

  ..and it's Susan's birthday today!  But that doesn't help those folks in the US of A... 

[David Nicholson]

................Now if the Brits would just share their sibthorpii's in colors other than magenta, that I see on here!

But that would be illegal wouldn't it

[Don B]

Oh sure, bring up a bunch of silly international laws!     

[brianw]

I have only ever seen ssp. sibthorpii in the one mid pink shade, assuming anything else is a garden hybrid type and not the species. Am I wrong and it varies widely in nature?

[Don B]

John Grimshaw mentions collections of other shades, including white and more recently a very dark colored clone, George Smith:

http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/2010/04/primula-vulgaris-subsp-sibthorpii.html

We're finally getting a few garden crumbs over here from the UK in our catalogs, like some varieties of Eranthis hyemalis and Adonis. I've passed 70, so this sharing thing better hurry up (though we do finally have more than three types of snowdrops)!

[Lesley Cox]

But that would be illegal wouldn't it

If you're able to import seed of primulas, Barnhaven in France have very good seed of sieboldii forms. I got wonderful blues and whites last year and different pinks. Even WE are allowed that seed.

[David Nicholson]

There are said to be five forms. The original mauve/pink, white, rose, purple and crimson but apart from the alleged original form I've never seen any of the others . I've read that in the UK of any ten sibthorpii only two are the form the others are hybrids and I'm inclined to  believe that.

[Gabriel B]

Whew, I lost track of this thread. Thanks for all the responses. Glad to find the guy who originally posted the blog post. Maybe I can come down to Iowa (unlikely) or figure out some other way to get the plant. Time for private messaging. I like the wild form best, more than the cultivars (not sure why).

[arisaema]

I might be mistaken, but I thought one of the Czechs offered seeds wild collected in Turkey a couple of years ago?

[Tony Willis]

Although not being sure how to distinguish ssp sibthorpii from any other ssp,they all look alike to me I have a good number of the ones shown in Don B's blog from near Kandira in Turkey. They grow in millions under the hazels in nut plantations.

As you move east they are white and then yellow but near Unye the mauve and yellow ones meet and there are lots of hybrids

My mauve ones of which I still have lots and some of these hybrids  by Lynn Almond are shown at Primula world

http://www.primulaworld.com/PWweb/photogallery.htm

I have seen a pink one on Mt Ossa in Greece some years ago and this year saw both yellow and white ones on Mt Vermion, the white growing low down and the yellow higher up.

At present in yellow I only have plants from Mt Vermion in Greece and Cazorla in Spain having lost the rest over the years.