Showing posts with label Primula. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Primula. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 April 2009

Primula

I recently read a post in Emily's Garden about
http://garden-week-by-week.blogspot.com/2009/04/do-you-think-seedlings-actually-breed.html how she intends to grow more Primula's for next spring. As most of you will know there are many different kinds of Primula's but for those who don't know I've taken some pictures of the ones we have so you can see the difference for yourself.

In this first picture it shows Primula's and Polyanthus planted together. As you can see they are very similar in looks but the Polyanthus, which at the back in the picture stands a bit taller. This is due mainly to the flower been held above the foliage on a single stem whereas the Primula has all its flowers on short individual stems, each flower having its own stem. The Polyanthus flower is like a firework shooting in to the sky before bursting open. I have to say I prefer Polyanthus for this reason, they are more showy and much easier to dead head, and the ones we had this year have flowered all winter.



As well as the above two you also get Cowslip's, the yellow flowers below. These are like Polyanthus in that they have their flowers on top of a single stem.

Below is a picture of an Auricula Primula, these are more often grown to display in pots rather than used for a bedding display although they can often be found in borders of cottage gardens and are well suited to the british climate.
Bob.

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Chitting

I know I said that I would show you how I’m training the Quince tree but I will have to postpone that for a little while as I didn’t have time to get the pictures yet. With the weather being so nice I’ve been making the most of it and getting stuck in to pruning and tidying up the rose garden.

Instead of the tree training I will show you a couple of pics of the seed potatoes I have set out for chitting on the potting shed bench. By doing this your potatoes will have a head start when you plant them out. Early varieties will crop earlier and more heavily if chitted. You just need to set them out in a light, cool but frost free place a few weeks before planting.



Also here is a picture of what I think is a nice Primula that I have in a pot in the cool greenhouse.