Border Auriculas
Border Auricula also known as Primula Auricula.
April and May! Showtime for the Border Auricula’s here in our Cheshire garden, they also performed pretty well in Aberdeen
The Auricula above (Curry blend) is one of my favourites. Potted up a few years ago in Aberdeen, it was a tiny plant, however this Spring it has given a really good show in the North facing gravel border of our Cheshire garden.
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Auricula Starling
You can see where they were coming from when naming this one.
The deep purply blue flowers frosted with silver dots makes Starling stand out.
Planted at the same time as (Curry Blend) Starling has been slower to develop, well worth waiting for.
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Auricula Leather jacket
The dusky pink and white (Auricula Leather jacket) is subtle, yet has its own charm.
Although Auriculas are fully hardy, I felt that I could make the most of them planted in terracotta pots.
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Auricula Rusty dusty yellow
Rusty Dusty, not unlike Curry blend.
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Growing Border Auricula in terracotta pots.
Although the border Auriculas are fully hardy, they are quite fussy regarding growing conditions.
The soil must be free draining, and protection from Summer sunshine is important. For me, this makes growing in pots more simple.
I have to mention, the enthusiasts who grow show Auriculas take the whole thing to another level. They grow the finest and showy-est of plants displayed in a theatrical manner, in fact, in a theatre, extreme example nothing wrong with this, in fact it looks amazing, just not for me.
So, anyway our Auriculas are potted up in terracotta pots using 50% peat based multi-purpose compost, 30% John Innes No2, and 20% grit, topping the pot with a layer of grit.
After a couple of years I found some of them required re-potting, which I did soon after flowering was over.
Early November I place the plants in the unheated greenhouse, here in Cheshire its a wee thing, a sort of zip up wardrobe which gives protection from the rain, as explained they dont mind the cold but hate being waterlogged.
Over Winter keep your plants almost, but not dust dry, pull away any lower dead yellow leaves. The plants will start to look really sorry for themselves, but they are in a state of near dormancy
In early March I start light feeding, I use Richard Jacksons Flower Power as seen on Qvc.
I find placing them outdoors at the beginning of April in a sunny position gets them going. Later on in the Spring when buds have developed and flowers are opening I move the plants down to the gravel border near the North facing wall of the house where they can be enjoyed at their best.
Dead head after flowering, keep them away from the hot Summer sun and water sparingly. Your Auriculas will stop growing in the Summer and make a little spurt of growth in early Autumn some of which may well have a few flower.
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A few other Auriculas in our garden which I dont have the names of. Well, to be honest it really doesn’t lessen the pleasure they give.
Next on the wishlist is those candelabra type Primulas, I think they would look good in the woodland area, have to do some research though, as this area is boggy in the Winter and very dry in Summers.
For the many gardeners just getting into vegetable growing here is information that could well be invaluable. Growing Vegetables
Thanks for dropping by, see you next time
or maybe even a hedgehog.
Now that pronoun ‘one’ could be handy, especially when I make those rare mistakes, like with sausages… Wow Alistair I went to the Scottish Laird site. That castle (of yours) is an amazing structure–a magical looking building in a perfect setting.. (And I thought MY house was a big restoration project.) It is appropriate that you have a title from it and also that square foot of ground. You might pasture a very small sheep there, I am thinking, or a bunny.
Before the Queen got down and dirty like the rest of us she would say, when referring to herself — For instance, instead of saying (I have burned the sausages on the barbecue) she would say, (One has burned the sausages on the barbecue)
Linnie, I am a Laird of this castle, I have to be more thorough with my deeds to find more details.
http://scottishlaird.com/?page_id=26
Well maybe YOU didn’t say ‘one’ but I did. Clearly I need some Scottish clarification here. I understood the “royal We” as the monarch speaking for the monarch and God. But, the royal “one’? And I do think of you as a castle lord and maybe Garden Emperor too Alistair so I feel certain that you could do a lot with a square foot of land. Or is it under something, like say a sidewalk? (You may detect my cluelessness about most every aspect of this discussion, but I am trying.)
Sophie is good Linnie, Oh god, did I really say (one) as in the (Royal one) Always had ideas above my station. Well, one does have to have standards, I am after all a Scottish Laird of a castle, my daughter bought me a share of the land 1 square foot for £20
Bearutiful blooms Alistair, but not familiar to me at all. You are so good to share what you have learned about succeeding with them.
I loved your comment that one can fully enjoy a plant variety without knowing its name. Sometimes, as queen of my garden, I give plants new names. I have two identical peach trees and I named them each Sophie. Sophie and Sophie. Another level of garden enjoyment. Well for some of us…
It is well over the top Deb.
When I checked out the “theatre, extreme example,” i immediately said, “Oh, no!” Definitely not for me, but the flowers are quite beautiful. I think it might be fun to see a theatre full of auriculas, but how could one appreciate the beauty of the individual flowers in such an extreme setting?
Yes, something about Auricula which makes them look just right for pots.
I honestly think they look even better growing in a display of pots. They seem such formal plants to me, so the pots really fit for some reason. With not wanting to be waterlogged, they definitely wouldn’t make it planted in my clayish garden either! Love the link for the vegetable growing infographic – awesome guide!
I was thinking of adding a few arum lilies Diana.
We are always thinking of more when it comes to our gardens Helene. The staging area is big enough for a concert.
Auriculas are one type of plants I haven’t delved into yet, but with more garden space I might find a suitable corner for this too, who knows – there are so many plants I would love to grow! They would need to spend life outdoor all year round though, but here in my new garden I would possibly be able to put them in a shady position during their dormancy where they would keep dry. I will look into this for next year. Oh, and I loved the staging area, even though it is BIG. Not for me though, I would need to move to an even bigger garden 🙂
I get that sort of effect from my solitary Plectranthus.
Yours do the theatre thing with beautiful glazed pots!
The winter wet and summer dry would suit arum lilies – but you might run a risk of them being invasive?
Hi Rick
I recall that you were not a fan of the Auricula, its true they can have a manufactured look, plenty fans of them out there though.
Hi Alistair, when I was a child I remember that nearly every garden had Auriculas, all more or less the same colour a blueish/purple with a yellow eye, I think maybe they had spread through the locality by being passed on from one garden to another as at the time they were regarded as quite exotic. They were definitely as tough as old boots and grew in some quite dry spots, adjacent to privet hedges for example. I am a big primula fan but Auriculas and the smaller primula cultivars don’t do it for me, perhaps I regard them as being somehow artificial although as your pictures show they are beautiful plants in their own right.
Sunil, after all these years, I still do the same as you.
Hello Alistair, I should make an area of the garden dedicated to small and delicate plants like these wonderful border auriculas. I have a bad habit of tier-planting larger and larger plants with these smaller plants so that are eventually shaded, out-competed and forgotten.
Hi Donna
The leaves of Auricula do have that succulent appearance. Appreciate your experience with the candelabra.
Alistair I don’t think I have ever seen this plant here. I find them almost succulent with the leaves and exotic flowers…very interesting. I have candelabra primroses in my bog garden that has similar conditions. Wet in winter and spring and dry in summer and part of fall.