![]() ![]() ![]() It should not get too hot, too dry, too wet – they are sensitive plants and require care, alertness, and gardening expertise.īecause most Show Varieties can be finicky, what one can offer in an outline are broad recommendations that may need tweaking and tuning. These often need to be grown in a cold greenhouse or in a cold frame. Plant CareĪs a general rule, Auricula species and the Border or Garden types are the least difficult to grow, and the Show Types, such as Fancy Show, being quite difficult. “After overwintering under protection, Auriculas are often displayed in ‘Auricula Theatres’ when they come into bloom, where they can be displayed to their best advantage,” explains Roy. Show types are perfect to grow as specimen plants in terracotta pots and in small, decorative planters in a cold greenhouse.Īuricula varieties need to be grown in a location where they get part-sun part-shade, are protected from high heat and humidity, and are sheltered from harsh elements but where there is a free flow of fresh air. Where To Plantīorder Auriculas have a name that indicates just where they ought to be planted – borders and also beds and rock gardens, which is where Auricula species can be planted too, and also Alpine types if the climate is suitable.Īll types are excellent choices for small gardens and for courtyards. Personally, I would propose that seeds be sown as winter transitions into spring. The answers you get will vary by society, nursery, or expert, and will span the year from November through July! There is no agreement on the best season to plant Auricula seeds. Though Auricula species are hardy enough to thrive in exposed locations, cultivars should be grown in sheltered locations.Īll varieties are winter hardy, and their hardiness spans USDA Zones 3 to 8 (H5 to H7 RHS Zones). They are also accustomed to frequent rainfall but must have well-drained soils. Habitat & Growing ConditionsĪs Auricula originate in Alpine and Sub-Alpine regions, cool to cold, dry climates suit them best. I’d advise that even experienced gardeners who want to take the plunge into growing Auriculas would do well to begin by growing Border or Garden Types and Alpine types.įor gardeners who are diligent and determined, Auriculas are quite possibly the top choice to introduce unmatched colours, show, and ornamental interest to your garden. Not surprisingly, in general the more ‘complex’ and prized the variety, the more difficult it is to grow and the more high-maintenance it is. These supremely ornamental plants come at a price, however. ‘Basic’ or ‘complex’, one way or another Auriculas are highly ornamental plants that bear showy flowers – and ultra-showy or ‘show-offy’ flowers in view of their unique and complex patterns, extraordinary palette, and countless colour combinations. ![]() “Some plants have a white or yellow powder called the farina coating the leaves and, on occasion, the flower.” The ‘basic’, simplest types are identified by the flowers’ velvety appearance, white central disc and bi-tonal gradation on the corolla, as professional gardener Roy Nicol shares: Some of these, for example, Primula ‘Cinnamon’, could even be mistaken for a type of rose.ĭouble Auriculas claim among them a few of the rare flowers that come in leaf green, and have pure black colouration.Īs for the single types, the descriptor ‘salver’ is a particularly apt one, for a large number of varieties resemble hand-painted miniature porcelain crockery. Solitary or umbels of salver-shaped flowers in pink, purple, yellow, white and dark green They occur as salver-shaped single flowers and complex, ruffled double flowers. Their diverse varieties mean that these herbaceous perennials are perfect for beds and borders but also for greenhouse cultivation and decorative planters.Ĭenturies of such cross-breeding and confusion mean that – though there may or may not be such a thing as an ‘Auricula Society’ or a ‘Primula Society’ – there is such a thing as the ‘Auricula and Primula Society’ – several of them, in fact. Auriculas produce flowers in an amazing array of colours and patterns, from essentially ‘block colour’ blooms in bright cheery tones through to highly intricate patterns comprising of daubs, stripes, and gradations in hues both diffuse and striking. ![]()
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