Primula - bright colors of primrose
Primrose is a delicate flowering plant from the Primrose family. Its name can also be translated as "primrose". In its natural environment, the flower is found on the slopes of the Alps, as well as in the temperate climate of Eurasia and North America. A cap of delicate flowers on low growth appears already in the middle of spring and lasts a very long time. Today, primrose is grown not only in the garden, but also at home as a houseplant. There are many varieties with different flowering time and appearance. Florists know how to make this beauty bloom at the right time, so for the holidays, pots with colorful primroses appear in abundance.
plant description
Primrose is a perennial, and occasionally an annual herbaceous plant. It has a compact size. The height during the flowering period does not exceed 20-50 cm. The plant is nourished by a fibrous branched rhizome, which is located in the upper layers of the soil. Immediately above the surface of the earth, a dense leaf rosette is formed. It contains sessile or petiolate leaves of oval, lanceolate or ovoid shape. They are painted in a gray-green hue without a pattern. The surface of the leaf is smooth or embossed, swollen between the veins. Leaf margins are either entire or finely serrated. Due to the short pile, the foliage seems fluffy and soft.
A long bare peduncle grows from the center of the rosette. Its top is decorated with a dense brush or umbrella, although there are varieties with single flowers on short legs. Regular corollas consist of five oval-shaped petals with a rounded or, conversely, pointed edge. At the base, the petals fuse into a narrow, long tube, and sharply bend along the edge. The color of the flower is very diverse (solid or variegated) - white, purple, lilac, pink and red. The center is almost always yellow. Flowers replace each other within 3-8 weeks.
After pollination by insects, oblong seed pods with soft edges ripen. Inside contains small elongated seeds with a smooth dark brown or black surface.
Variety of primroses
A very diverse genus of primrose includes about 400 plant species. Conventionally, they are divided into 38 sections.
Common primrose (vulgaris) or stemless (acaulis). This species is especially popular with gardeners. Plant height is 5-20 cm. Oval leaves with a corrugated surface grow on short petioles. They have a bright green color without spraying and grow up to 25 cm long, up to 4 cm wide. Funnel-shaped flowers with a diameter of 2-4 cm are distinguished by a variety of colors. They are grouped in a dense umbrella inflorescence and bloom in April-July.
The inhabitant of the alpine slopes grows denser, oval leaves with a smooth, shiny surface and a grayish coating. In the center of the leaf rosette there is a cylindrical stem up to 20 cm long with a dense spike-shaped inflorescence of 6-7 yellow fragrant flowers.
A rather large species up to 30 cm high grows wide oval leaves with a wrinkled surface and serrated sides. The length of the leaf reaches 20-40 cm. A dense spherical inflorescence about 10 cm in diameter blooms on a long stem. It consists of purple, lilac, red or white tubular flowers up to 15 mm in diameter. Flowering occurs in April-May and lasts up to 40 days.
Primula obconica (obconica). Herbaceous perennial with many round or oval leaves grows up to 60 cm in height. Wavy petiolate leaves in diameter reach 10 cm. A large umbrella of white, pink or purple flowers rises above them.
The plant forms a dense rosette of openwork lobed leaves. Above them grow pubescent red-brown peduncles 30-35 cm long. Each bears only a few large (4 cm in diameter) flowers.
Perennial garden variety with elongated lanceolate leaves that form a symmetrical rosette. Peduncles 40-50 cm long contain several tiers of umbrella inflorescences, which are arranged in whorls. This species belongs to the group of candelabra primroses. The diameter of tubular flowers of various shades of red is 3 cm.
An inhabitant of the south of Europe grows wrinkled oval leaves with small teeth along the edges. The length of the leaves is 5-20 cm, and the width is 2-7 cm. Beautiful delicate flowers with a diameter of 2 cm have a light yellow color with a brighter center. They are grouped in an umbrella inflorescence of 5-15 units. The height of the peduncle is 10-35 cm. Flowering begins in April and lasts up to two months. Varieties:
- Primula colossea - larger flowers with crimson petals and a yellow star in the center;
- Duplex - dark yellow throat surrounded by bright cherry petals.
On the basis of species primroses, breeders have bred many varieties primrose terry. They differ in a large number of petals compared to ordinary ones. From a distance, the buds look like small roses with softer petals. The Rosanna variety is especially popular. Bushes about 15 cm high are covered with a dense cap of narrow flowers of white, apricot, yellow, pink and red.
Reproduction methods
Primula is grown from seeds, and also propagated by dividing the bush and leaf cuttings. It should be noted that when sowing self-collected seeds, the varietal properties of especially terry primroses are not preserved. The seeds themselves quickly lose their germination capacity, so they are sown as early as possible.
Seedlings should be grown first. To do this, in mid-February, shallow boxes are prepared with a mixture of turf, sand and leafy soil. Small seeds try to distribute evenly on the surface. They are only slightly pressed into the ground. To preserve moisture, the container is covered with a film and placed in a freezer for 25-30 days. You can take the box outside. The air temperature during this period should be at -10°C.
After stratification, frozen seeds are transferred to a lighted window sill, to a room with a temperature of + 16 ... + 18 ° C. Shoots appear slowly and heterogeneously. When the seedlings reach the age of 2 weeks, the shelter is removed. Plants with 2-3 true leaves dive into another box with a greater distance. As it grows, a few more picks are carried out. For open ground, primrose seedlings will be ready only after 2 years.
A bush aged 4-5 years is recommended to be divided into several parts. This allows not only to get more plants, but also to rejuvenate existing ones. Do it in August-September. Pre-plants are well watered, dug up and carefully freed from the ground. The roots are washed in warm water, and then the plants are cut into divisions with 1-2 growth points with a knife. Slices are treated with charcoal and flowers are immediately planted in a new place.
For cuttings, a leaf with a petiole and a bud at the base is used. It is rooted in a sandy-peat substrate. In this case, half of the sheet plate is immediately removed. It is necessary to keep the stalk in a warm (+16 ... + 18 ° C) room with bright but diffused light. The appearance of new buds indicates successful rooting. After that, the cuttings are transplanted into separate pots with soil for adult plants. In the spring they can be sent to the garden.
Landing Rules
Primrose is planted in open ground in spring or early autumn. Most plants have good frost resistance. In temperate climates and more southerly regions, they overwinter normally under leaf cover. The landing site should be sheltered from the wind and slightly shaded. Plants are placed near shrubs or under the light crown of garden trees.
The soil should be loose and nutritious, without stagnant water. Primrose develops best on loam. Before planting, the site is dug up and, if necessary, sand, manure, and crushed sphagnum moss are added. Depending on the height of a particular variety, the distance between plants is 10-30 cm.
Homemade primrose should be repotted annually after flowering. Overgrown bushes are divided into parts. As a result, the leaves will be brighter, and flowering more abundant. The soil for indoor primroses is made up of peat, leaf and sod soil with the addition of river sand. A thick layer of drainage material must be laid out at the bottom of the pot.
Primrose care
With the right choice of place, caring for a primrose will not cause much trouble.
Lighting. Direct sunlight is contraindicated for the plant, burns quickly appear on it. It is better to keep it in shady places where the sun hits only in the early morning or at sunset.
Temperature. The optimum air temperature for primrose is + 16 ... + 22 ° C. Most of the time, flowers are kept outside or regularly ventilate the room. To bloom longer, you need to place the plants where the temperature is maintained + 12 ... + 15 ° C.
Humidity. Usually all types of primrose adapt well to natural humidity. However, they gratefully respond to periodic spraying. In too dry air, the edges of the leaves curl up and dry out.
Watering. The soil at the roots of primrose should always be slightly moist, but not waterlogged. It is better to water it often, but little by little. Water should be soft, well purified. At the end of flowering, irrigation is reduced.
Fertilizer. Several times a season, plants are fed with a mineral complex with a low nitrogen content. Start fertilizing in early spring. During the period of budding and flowering, top dressing is stopped and resumed only at the end of summer.
In landscape design
Thanks to the wide variety of colors, garden primrose allows you to create an amazing ornament on the site. Since flowering varies greatly in terms, you can pick up varieties that, replacing each other, will delight from April to August. Flowers are used to decorate a rabatka, an alpine hill, flower beds in the shade of trees, edging a border, shrubs, and a high bank of a reservoir. They look good in the neighborhood of muscari, tulips, daffodils, irises, phlox, soapwort. Some species with inflorescences on long stems are cut to make bouquets.
