Peter Dowdall: 'Why I adore auriculas and most primulas' 

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

While border auriculas will, in theory, do well planted in the garden, they will do better if grown in pots, says Peter Dowdall. Picture: iStock

I was dreaming of auriculas the other night. Not just auriculas in general but a very specific one. I was in a greenhouse at a plant fair somewhere, sitting down, talking with the man and woman (I think husband and wife), about this particular specimen, which was a very small plant, with the most beautiful white flower, each petal with a big dollop of green on it. It was growing in a small terracotta pot only about 5cm or 6cm in diameter.

Now I do adore auriculas, in fact, I love most primula types, but I don’t remember having seen any recently so I have no idea where and from what deep recess of my brain, this came from but what was unusual is not that I was dreaming about plants, for I suspect I often do, no, it was that I remember it so vividly. I can recall how the greenhouse looked inside, the shape and size of the pot, the plant and even the location, a long lawn outside with a grand water fountain at the end.