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

Sun, 20 Feb, 2022 - 13:05

Peter Dowdall

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.

The memory of the dream is so exact and strong that I had no choice but to write about these beauties this week. More than that, I am now, of course in search of an auricula with white and green petals, the flowers bigger than what you would normally expect on such a plant.

Auriculas are a group of plants that have garnered quite a following over the centuries. Native to mountainous regions of Central Europe, the first auriculas were seen in European gardens in the mid-1600s.

They were especially popular during Victorian times in the middle of the 19th century but as trends changed at the end of that century and tastes moved to more natural-looking and less, “perfect” or “artificial” flowers, interest waned. However, it didn’t disappear and this group of plants has retained a loyal and strong number of addicts, one of which I consider myself.

There are now auricula societies all over the world dedicated to sharing knowledge, new developments and seeds of these treasures and as the rest of the world has had to change over the last number of years so too, many of these groups now meet via Zoom, to discuss and show off the finer points of prized specimens.

A species of primula, P. auricula is broken down into about 10 groups or categories. There are Show Auriculas, further categorised as: Edged, Self, Striped and Fancy. Alpine Auriculas are also broken into groups: Light Centred, Gold Centred, Laced and Fancy and then there are Doubles and Border.

All auriculas will tolerate the frost and low temperatures that we experience in Ireland — however what they do struggle with is the amount of rain that we get here.

Excessive rain during the winter can simply rot the root system and too much rain during the spring will mark the foliage and leaves along with weakening the overall vigour of the plant. Remember that they are native to mountainous regions and thus they like to grow in very free-draining soils — hence many are grown in pots where the growing medium and drainage can be controlled.

Try one or two in a pot on the kitchen windowsill or unheated glasshouse if you have one but do move them out for the summer months as they do like good amounts of ventilation and fresh air. Border types will, in theory, do well planted out in the garden but I have found, from experience unless they are growing in a very well-drained rockery or scree bed that they will not last many years.

Anyone who has developed a fascination with a plant genus — I hesitate to use the word addiction but really that’s what it can become, and far better than many other addictions —will understand how all-encompassing it can become.

These will grow quite easily from seed but seedlings won’t always come true to type. In other words, seedlings will produce flowers of various new shades and colour combinations.

If you do want to bulk up on any particularly good variety, the best way to propagate is vegetatively, namely by removing the little plantlets which will emerge around the outside of an established auricula. Do this using a sharp knife and a steady hand.

Perhaps my dream was motivated by some deep part of my brain yearning for a return to flower shows. I know several returned last year and all going well, we will see many more plant fairs along with the larger shows like Mallow and Bloom during 2022 and my search for the white and green auricula of my dreams can commence.