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. The ‘basic’, simplest types are identified by the flowers’ velvety appearance, white central disk or ‘the farina’ and bi-tonal gradation on the corolla. 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. Umbels of salver-shaped flowers in pink, purple or yellow They occur as five-petalled 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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