Primulas down South 2009

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

The first Primula of the season is flowering for me now.... and it is an auricula.  This one is a seedling, the only one to survive of the 3 that germinated from sowings last year or the year before (the only time I have ever tried them).  Not good odds at all unfortunately.  Still, this is my first ever auricula grown from seed to flowering.  Not exactly a show winning flower I would imagine, but I'm pretty chuffed. 

[maggiepie]

Paul, I would be pretty chuffed too, if you only managed to get one to flowering, at least you got a nice colour.

[Maggi Young]

Paul, I would be pretty chuffed too, if you only managed to get one to flowering, at least you got a nice colour.

Yes, and a good size to the flower too, it seems.

[Paul T]

Helen,

I rather like the colour, although unless it was completely butt ugly I doubt I would hate it anyway, as it is my first to flower. 

Maggi,

Sort of "standard size" I would have thought.  Very short stem, but more buds awaiting opening on the same stem.  I love the meal in the centre.

Thanks for the responses.

[David Nicholson]

Nice Paul. Was it, by any chance, from seed I sent you?

[Paul T]

David,

Unfortunately no.  I had no germination from the 'Blue Wave" seed that you sent me, and little germination from the 4 little packets of seed that Anne Reid sent me at the same time.  Only 3 seedlings in total, and only one has survived to flowering.  That was what I was meaning by a there not being good odds.  Must work on my Primula germination results.  Would love to try more auriculas from seed, but I fear it would be a death sentence to the poor seed.   I feel like a bad father or something. 

[Rogan]

This is how I sow my Primula and Cyclamen seed - at the bottom of a shallow hole in the compost. This way the seedlings can root quickly and still get the benefit of light and fresh air. I also soak the seeds for five days prior to sowing, changing the water regularly.

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[Paul T]

Rogan,

I can understand the soaking with the Cyclamen seed, but most Primula seed I've experienced was so fine that it would have been impossible to soak and change water?  How do you manage it?

[Rogan]

Sorry Paul, I should have made it clearer - here I'm talking about Polyanthus seed which, I suppose, is larger than most other varieties. The only other species that I've grown are P. malacoides, P.japonica, P. denticulata and P. obconica. So you can see my experience is very limited indeed!

[Paul T]

Rogan,

I've never grown any of those from seed, so you're ahead of me there.  I've grown a few other species though, and some of the seed is very fine, which is why I was surprised.    I must get out and hand pollinate the Primula veris flowering  at the moment.  I'm trying to establish a breeding colony of them here because so many of us here in Aus that have them all have plants divided out from a single original we bought somewhere or other.  Few of us actually have both sexes (pin and thrum) to get seedset.  I managed to get two of the different sexes by carefully checking friends plants and managing to get one of the type I didn't have.  I now have a bunch of seedlings with variability between them so that seed can set.  I want to at some stage get them established in my garden or some friends place, so that they can become a self perpetuating colony like happens in Europe etc.  Fingers crossed. 

[Giles]

I guess we have it easy, here, Paul and Rogan.
My back lawn (selective weedkillers don't touch them!!)

[Rogan]

Selective weedkillers - are you trying to get rid of the grass!!   

[Lesley Cox]

Well Heavens Giles! WHAT selective weedkiller?

[Lesley Cox]

Five primula pics, plants in flower now. First, would Giles or someone please give me a name for this little plant which is only 5-6cms high. It was grown from seed which came as yargongensis.I hope there is enough foliage visible to be worthwhile. (Actually 2 pics, the second a bit blurry but more foliage.)




Primula daonensis grown from Pilous seed


This little group are the offspring of a white seedling from the white 'Linda Pope' and I had hoped for some whites in this 3rd generation but not one. I may grow them on and get seed from them and try that. Though nice they're not worth naming or propagating especially, though I like the blue in the front row, a little deeper than in the picture.

[Giles]

How about P.modesta var fauriae ? (it's only a guess).