Tips on growing excellent Primula polyanthus

So here we are in mid January and the primulas are coming along fast. You’d think after 7 greenhouses a season,  upwards to 10,000 flats being shipped out, primulas would be the last thing I’d want to talk about. It’s true, but I’m drawing a blank today and I thought I’d share a little insight on this commonly planted winter flower.

If you walk around Victoria in the cool seasons you’ll almost surely come across hybrid Primulas. As far as winter color goes, these primulas rule the months of December-Late March, and arrive by the rack full at the majority of your favorite gardening haunts. In the coming weeks the greenhouse will ship more then any one man should ever see. While these primulas can be a bit finicky to grow on a large scale, the home gardener will be satisfied by their reliable flowering and relatively low maintenance. A couple key steps to keeping them tidy will make your display more amazing.

Primulas should be planted in sun/partial shade in a well draining soil.

Hot days encourage more flowers, rain & overhead water destroys the flowers.

Planting in a sheltered location would make primulas extra happy.

Being susceptible to rot, be sure to investigate your primula patch once in a while and remove the yellow and rotten lower leaves to encourage fresh growth, rot will spread in time.

When a flower has faded, deadhead all the way to the plant (stem included) or the leftover stem will rot it’s way to the core of the plant.

Sometimes you have to make your primula patch look drab for the short term, for a great hit of color in the long term. Deadheading the whole patch will encourage a fresh hit of flowers, all happening at the same time. When I’ve planted them in the past I tend to give it a refresh every 2-3 weeks.

When the days begin to get a little longer, try giving them some liquid fertilizer. Every 2 weeks or so will help their performance.

When shopping for primulas, look for a good ratio of fresh buds to green leaf. Preferably it should be a nice symmetrical mound of green, loaded with buds in the center. A beautifully in flower plant looks nice today, but one in bud will look good tomorrow.

When buying primulas keep in mind that they were probably grown in a hot house, and leaving them outside in a sheltered location (a porch / cold mudroom) for a couple days prior to planting might help them acclimatize to the colder weather. Cold doesn’t kill primulas, but a quick shock might.

Hybrid primulas are quite hardy and although they’re often grown as annuals, they can be left in the garden to be enjoyed for years to come.

Primulas come in a wide variety of color, mix with Bellis English Daisies and winter flowering Pansies for a dramatic hit of winter color.

Yellow being the original color before botanists created hybrids, maintains it’s scent and has
a sweet smell. I love the first breath when stepping into a greenhouse full of them.

Available at Thrifty foods, Country Grocer, Garden Works and many more Garden Centers. For less then $25.00 you could create a couple great hits of winter color. No matter what your opinion is on these primulas, you can’t beat their electric winter color.