The very first bright spring flower is a perennial garden primrose. It is they who open the flower season in the garden.

Primrose perennial and its hybrids - undersized plants only 10 cm high, with bright colors of flowers. They bloom as soon as the snow melts in April - May, and are considered the first spring flowers.

Primrose growing from seeds at home

It is believed that it is difficult to grow primroses from seeds. Therefore, most often they buy new plants in pots or divide old ones. And, despite this opinion, we will share the way how primrose is grown from seeds at home.

In order for these perennial flowers to bloom early and abundantly, you need to prepare for their planting. late autumn or early winter. Years of experience says that fresh flower seeds that have undergone stratification germinate best. It is difficult to find such seeds in stores. Most often, last year's seeds are available, which germinate worse than fresh ones. However, you can always collect the flower seeds you like and stratify at home.

How to stratify flower seeds at home

• cook Plastic container from under the cake - cut holes in the bottom to drain excess water;
• In late autumn, fill the container with fertile, garden soil;
• The soil should be loose and moist;
• Spread primrose seeds on prepared soil at a distance of 1-1.5 cm;
• Slightly crush the landing, but do not cover it with earth;
• Moisten with a spray bottle;
• Close the lid.

The container with flower seeds prepared in this way must be buried in the garden so that the soil level in the container and the flower bed are equal. Thus, the stratification of garden primrose seeds will occur in the most favorable and natural conditions.

In the spring, when the snow begins to melt, the lid must be opened, but the container itself must not be dug out. Water constantly so that the ground is always slightly moist, otherwise the primrose seeds may shed their shell and not germinate.

When the seedlings grow to a height of 1 cm, they dive into a shaded place. They grow new primroses in a light shade (these are shade-loving flowers), and in the fall they can already be transplanted to a permanent place.

How to grow primrose from seeds

At home, it is possible to plant primrose for seedlings with seeds. As a rule, new varieties are grown this way. Primrose should be planted for seedlings earlier than it is written on the bag of seeds. Here is a step-by-step recommendation on how to plant primrose seeds:

1. Sowing primrose seeds is carried out in early January.
2. Fill any planting container with soil.
3. Spread primrose seeds on the surface of the nutrient soil.
4. Lay snow on top with a layer of 1-2 cm. When the snow melts, it will pull the flower seeds into the ground to the desired depth.
5. Cover the planting container with a transparent lid.
6. Place the planting container in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf for stratification.
7. This method of stratification lasts about 2 - 3 weeks.
8. Take out seedlings of primroses and transfer them to a bright, cool place where the temperature is kept at 12-15 °.
9. Moisten the soil regularly, it should not dry out.

Advice.

If after two weeks no green sprouts are visible in the planting container, then you can put it back in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. You can repeat such actions several times, because, unfortunately, primrose grows very slowly from seeds.

But already at the end of April - May, the resulting young flower seedlings can be transplanted into a shady corner in the garden in open ground, and in the fall - to a permanent place.

Primrose planting and care in the open field

Primrose and terry primrose wake up very early in the spring, so the first mineral top dressing can be carried out on a crust of ice.

When warm weather comes, loosen the ground around the primroses with a garden shovel, sprinkle a little fertile soil on bare flower roots, remove last year's old leaves.

During the same period, it is necessary to water the plants warm solution gummate, and after a week and a half feed with superphosphate.

After the plant has flowered, apply organic fertilizer from the mullein solution. Flower buds of primroses for the next year are beginning to be laid, and the plant needs the strength to grow and develop.

It is this simple care that leads to lush and double flowering.

An important feature is that the primrose is moisture-loving, but does not like stagnation. melt water in the roots. From this, it can rot and die, so for planting primroses in open ground, you need to choose rich in humus and preferably shady place. This is a wonderful flower for shady places.

Unusual flowers - ear primroses

• Ear primroses, or auricles (Auricula) - an extensive group garden forms and varieties of the genus Primula (Primula). wild species, which became the basis for breeding, - ear primrose (P. auricula) from Central and Southern Europe.
• These are low plants with thick rhizomes and fleshy leathery leaves. Peduncles and flowers are covered with a white powdery coating. Petals are pink, lilac, purple, yellow, often with a light eye.

• Auricles are especially loved in England, where they are collection plants since the 16th century. Over the past centuries, an incredible number of varieties and forms of ear primroses have been obtained in Britain: terry, variegated two-, three-flowered, iridescent mother-of-pearl, with exotically colored petals.
• Auricula can be successfully grown in gardens and parks middle lane Russia. They are quite winter-hardy and unpretentious. Growing primrose auricle requires a sunny or semi-shady location, loose, nutritious garden soil with good drainage.
• In spring - early summer, watering is especially important with a lack of soil moisture. bloom ear primroses spring - early summer. They reproduce well by seeds, that is, the ear primrose is grown from seeds perfectly, while the flowers bloom for 2-3 years and vegetatively - in segments of the rhizome.

Primula - gentle flowering plant from the primrose family. Its name can also be translated as "primrose". In its natural environment, the flower is found on the slopes of the Alps, as well as in the temperate climate of Eurasia and North America. A cap of delicate flowers on low growth appears already in the middle of spring and lasts a very long time. Today, primrose is grown not only in the garden, but also at home as houseplant. There are many varieties with different flowering time and appearance. Florists know how to make this beauty bloom in right time, therefore, for the holidays, pots with colorful primroses appear in abundance.

plant description

Primrose is a perennial, and occasionally an annual herbaceous plant. It has a compact size. The height during the flowering period does not exceed 20-50 cm. The plant is nourished by a fibrous branched rhizome, which is located in upper layers soil. Immediately above the surface of the earth, a dense leaf rosette is formed. It contains sessile or petiolate leaves of oval, lanceolate or ovoid shape. They are painted in a gray-green hue without a pattern. The surface of the leaf is smooth or embossed, swollen between the veins. Leaf margins are either entire or finely serrated. Due to the short pile, the foliage seems fluffy and soft.

A long bare peduncle grows from the center of the rosette. Its top is decorated with a dense brush or umbrella, although there are varieties with single flowers on short legs. Regular corollas consist of five oval-shaped petals with a rounded or, conversely, pointed edge. At the base, the petals fuse into a narrow, long tube, and sharply bend along the edge. The color of the flower is very diverse (solid or variegated) - white, purple, lilac, pink and red. The center is almost always yellow. Flowers replace each other within 3-8 weeks.

After pollination by insects, oblong seed pods with soft edges ripen. Inside contains small elongated seeds with a smooth dark brown or black surface.

Variety of primroses

A very diverse genus of primrose includes about 400 plant species. Conventionally, they are divided into 38 sections.

Common primrose (vulgaris) or stemless (acaulis). This species is especially popular with gardeners. Plant height is 5-20 cm. Oval leaves with a corrugated surface grow on short petioles. They have a bright green color without spraying and grow up to 25 cm long, up to 4 cm wide. Funnel-shaped flowers with a diameter of 2-4 cm are distinguished by a variety of colors. They are grouped in a dense umbrella inflorescence and bloom in April-July.

An inhabitant of the alpine slopes grows denser, oval leaves with a smooth, shiny surface and grayish coating. In the center of the leaf rosette there is a cylindrical stem up to 20 cm long with a dense spike-shaped inflorescence of 6-7 yellow fragrant flowers.

A rather large species up to 30 cm high grows wide oval leaves with a wrinkled surface and serrated sides. The length of the leaf reaches 20-40 cm. A dense spherical inflorescence about 10 cm in diameter blooms on a long stem. It consists of purple, lilac, red or white tubular flowers up to 15 mm in diameter. Flowering occurs in April-May and lasts up to 40 days.

Primula obconica (obconica). Herbaceous perennial with many round or oval leaves grows up to 60 cm in height. Wavy petiolate leaves in diameter reach 10 cm. A large umbrella of white, pink or purple flowers rises above them.

The plant forms a dense rosette of openwork lobed leaves. Above them grow pubescent red-brown peduncles 30-35 cm long. Each bears only a few large (4 cm in diameter) flowers.

Perennial garden variety with elongated lanceolate leaves that form a symmetrical rosette. Peduncles 40-50 cm long contain several tiers of umbrella inflorescences, which are arranged in whorls. This species belongs to the group of candelabra primroses. The diameter of tubular flowers of various shades of red is 3 cm.

An inhabitant of the south of Europe grows wrinkled oval leaves with small teeth along the edges. The length of the leaves is 5-20 cm, and the width is 2-7 cm. Beautiful delicate flowers with a diameter of 2 cm have a light yellow color with a brighter center. They are grouped in an umbrella inflorescence of 5-15 units. The height of the peduncle is 10-35 cm. Flowering begins in April and lasts up to two months. Varieties:

• Primula colossea - larger flowers with crimson petals and a yellow star in the center;
• Duplex - dark yellow throat surrounded by bright cherry petals.

On the basis of species primroses, breeders have bred many varieties primrose terry. They differ large quantity petals compared to normal. From a distance, the buds look like small roses with more soft petals. The Rosanna variety is especially popular. Bushes about 15 cm high are covered with a dense cap of narrow flowers of white, apricot, yellow, pink and red.

Reproduction methods

Primula is grown from seeds, and also propagated by dividing the bush and leaf cuttings. It should be noted that when sowing self-collected seeds, the varietal properties of especially terry primroses are not preserved. The seeds themselves quickly lose their germination capacity, so they are sown as early as possible.

Seedlings should be grown first. To do this, in mid-February, shallow boxes are prepared with a mixture of turf, sand and leafy soil. Small seeds try to distribute evenly on the surface. They are only slightly pressed into the ground. To preserve moisture, the container is covered with a film and placed in a freezer for 25-30 days. You can take the box outside. The air temperature during this period should be at -10°C.

After stratification, frozen seeds are transferred to a lighted window sill, to a room with a temperature of + 16 ... + 18 ° C. Shoots appear slowly and heterogeneously. When the seedlings reach the age of 2 weeks, the shelter is removed. Plants with 2-3 true leaves dive into another box with a greater distance. As it grows, a few more picks are carried out. For open ground, primrose seedlings will be ready only after 2 years.

A bush aged 4-5 years is recommended to be divided into several parts. This allows not only to get more plants, but also to rejuvenate existing ones. Do it in August-September. Pre-plants are well watered, dug up and carefully freed from the ground. The roots are washed in warm water, and then cut the plants into divisions with 1-2 growth points with a knife. Slices are processed charcoal and immediately plant flowers in a new place.

For cuttings, a leaf with a petiole and a bud at the base is used. It is rooted in a sandy-peat substrate. In this case, half of the sheet plate is immediately removed. It is necessary to keep the stalk in a warm (+16 ... + 18 ° C) room with bright but diffused light. The appearance of new buds indicates successful rooting. After that, the cuttings are transplanted into separate pots with soil for adult plants. In the spring they can be sent to the garden.

Landing Rules

Primrose is planted in open ground in spring or early autumn. Most plants have good frost resistance. In temperate climates and more southerly regions, they overwinter normally under leaf cover. The landing site should be sheltered from the wind and slightly shaded. Plants are placed near shrubs or under the light crown of garden trees.

The soil should be loose and nutritious, without stagnant water. Primrose develops best on loam. Before planting, the site is dug up and, if necessary, sand, manure, and crushed sphagnum moss are added. Depending on the height of a particular variety, the distance between plants is 10-30 cm.

Homemade primrose should be repotted annually after flowering. Overgrown bushes are divided into parts. As a result, the leaves will be brighter, and flowering more abundant. ground for indoor primroses are made up of peat, leaf and sod soil with the addition river sand. A thick layer of drainage material must be laid out at the bottom of the pot.

Primrose care

At right choice places care for primrose will not cause much trouble.

Lighting. Direct sunlight is contraindicated for the plant, burns quickly appear on it. It is better to keep it in shady places where the sun hits only in the early morning or at sunset.

Temperature. The optimum air temperature for primrose is + 16 ... + 22 ° C. Most of the time, flowers are kept outside or regularly ventilate the room. To bloom longer, you need to place the plants where the temperature is maintained + 12 ... + 15 ° C.

Humidity. Usually all types of primrose adapt well to natural humidity. However, they gratefully respond to periodic spraying. In too dry air, the edges of the leaves curl up and dry out.

Watering. The soil at the roots of primrose should always be slightly moist, but not waterlogged. It is better to water it often, but little by little. Water should be soft, well purified. At the end of flowering, irrigation is reduced.

Fertilizer. Several times a season, plants are fed with a mineral complex with a low nitrogen content. Start fertilizing in early spring. During the period of budding and flowering, top dressing is stopped and resumed only at the end of summer.

In landscape design

Thanks to the wide variety of colors, garden primrose allows you to create an amazing ornament on the site. Since flowering varies greatly in terms, you can pick up varieties that, replacing each other, will delight from April to August. Flowers are used to decorate rabatka, Alpine slide, flower beds in the shade of trees, edging of the curb, shrubs, high bank of the reservoir. They look good in the neighborhood of muscari, tulips, daffodils, irises, phlox, soapwort. Some species with inflorescences on long stems are cut to make bouquets.

I happened to this flower funny story. A friend gave me a primrose, but I forgot to say the name of the plant. And I'm super experienced florist”, For four months I naively believed that I was growing a new rare variety saintpaulia! In general, earned, did not look closely ...

And only when a friend called and asked if I transplanted her gift into the garden, I suspected something was wrong and took a closer look at the flower. But that was once - now I know everything about primroses, and I already give them to my friends, having grown them from seeds with my own hands.

Gardeners consider such lush flowers the pinnacle of selection. Still would! Look at the "great-grandmother" of modern double flowers, the wild primrose of an unchanged lemon hue:

And now - to the riot of colors that we can grow in gardens and on window sills:

Three types of primroses can be terry: polyanthus (many-flowered), auricula (ear) and stemless.

Rosanna is considered a beautiful addition to this noble family (she belongs to common primrose, which look like wild, and only this variety stands out in its native form).

Advantages of these colors:

• Maximum decoration. The bushes have beautiful leaves, making the plant look attractive even without flowers. The flowers themselves bloom densely, in a bouquet. The diameter of the cap is up to 15 cm, the diameter of the flower itself is up to 5 cm.
• Bushes bloom for a long time, 2-3 months (from April to June). Some plants may release petals again, in September-October.
• Flowers can also grow indoors. They can be purposefully grown in a pot or transplanted there at the end of autumn from a flower bed. In the latter case, the plant will thank you with flowers that will bloom from February to March.

Flowers appear in the first year of the primrose's life. But this does not apply to every variety!

Do they have disadvantages

• This is not the case when a flower is planted and forgotten about. Terry primrose needs to be constantly watered and fed, otherwise forget about bright bouquets.
• In winter, such a primrose can withstand a maximum of -25 degrees. For insurance, it is better to cover a flower bed with a film. And even better - in the fall, transplant the primrose into a container and rearrange it in a warmer place.
• Most varieties of such primroses are labeled as perennials. But in fact, many of them are biennials. In order for the plant to live longer, the bushes must be rejuvenated and replanted often.
• Terry primrose flowers do not produce seeds, even if there are many insects in the flower bed. Therefore, for propagation, you either need to buy seeds all the time in stores, or use vegetative methods (say, dividing a bush).

The best varieties of such flowers

Primroses are popular flowers, but not every variety will take root in our strip.

Here I want to talk about the most successful, and not just varieties, but variety series (in them, flowers with the same name can have different petal colors).

All of them are hybrids, that is, they are labeled F1.

• Rosanna. Perennial, loves partial shade and nutritious, moist soil. May have white, yellow, orange, pink and red flowers. Bushes with white and yellow bouquets are considered the most persistent and “non-frozen”.
• Accept. Stemless primrose, a hybrid native to America. Biennial - this bush needs to be updated all the time. Blooms in the year of planting.
• Paloma. And this flower can live in one place up to 7 years. Blooms up to 50 days, but only in the second year of life. Seeds can be planted both in early spring and before winter. In our stores, Paloma seed bags offer mixes of different shades.
• Rosie. Variety with early flowering. It is good to grow it both in a flower bed and on a balcony or windowsill.

Also, auricles (ears) Crimson Glow, Suzanne, Max, Xaver, Jupp are considered successful varieties.

Seeds: buy or collect

As mentioned above, only purchase! The disadvantage of hybrids is that they do not produce "offspring" in the form of seeds.

True, the purchase is also not a solid plus. Of course, on the one hand, on the bag of each variety there is always a small “cheat sheet” with basic information - what this flower loves when it needs to be sown.

On the other hand, despite the decent price (terry varieties are more expensive than usual), the number of seeds in bags is very modest - only 5 pieces. So in order to completely plant a flower bed, you will have to buy at least 3-4 bags (after all, not every seed can germinate).

The subtleties of growing primroses from seeds

Some people sow the seeds directly into the ground.

However, many flower growers (including myself) believe: it’s better to get confused a little and apply seedling method. This way more plants will come up.

To do this, the seeds of your chosen variety are bought in February. And be patient: the seeds will germinate for a long time, and the sprouts will germinate very slowly.

Stratification

1. Prepare a tray with a lid, fill it with peat mixed with vermiculite (or other light substrate). Slightly moisten the soil, scatter the seeds over its surface.
2. Tighten the top of the soil with cling film, a bag or cover with a lid.
3. Move the tray to a cold place. It is important that the temperature in it does not fall below zero. You'll like cold covered balcony, basement, refrigerator.
4. It is necessary to keep the seeds in such a place from 10 to 30 days. Your goal: imitation of the natural environment (so that the seeds "think" that they fell into the ground from the mother bush and overwintered).

You can see all the step-by-step work on sowing seeds for stratification in this video:

seed germination

1. Move the container to a bright place. The room should be about 12-18 degrees, no more. For seeds, this is an imitation of spring.
2. Keep them in the light for up to a month. From time to time, look through the transparent lid to see if shoots have appeared. If you notice that a lot of condensation has accumulated on the surface of the film/cover, quickly lift it up and wipe it off.
3. When the seedlings hatch, start hardening them off. To do this, one day, remove the cover for 5 minutes, the next - for 10 ... If the soil dries out, gently sprinkle it. You can also water the soil, but so as not to flood.
4. First, each sprout will grow 2 fake leaves (cotyledonous). Then the real ones will show up. As soon as you see that all the sprouts have 2 true leaves, you can dive (transfer) them into separate pots. It is best to use disposable cups.

What primrose seedlings look like and how picking happens, you will see here:

These “guys” can be transferred to the flowerbed when the weather is steadily warm outside.

By the way, if your variety does not bloom in the year of vegetation (germination), a box or pots with seedlings can be kept in the house until spring. next year. Until this time, the plant will get stronger as much as possible and will be ready for independent life in the open field.

plant care

• Primrose bushes should be planted in partial shade.
• Soil choose fertile, light. Before planting flowers, it is better to fertilize the flower bed. Many flower growers have noticed: the richer the soil in the flower bed, the brighter the primrose flowers.
• Top dressing. Since autumn, the soil can be dug up with humus. If you haven't done so, water the flowers with an organic fertilizer solution in the spring. The second top dressing is carried out at the end of summer (it is she who stimulates the plant to re-bloom). Here you can already use the purchased mineral fertilizer(for example, "Kemira").
• Primula will not survive drought, so be prepared to water it often. Most of all, terry primrose is watered from May to June. From July to August, a faded plant falls into a dormant period, it also needs moisture, but less. Well, from the end of August, if your bushes start to become active again, resume frequent watering again.
• From time to time, transplant the bushes to other flower beds, and separate the largest ones. For most varieties, a transplant is suitable every 3-4 years.
• When planting adult primroses, make sure that the leaves of the bushes touch each other (close). This will allow the soil of the flower bed to better store moisture without drying out until the next watering.
• Most of our varieties winter well without shelter. True, if in the fall you cover the ground in which the primrose root is hiding with fallen leaves or nutrient soil, the plant will only be grateful to you.

Moisture combined with cold can kill a plant.

Learn more about why they die garden primroses and how to save them, an experienced grower will tell in this video:

Findings…

• Terry primroses are not a separate type of flowers. These are hybrid varieties of popular species. Terry can be stemless, auricular, many-flowered and even ordinary primroses.
• Most popular varieties, which can be successfully grown in our lane: Rosanna, Rosie, Paloma, Primlet (all - F1).
• Terry primroses are beautiful flowers, but require constant attention from the grower. Plants need to be watered and fed all the time, often transplanted and rejuvenated, and if you have cold winters, then prepare for wintering: cover or transplant to a place more protected from frost (you can even transfer them to the house).
• Homemade terry bushes do not produce seeds, so seeds must be purchased.
• Primrose seeds need pre-sowing stratification. Keep them in the refrigerator for 10-30 days. The start of this procedure is February.
• Seeds germinate at 12-18 degrees, in a bright place, for about a month.
• Picking is carried out when the seedlings grow 2 true leaves.