#Auricula dusty miller how to#
Perhaps one day scientists will work out how to gather this farina and use it as a natural pest control on other plants. Primula auricula 'Old Yellow Dusty Miller' (Auricula 'Old Yellow Dusty Miller') will reach a height of 0.2m and a spread of 0.2m after 2-5 years. It seems, though, that the mealy substance on dusty millers deters insects. Primula auricula Dusty miller Primula farinosa Bird’s ee Primula scotica Poudert beau Primula veris Cou’s mooth Ither names: Leddy’s fingers Primula vulgaris Mey-flouer Ither names: Mey-spink, Meysie, Bog-spink Prunella vulgaris Blaw-weary Ither names: Hert-o-the-yird, Puir-man’s-claver, Prince’s feathers, Crochle-girse. Root rot may occur if the plants get waterlogged, while slugs and snails will hide under the leaves. The attraction is that growing from seed may give some interesting new varieties.Īuriculas are tough, with no major pests or diseases damaging them. Increase plants by taking offshoots from the parent or by growing from seed, which tends to be slow to germinate with seedlings taking a year or more to bloom. Unfortunately, container-grown auriculas need to be repotted every autumn to avoid them developing straggly stems.
Entries in specialist shows need to be in pots, so those with a mind to exhibit have another reason for taking the container route. Growing them in pots of gritty mix makes it easier to provide the right conditions. Heavy, clay soil does not suit them, so if necessary work in river gravel or grit to get the optimum drainage so their roots are never waterlogged. Like other members of the primula family, they need a semi-shaded spot that does not dry out in summer, thrive in well-manured ground and dislike humid conditions. Rock and alpine garden groups and specialist nurseries are the places to look for named auriculas but even those without formal nomenclature can be extremely appealing additions to the spring garden.Ĭultivation is the same for all auriculas.
In this country, there are relatively few named auriculas, particularly in the show group. There are now more than 3000 varieties registered in England, some of them derived from Primula x pubescens (which is a hybrid of P. auricula, found in alpine parts of Austria and Switzerland. They are all descended from a yellow-flowered wild variety, P. In every auricula, individual flowers (pips) are bunched in an umbel at the top of a straight stem.
Because rain can damage the flowers, causing the paste to run into the flower colour, it became commonplace to protect prized plants from the weather, and thus the auricula theatre was born. The main colour can have lighter streaks and this subgroup ("stripes") is among the most sought-after by British exhibitors. They are distinguished by an enamel-like centre, known as paste, and green or white edging. Show specimens are the fourth group and this is where the greatest variation occurs. Doubles are now regaining their popularity, in part thanks to people like the late Florence Bellis, of Barnhaven fame, who bred them alongside her famous primroses. The other clue is that border varieties may be a single colour, lacking the shading of the alpines.ĭoubles have been around since the 17th century but fell out of favour after 1750, when show auriculas began hogging the limelight. Used for general garden planting and showing, many look very like alpine auriculas but farina is usually clearly visible on border kinds. The common name comes from the dusty look of farina or meal on leaves and flowers, although this is absent from the alpine auriculas, one of the four groups into which the plants are classified.Īlpine auriculas have gold or cream centres and the flower colour starts dark at the centre, shading out to a lighter colour on the outer edge, giving a tricolour effect.
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