Primroses Vol. 49 Winter, 1991 No. 1 PRIMROSES Quarterly of the American Primrose Society PRIMULA CONSERVATION Winter, 1991 Volume 49, Number 1 by Geoffrey Nicolle Noltan Haven, Wales, U.K. Editor's Committee: Larry A. Bailey, Editor Thea Service Foster Some 25 years ago, when I moved address is The Pines', Wisley Garden, Don Keefe to the Welsh village of Rosemarket, I Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB. Pat Foster was impressed by two plants growing There are now 500 different National in cottage gardens there. Both of these Collections covering all types of orna- P. parry/ plants were primulas, both were old. mental plants from alpines to trees. It In this issue In the garden of the tiny cottage built is not only 'old fashioned' plants that for the Railway Crossing keeper grew are in danger of extinction. Primula Conservation 3 Q« *Lp rover the double lilac primrose P. v. lilacina National Collections are located in by Geoffrey Nicolle plena otherwise known as 'Quakers all parts and all types of gardens from Primula Parryi 4 Cover drawing by Larry A. Bailey Bonnet'. All of the older gardens grew stately homes and municipal parks to by Larry Bailey <See storV on Pa§e 4> a grey leaved pink-purple primula nurseries and private gardens of all Show Dates 5 which everyone assured me was a sorts and sizes. Prince Charles is a 'rackler'. National Collection holder - beech Raising Son Cowslips 6 My interest in these plants inspired trees, but A.P.S. members will be espe- by Geoffrey Nicolle me to seek out and collect all the old cially interested in the Primula cate- Primroses in Alaska 9 double primroses and garden auriculas gories covered. As the Collection by John A. O'Brien I could trace. I joined N.A.P.S. I also holder for Garden/Border Auriculas I News and Notes III 11 became a member of an informal grow more than a hundred different by G. K. Fenderson group of plant lovers whose passion named auricula cultivars of this type. was finding growing and exchanging Primula Juliae and its Hybrids old cottage garden plants. with the Primrose and the Oxlip 1 7 In the late 1970's a group of plants- PRIMULA NATIONAL by C. Leonard Huskins and men and plantswomen connected with COLLECTIONS John Innes the Royal Horticultural Society called Primula Auricula: Kitty Schwarz 22 a conference which formed N.C.C.P.G. by Beth Tait (The National Council for the Conser- 1. Edged Shows and Fancies, includ- Life is But a Stream 23 vation of Plants and Gardens). This ing the Douglas collection by Thea Service Foster organization now has several thousand 2. Alpines Growing Primroses on the members organized into local groups Bruce Peninsula 27 and seeks to preserve a! I types of plants 3. Doubles by Elinor Moyer and gardens. N.C.C.P.G. works to iden- tify plants in need of conservation, 4. Garden/Border Seed Sources 28 helps to find, protect and distribute P. Vernales Cultivars 1991 Seed Exchange 31 them, with the purpose of preserving P. Vulgaris Britain's rich garden heritage. P. Allionii Cultivars P. Candelabra and Sikkimensis Based at Wisley Gardens, N.C.C.P.G. PRIMROSES (ISSN 0162-6671) is published POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P. European Spp. and has a staff of two. R.A.W. Lowe is quarterly by American Primrose, Primula and PRIMROSES, 6620 N.W. 271st Ave. P. Marginata. Auricula Society, 6620 N.W. 271st Ave., Hillsboro, OR 97124. secretary and G. Pattison the Horticul- Hillsboro, OR 97124. Second-Class postage tural Advisor. N.C.C.P.G/s official paid at Hillsboro, OR and additional mailing offices. American Primrose Society Page 3 Mexico and Arizona in the south to thought that the plant needed cold, Montana in the north. It has also been subsurface irrigation to enable it to found in Nevada, Idaho and Wyoming. bloom. Trying to emulate alpine snow- PRIMULA PARRYI The plants and flowers vary consider- runoff conditions and late summer dry- ably in size and form depending on ing led to the misunderstandings about the location and micro climates. the degree of difficulty in its cultivation. It is interesting to note that P. parry/ Primula parryi, an exciting plant for by Larry Bailey is customarily found growing in areas the alpine house or shaded, damp rock Edmonds, Washington with snow runoff and by the boarders garden. A truly beautiful native Amer- of alpine streams near the snow-line. ican specie Primula that is easy to Often, in the late summer, the soils cultivate from seed. A plant that Amer- A few years back, I was nosing tion in having some personal success become dry and parched, forcing the ican Primrose growers should be around a small alpine nursery on the with this "difficult" primrose. My suc- plant into it's annual dormancy. When embarrassed by having not grown at outskirts of Hochheim, near Weis- cess, as so often is the case, is just first introduced to cultivation, it was least once. baden, Germany and stumbled across planting seedlings in what ever soil mix a large selection of Primula parry/. is at hand (usually an auricula mix), What a pleasant surprise to find a piece and placing the pots under the bench of 'home' thousands of miles from the in the alpine house, water occasional, United States. and pretty much just forget about them. I was struck by the robust plants, Using this un-exacting format, I obtain being grown in direct sunlight, in pots some beautiful flower stalks about 18" and as casual as Iris and Day Lilies. high with deep magenta-mahogany It did not take long to strike up a broken colored pedals. The plants were kept conversation with the proprietor (her alive for a number of years, until lack in German and me in English). After of care (watering and repotting) grad- a period of arm waving, crude hiero- ually took it's toll. glyphics in the soil, and nodding and Of all the Native American Primula, shaking of heads, ! did find out a little P. parryi and P. ellisiae are probably more about the present of this Native the easiest to grow, both requiring American primula in Europe. pretty much the same care: gritty, Much to my amazement, many of loamy, peaty soil with ample water in Most shows open between 9:00 and 10:00 AM and close around 5:00 PM. the smaller, alpine type nurseries in the spring and summer months. Like Contact the Chapter's representative for additional information on the exact times, Europe grow Primula parryi as well as many primulas of this section, I found schedules, plant sales, directions, etc. others in the Section Parryi (P. ellisiae, it enjoys filtered, indirect sunlight in April 6th & 7th, 1991 Tacoma Chapter, APS Show P. rusbyi, etc.). There, they cultivate it a cool location to bloom well. When Lakewood Mall, Tacoma, Washington in the same manner as other alpine the plants receive direct sunlight for (Candy Strickland (206) 531-4449) plants. The soil in the pots is a gritty, much of the day, the plants are smaller peaty mix with a lot of loam and and the blooms are shy in coming. April 13th & 14th, 1991 National Show nutrients. I did find out that keeping First discovered growing in the Col- Washington State Chapter the plants well watered in the summer orado Rocky Mountains by Dr. C.C. South Center Pavilion, Seattle months is the nurseries biggest prob- Parry in 1861, it was soon being grown (Rosetta Jones (206) 426-791 3) lems. Often, the plants are divided in in England. By 1865 (just four years the early spring and cultivars are kept later) it received a First-Class Certificate April 20th & 21st, 1991 ...Oregon Primrose Society, APS Show of the most promising colors and plant of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Milwaukie Community Club forms. Society. 41 st & Jackson St, Milwaukie, Oregon Over the years, I was lead to belive Further explorations by Dr. Parry and (Frank Berthold (503) 252-1 614) that P. parry/ was a very difficult plant other botanist indicate this species is April 20th & 21st, 1991 Eastside Chapter, APS Show to grow (A.P.S. Pictorial Dictionary; distributed in alpine and sub-alpine Totem Lake Mall, Kirkland, Washington Blasdale; etc.) and took great satisfac- regions (90001 to 14000') from New (Thea Oakley (206) 880-6177) Page 4 American Primrose Society American Primrose Society Page 5 type, but the 'back' flower is partly treated in my 'intensive care unit', it ^ green, being striped with the colour of rooted and produced new leaves. P the 'front' flower. I have raised only Where there is life there is hope. RISING SUN COWSLIPS one jack-in-the-green. This appeared I have raised no cowslips like Par- early in the development of the strain kinson's single or double green. I once by Geoffrey Nicolle and was of polyanthus form. So far I grew the green primrose but lost it. This Noltan Haven, Wales, U.K. have kept it but not used its pollen, was not to rot or weevil attack but to preferring to breed from cowslip type flood. The stream in my garden over- plants only. flowed and washed it away into the Some ten years ago I became very Hose cowslips and oxlips have Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps A.P.S. mem- interested in an illustration in John appeared in gardens since the 17th bers on the East Coast can keep a look Parkinson's 'Paradisi in sole; Paradisus Century, but have always been uncom- out for it for me! If I still had this plant terrestris', published in the year 1629.