Primroses The Quarterly Of The American Primrose Society Winter 2012 Vol. 70 No. 1 American Primrose Society Winter 2012 OFFICERS Primroses Alan Lawrence, President Editor P.O. Box 37 Jane Guild President’s Message Primroses Lake Delton, WI 2647 A Deville Road Victoria BC V9B 3W9 Canada [email protected] [email protected] ALAN LawrENCE The Quarterly of the Marianne I. Kuchel, Vice President Editorial Committee American Primrose Society 1815 Blood Brook Road Maedythe Martin Fairlee, VT 05045 Judith Sellers The annual Seed Exchange is in full swing! We are (802) 333-4835 Michael Plumb all grateful to the New England Chapter for their Volume 70 No 1 Winter 2012 Alan Lawrence [email protected] Joan Hoeffel hard work in managing this activity and for the Michael Plumb, Secretary Editorial Deadlines great seed collection which they have assembled. The purpose of this Society is to bring the people 3604 Jolly Roger Crescent Winter issue - October 15 I was particularly pleased to see a good selection interested in Primula together in an organization to Pender Island, BC V0N 2M2 Spring issue - January 15 (250) 629-6806 Summer issue - April 15 from the North American section Parryi. increase the general knowledge of and interest in the Autumn issue - July 15 collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in [email protected] ©American Primrose Society 2012 I have also received some Primula seeds from Chris the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its Jon Kawaguchi, Treasurer Primroses (ISSN 0162-6671) is published by the American Primrose, Primula and Chadwell’s 2011 collecting expedition. Chris was forms and to serve as a clearing house for collecting and 3524 Bowman Court Auricula Society. All material printed the featured speaker at last year’s Annual Show at disseminating information about Primula. Alameda, CA 94502 in the quarterly, except as noted, is (510) 331-3337 copyright by APS. No part may be Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Massachusetts. I [email protected] reproduced without the permission of APS. Contents Manuscripts for publication are invited, was delighted to receive some seeds of P. reidii DIRECTORS though there is no payment. Send articles, from this collection. It seems to have become quite preferably in Microsoft Word, directly to President’s Message by Alan Lawrence �������������������������3 the editor. scarce here, and it is a fairly difficult species to New Directors . 4 Through 2012 . Susan Schnare 373 Elbow Pond Rd Photographs are credited and used only grow. A few years ago I grew it and did manage to Central Minnesota Tough by Karen Schellinger. 5 Andover NH 03216 with the permission of the photographer. get it to flower, but lost it to some extreme summer Frank Cabot Remembered . 8 [email protected] Photos submitted to the editor are preferred in 300 dpi digital format but other images heat. I hope to do better this time. Barnhaven Burblings by Lynne Lawson. 9 Amy Olmsted can be accepted. Any material used that has Meet Trevor Cole by Rhondda Porter ��������������������������10 previously appeared elsewhere is properly 421 Birch Road The collecting of wild seed is a difficult subject, Photo Gallery on the APS website. .11 credited and used with the permission of Hubbardton VT 05733 the original publisher and/or creator. especially for species under threat, and in the US The New Forest Auriculas by Judith Sellers. .12 [email protected] Membership in the Society includes a it is illegal in most circumstances. But in some Reginald Farrer, a Presentation by Ian Gillam. .23 subscription to Primroses, seed exchange 2012 American Primrose Society National Show . 27 Through 2013 . Rodney Barker privileges, password to the member’s only cases the collection of seed may be the only way 49 Woodcliff Road section of the APS web site (including the to ensure species survival. Consider the numbers; ‘Brown Bess’ to be Auctioned by Sue Moss. .28 Newton Highlands, MA 02461 Pictorial Dictionary) and use of the slide Chapter Reports . 29 [email protected] library. each pollinated flower produces, say, 10 seeds, Minutes . 32 Dues for individual or household and each plant produces about, say, 5 flowers. New Members this Quarter . 35 Julia Haldorson, Membership membership, domestic and Canada are: So a pollinated plant will produce 50 seeds. At P. O. Box 292 $25 per calendar year Officers of the Chapters . .35 Greenbank, Washington 98253 $70 for three years this rate the world should be covered in primulas [email protected] Overseas rates are: $32 per calendar year - so where do all these seeds go? Unfortunately Through 2014 . Rhondda Porter $90 for three years. few of them will get to become new plants. The Membership renewals are due November 3604 Jolly Roger Crescent 15 and are delinquent January 1. majority will either be eaten by seed predators, or Pender Island, BC V0N 2M2 Submit payment to the treasurer. not be fortunate enough to end up in the required Credits: Photos and text reproduced with permission. (250) 629-6806 Advertising rates per issue: niche for successful germination. If one seed of Black and White: Front Cover: In this issue we feature photographs from Trevor Cheri Fluck Full page: $100 the 50 grows into a new plant, it is probably a Cole. This candelabra, Primula ‘Inverewe’ was taken at Harlow 22675 SW Chapman Rd, Wing A Half page: $60 successful year. The reality of global warming Carr garden in 1979. Sherwood, Oregon 97140 1/4 page: $30 Back Cover: One of Richard Austin’s fabulous new double [email protected] 1/8 page: $15 has put most alpine environments under threat, auriculas ‘Chocolate Teapot.’ Check out photos of all his plants Color: and one solution to ensure the survival of alpine at www.doubleauriculas.com Half page: $150 Full page: $300 species is well organized seed collection activity. Back Cover: $450 Contact the treasurer for details. Some of this collection should be stored in seed 2 3 American Primrose Society Winter 2012 banks, but dedicated specialist growers should be entrusted with raising plants Central Minnesota Tough for continued seed production and raising plants for placement in suitable KAREN SCHELLINGER environments. Legendary Barnhaven One spring, as I was placing my Primula polyanthus plants on the sales tables for our This year’s National Show is in Oregon Minnesota Arboretum’s large spring plant sale, a woman working there commented, at the Portland Expo Center on April 6, seed - still carefully “Isn’t it too bad they come out of a greenhouse.” I told her, no, these were plants I grew 7 and 8th, in conjunction with the Oregon hand-pollinated from in the ground over the winter and then I potted them up for the spring sale. The only Hardy Plant Society Spring Sale of 70+ rigorously selected time they saw a greenhouse was when I planted them as seeds in my small 10x12-foot vendors. Registration includes four talks plants. We also send greenhouse in November to bloom in the following May. My first primrose seed was as well as the Auricula Round-Table planted in the fall of 1987 - 24 years ago. My, how time flies when you’re having fun! Discussion on Sunday. Guest speaker is bare-rooted plants Bob Taylor, premier grower of all kinds to the USA. Many people are amazed when I tell them I can grow many kinds of Primula in of Primula, from Yorkshire, England. Minnesota and have done so for 24 or more years. We are blessed with very good 11 rue du Pont Blanc soil that retains the moisture but yet is well-drained, the result of hundreds of years of 22310 All the latest news, including registration deciduous tree leaves left to decay beneath the trees. I have never added anything to Plestin les Grèves, France forms and online payment, will be on the the soil except for bone meal and wood ashes occasionally. website. Hope to see you there. Tel/Fax: 1133 2 96 35 68 41 [email protected] I garden in a protected area with a hill to the northwest which slopes south to my www.barnhaven.com Primula and hosta, with maple and basswood trees overhead which can make for heavy shade in the middle of my garden. When we get a heavy downpour, the water flows down the hillside into my gardens as it has done for hundreds of years, but the garden continues to be well-drained. I allow the fallen leaves to remain in the garden. I used to rake them up in the spring American Primrose Society because I liked to see the soil between my plants. I have since decided that it is better ELECTION OF APS OFFICERS AND to leave them as Mother Nature intended with the primroses growing up through the DIRECTORS, 2012 leaf cover in the spring. The worms have the leaves removed by fall, adding to the The time has come round again for richness of the soil. The new fall leaves are good for winter protection if we don’t you to choose some of the people who get much snow cover. I have some slugs and use pet-friendly slug bait around special volunteer to help run our Society. Please plants like orchids in spring. The Primula don’t seem to suffer too much from the slugs. take a few moments to fill out the ballot We live in central Minnesota where the winter temperatures can get to 30 below zero, sheet enclosed with this issue of the but it is most often around 20 below. I do remember, however, one winter when I had Primroses quarterly. Bios of the listed to drive to the Twin Cities for a Master Gardener course, it got to 40 below.