F&F reader Lisa Peacock created this beautiful auricula theatre by her door. Here are her tips for growing these fabulous flowers.
The delicate fragile beauty of Primula auricula suggests a diva of a plant that requires tender loving care & special attention in order to bloom.
Appearances can be deceiving. The Auricula is a pleasure to grow, it is a very hardy little plant that does not require any heat. Mine live outside all year round in the ‘nippy’ North Yorkshire climate.
Follow a few simple guidelines and your plants will shine:
- Auricula hate wet feet! Use gritty compost for improved drainage (a mix of JI no2 and sand / alpine grit)
- Do not overpot. A 9cm pot is plenty big enough for even the most fully grown plant. Smaller plants should be in 7cm or smaller.
- Terracotta pots look beautiful, especially the vintage ones but your plants may dry out quicker in terracotta and extra care will need to be taken with watering. Plastic pots are just fine.
- Repotting can be done at any time of year. No particular time seems better or worse than any other.
- You don’t have to repot but it does give you the chance to check for pests and disease and it is nice to pot up the offsets – either to bulk up your own collection or to give as gifts / swaps.
There are a number of specialist Auricula nurseries who will be happy to offer advice should you need it (they also mail order the most lovely plants.)
Drointon Nurseries – www.auricula-plants.co.uk
Kent Cottage Plants – http://kentcottageplants.weebly.com
Angus Plants – www.angusplants.co.uk
My final word is a warning… Auricula are addictive. You will start off with just one or two but before you know it you will end up with your very own Auricula theatre that you play with everyday.
#wildflowerhour takes place every Sunday between 8-9pm on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Just add #wildflowerhour to your posts about the flowers you've found growing wild in Britain and Ireland in the previous week, and enjoy an hour of beauty and happiness. And if you don't recognise a flower, post it and our wonderful community of experts and amateur botanists will help ID it.
