Many of these plants have appeared here before. Species new to the garden were still too small to bloom (Primula scotica) or did not like the weather this year (Primula luteola, Primula auriculata, Primula kisoana, a few others). Maybe we’ll see them next year….

Primula halleri

My Pimula halleri had stopped increasing and were looking tired. I started new plants from seed — here they are. Last year, I started new Primula denticulata for the same reason, and this year I will have to start new Primula frondosa.

By the time the snow has gone, the winter resting buds are already rising and beginning to open. I took a lot of pictures of them. They were fascinating to watch and there was not much else growing at the time.

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Primula elatior

The planting of pinks and yellows are from various sources — including the APS, Jelitto, and my own plants. They are supposed to be subspecies meyeri; some of them may be.

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Juliana Primroses

The narcissi are getting weedy but the shade they provided in this very hot, dry summer may have kept the julianas alive.

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Small alpine hybrids

These are two seedlings from seed out of the Primula marginata hybrid ‘Herb Dickson.’ The second has fleshy leaves suggesting Primula villosa or Primula hirsuta as the other parent. The orange seedling is a slow-grower that came from seeds out of a poor P carniolica x P auricula. The pink flower in the lower corner is a sibling. And the eyeless purple, as well as the budding blue below it, are two good little plants that came from my mixed Small Alpine Hybrid seed. This fall I am going to move them to a better position. They are still small plants after four years in the ground.

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Named Cultivars

This was one of the few crosses that produced seed this year — ‘White Lady’ on ‘Wharfedale Bluebell.’ Don’t know yet whether the seeds are viable. I am testing a few. After five days, they are not rotting or attracting mould — that’s a good sign.

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Primula rusbyi

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Auriculas

named cultivars

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New Seedlings

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Older, Established Plants

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Primula auricula (species and subspecies)

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Other Primula (all seedlings)

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Primula relatives

Look closely and you will see a couple promising buds on the Soldanella (montana?). Unfortunately, they did not grow any further. Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too bright, too dark? I have tried everything with this plant. (Or have I?) Year after year, it grows well but fails to bloom.

The Cyclamen had a good 2020 and produced lots of seed pods. The pods open just before the plant begins to bloom the following year. Here that is July. The seeds are sticky and sweet, and if they are not collected before the pods open, ants may carry them away. The leaves in this photo, taken in May, are also the previous year’s. They will die in summer to be replaced by new leaves that will stay green over the next winter. The plant bloomed heavily this year, and bees were all over the flowers, but the hot, dry summer did not afford the right conditions for seed pods to form.

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Late-summer growth amidst leaves cooked under #HeatDome21.

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