code: 596
one of the world’s biggest and most impressive primulas
Family: Primulaceae
Common name: Primula prolifera
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 60 cm
Maximum Height: 90 cm
Whorls of bright yellow fragrant flowers are held on tall strong stems above shiny, toothed leaves. One of the easiest Asiatic primulas, this one is long-lived and in good soil or moist conditions, one of the world’s biggest and most impressive primulas.
Sowing advice:
Primula seeds may be sown at any time onto a loam-based compost, barely cover so that around 50% are still visible. Best germination temperatures are between 10 and 15 degrees C. (e.g. a cool, northerly window sill) PLEASE NOTE: Temperatures exceeding 15 C can prevent germination, and above 20 C expect very little germination as most seeds will go dormant as a protective measure. Germination takes between 3 to 6 weeks, sometimes taking much longer.
More information:
The Candelabra Primulas (the Proliferae section) are exceptional plants, originating from Western China and the Himalaya, for woodland, damp, or even very wet places. They make clumps of strong leaves, deciduous in some species and persisting through the winter in others, and then send up their tall flowering stems. At intervals up the stems there are whorls of ten or more flowers, each ring opening one after the other every week or so. In some species there can be up to seven whorls that gives an exceptional flowering period. Colours range within the species from brilliant orange or yellow, red, pink, white, even dark maroon.
