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Primroses

Hello everyone

my question is how do you keep primroses in the same condition to which they are bought in the nurseries?

when I buy them the leaves are big, vivid green and the flowers as big as saucers!

but the following year they are a shadow of their former selves, a bit mouldy looking, and the flowers small with little bits nibbled out of them.

i tend to plant them all around the garden, in sun and shady situations, and I stick to two colours (white and pale yellow for the natural look). The soil is relatively free draining.

thanks

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Posts

  • you need to keep dead heading the flowers and when they have finished if the plant is getting bigger ,divide ,this is easy and will give you more plants and flowers plus should you lose one you still have plenty.

  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811

    I was lead to believe these were really one off plants, they weren't meant to be grown for more than one season although I do try, couldn't just compost them. One of the problems is they are bred to flower vigorously but the congested heart seems to get prone to botrytis.  I find polyanthus, ie those with a stem with several flowers at the tip, ones keep better. If you are splitting them I've found they sulk in the summer so I now divide in Autumn when they are about to produce new leaves. I also keep them fed with tomato fertiliser. 

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    For  those brightly coloured items seen in GCs what Bilje says is probably true.

    If you get some primroses, Primula vulgaris, they'll come back year after year and seed themselves



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Nutcutlet is right, the native primrose is the one to get, and the most beautiful as well. My favourite flower!

  • happymarionhappymarion Posts: 4,591

    Native primroses, cowslips and oxslips are all easy and quite beautiful.

     

  • ElusiveElusive Posts: 992

    You can get Primula Acaulis which I believe is the native kind, when I type this in Google it always comes up with Vulgaris.

    I think these come in a few different colours as well as the native cream variety,

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    The nativeprimrose  is Primula vulgaris

    A rummage on line suggest that all those bright colours might be down to Primula acaulis. Not native here.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    The Primula's you buy in shops and garden centre's are breed for exactly this purpose, a one season flowering event.

    They are usually hybrids and don't come back true or with the same strength

    You need to stick to native plants they do far better.

     

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Will I be lynched if I confess I find those bright colours ghastly?



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Mrs GMrs G Posts: 336

    I agree nut, I much prefer the pale yellow one.  I've found you can split it each year and it still flowers twice.

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