Primrose: Keys to Heaven's Gates or Fairy Houses?

Caring for rose primrose

This is one of the primroses that requires little or no maintenance. In drought, when the soil dries up or in extreme heat, even near water bodies (if the primrose is not planted in a shaded place where the soil never overheats), it is better for the plant to carry out additional watering. In places with drier soil, watering should be regular.

To protect primrose from weeds and overheating of the roots, you can use mulching. If the soil is not mulched, the maintenance program includes periodic weeding and loosening.

Dry flower stalks, if you are not going to grow their own seeds, it is better to cut off in time.

The plant is divided only when signs of degeneration of part of the clumps or old rosettes appear. It is a long-lasting primrose that does not suffer from pests and diseases.

For the winter, pink primrose bushes are additionally protected by mulching. The plant is frost-hardy enough for the middle lane, but it can disappear in snowless or extremely unstable winters. The bushes are protected by a simple cover with a layer of dry leaves. The mulch must be removed in spring to prevent the curtains from drying out and to remove obstacles to the growth of shoots.

It is better to plant primrose pink in a shaded place where the soil never overheats. GMH-SD-HH

Plant care

• Primrose bushes should be planted in partial shade.
• Choose a fertile, light soil. Before planting flowers, it is better to fertilize the flower bed. Many growers have noticed: the richer the soil in the flower bed, the brighter the primroses flowers.
• Top dressing. In the fall, the soil can be dug up with humus. If you haven't, water your flowers with an organic fertilizer solution in the spring. The second feeding is carried out at the end of summer (it is she who stimulates the plant to re-flowering). Here you can already use a purchased mineral fertilizer (for example, "Kemiru").
• Primrose will not survive drought, so be prepared to water it frequently. Most of all, terry primrose is watered from May to June. From July to August, the faded plant falls into a dormant period, it also needs moisture, but less. Well, from the end of August, if your bushes start to be active again, resume frequent watering again.
• From time to time, transplant the bushes to other flower beds, and separate the largest ones. For most varieties, replanting every 3-4 years is suitable.
• When planting adult primroses, make sure that the leaves of the bushes touch each other (close). This will allow the soil of the flower bed to store moisture better without drying out until the next watering.
• Most of our varieties winter well without shelter. True, if in the fall you cover the ground in which the primrose root is hiding with fallen leaves or nutritious soil, the plant will only be grateful to you.

Moisture combined with cold can kill the plant.

In more detail about why garden primroses die and how to save them, an experienced florist will tell in this video:

Seedling care

After performing the stratification procedure using one of the above methods, the containers with the first shoots are placed in the conditions usual for seedlings. Now they are entering a period of active growth and development, which will require regular care. After the seedlings have been removed from the refrigerator, you need to provide them with a temperature that will not bring stress. It is desirable that the room where the containers are located should not be more than +15 degrees.

Keeping in mind that the sprouts were in the dark, they should not be immediately put on the windowsill, drenched in the sun. A window that faces the north side will do. There is no direct sunlight here, which can burn the delicate greenery. However, a dark room is also not suitable for growing a flower, since it will be deficient in ultraviolet radiation.As for watering, it should be timely and moderate. Do not allow the soil in containers with seedlings to dry out. Required light, but stable substrate moisture. Since the sprouts will be weak at first, the soil will have to be moistened by spraying water from a finely dispersed spray bottle.

The picking of seedlings is performed when the sprouts already have two true leaves. To do this, they are carefully removed from the moistened soil, trying not to touch or damage the forming root system, and are divided for transplantation to a new place. A fresh soil mixture is prepared in advance, providing the plants with proper nutrition. Planting is carried out in separate pots or containers with a step of 5x5 cm. The seedlings are moistened in a timely manner, avoiding the ingress of water on the stem and leaves. For proper development and growth, primrose seedlings are fed after a while. On average, this is done no more than once every two weeks, starting from the moment the first leaves appear. The application of dressings should be dosed, therefore, a weakly concentrated solution of mineral fertilizers should be used to nourish the roots. In order not to harm the seedlings, the concentration of the solution must be reduced by 2 times from that indicated on the instructions for fertilization.

In order to increase the chances of primrose breeding and grow a healthy and beautiful plant with abundant flowering, you can take note of the tips and tricks of experienced gardeners.

• If stratification proceeds slowly, and there are no shoots after exposure, the container is returned to the refrigerator and kept there for another 10 days.
• The care of seedlings of different varieties is different. For example, Japanese primrose, omitted, Florinda and pink need diffused light and a temperature regime from +16 to +18 degrees.
• When you do not want to put the seeds and soil in the refrigerator, you can process the seeds themselves, shortening the time of exposure to cold. They are put in the freezer for 12 hours, after which they are planted according to the general scheme.
• If it is noted on the purchased seeds that they do not need stratification, there is no point in it (this will not increase germination).
• Picking is a mandatory step in leaving. Without it, the growth and development of primrose slows down.
• You can spray primrose from a fine spray, trying to keep the water only on the soil.
• If the weather is not yet suitable for planting in open ground, young plants dive into large boxes with a step of 15 cm, waiting for transplantation to a permanent place.
• The second pick before transplanting into open ground is needed for those plants whose growth is too active and dense.

Growing conditions

Primrose seeds have their own germination mode, and therefore you need to approach planting correctly. This is influenced by both the planting time and the time of collecting planting material.

Seed preparation

Most varieties of primrose need preliminary preparation. An exception is the common and toothed primrose. Unlike other varieties, they do not need to undergo a stratification process to germinate. In this case, the optimal temperature should not exceed +5 degrees. Some growers begin to prepare seeds even in winter, believing that the most favorable period for this is January. Before subjecting the seed to stratification, the seeds are disinfected. This is necessary in order to prevent various diseases. For the purpose of such prevention, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is used, keeping the seeds in it for no more than 3-5 minutes.

Nuances of soil

An equally important condition for growing a high-quality plant specimen is the correct choice of soil. In order not to doubt the correctness of its composition, you can buy a ready-made substrate in a specialized store. However, if desired, it will not be difficult to prepare soil mixture for future seedlings on your own. For the normal development of primrose, the classic composition is quite enough, consisting of sod land, sand and leafy soil in equal proportions.The soil optimal for the plant has a fertile loose, but slightly coarse structure. Before planting prepared seeds, the ground must be rid of pits in order to prevent the seeds from falling through.

You can flavor the soil with perlite or vermiculite. Perlite will prevent soil caking and provide drainage. As for vermiculite, it perfectly normalizes acidity, and therefore will contribute to the adaptation and development of the root system of the flower. Before planting seeds in the ground, it must be pickled. If you do not want to use potassium permanganate for this, the soil is doused with boiling water.

This is especially important when the substrate is taken from the site of the house, and the compost is stored all winter in the underground. Someone calcins the ground by heating, considering this method of processing the most effective

Containers

Traditional containers 5-7 cm high can be used as containers.

If a decision is made to use a large container, it is important to take care of good drainage in order to exclude the possibility of water stagnation in the ground. You can plant seeds in a common box, using a small flower pot, a cassette, a container with cells as it

Growing

An indispensable condition for growing a primrose is a soil rich in humus. The best way to harvest soil for planting is from rotten leaves, seasoned cow dung, and homemade compost. In addition, primroses are highly mulched with chopped foliage. Organic matter helps to not only retain moisture, but also prevent moisture from evaporating.

Even if there is no natural pond or stream on the site, you can grow water-loving primroses near an artificial reservoir. In hot, dry climates, it is worth choosing a place for planting where shade forms after lunch. In England and Europe, these flowers often grow in open fields under cloudy skies.

Drought is far more dangerous than cold. If it is not possible to water the soil regularly, the plants will look lethargic.

Pests or diseases rarely bother primroses. Some gardeners talk about spider mite problems during hot, dry weather. Slugs can damage leaves in wet summers. In the first case, you can use an insecticide, including neem oil or soap solution. In the fight against slugs and snails, ash helps well, which is scattered around the flowers, it will also become a natural fertilizer

The video below tells about the intricacies of planting primrose seeds.

Small-toothed primrose, like many other plants, has its own legends. The British believe that gnomes and fairies live inside the thickets of these primroses, who decorate these plants with water droplets. According to another belief, the apostle Peter, who fell asleep at the post, accidentally dropped the keys to the gates of paradise. When they fell to the ground, they sprouted with primroses, hence the local name for these flowers - "keys".

The fine-toothed primrose has a rich palette of colors and shades: from white to purple. Here you can also see the small denticles along the edges of the flower petals, which gave the name to the whole species of these primroses.

Primroses of this group attract to themselves with their unpretentiousness, ease of care, good winter hardiness and, of course, their April flowering, which can last up to forty days.

What kind of flower is primrose?

Do not be surprised that in any garden there are primroses, even the most simple ones. This is exclusively our plant, which grows in the temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, and is extremely rare in other climatic zones.

Primrose belongs to the Primroses or Primrose family. Her closest relatives are the common and monotonous loosestrife, the European seven-year and the seaside milk-lover. All these flowering herbs often decorate our flower beds, but few know their biological names.

The genus of primroses includes about 400 species of mainly perennial grasses, known for a long time, extremely popular and widely cultivated in many European countries.

The name of the plant comes from the Latin word primus, which means "first", because the primrose blooms very early, when there is still snow in some places.

A novice gardener should definitely tackle perennial garden primrose. Planting and leaving will not burden you, it blooms for a long time, and dense rosettes of decorative leaves will decorate the flower beds until the very frost.

Types of cercis with photos and names

In the middle latitudes, the most commonly grown species are Cercis european and cercis canadensis.

Cercis European (Cercis siliquastrum)

This species is considered highly decorative. In springtime, its branches are almost entirely covered with pink flowers. This thermophilic tree is most often grown in the southern regions, because due to prolonged frost it can die. As a rule, this species is represented by trees. But sometimes a tree grows a lot of basal shoots, and it becomes outwardly similar to a large shrub.

A mature tree can be about 10 meters high. The rather thick trunk is decorated with a spreading crown. Semicircular leaf plates turn rich yellow in the autumn months. The deep pink flowers open in early spring, before foliage appears. Flowering lasts approximately 30 days.

Cercis canadensis

This species has high frost resistance, so it is most often grown in regions with colder winters. The height of an adult tree can be up to 12 meters. The front smooth surface of large heart-shaped leaf plates is colored green, and the back surface is gray. In autumn, the color of the foliage changes to yellow. The flowering of this species is less splendid than the European cercis, while its flowers are smaller and painted in a pale pink hue. During flowering, the trunk and branches of the tree are strewn with lush bunches, which include from 5 to 8 flowers. This species does not bloom as early as the previous one, but it fades in the first summer weeks. Fruit ripening is observed in August, and they do not fly off the branches for a long time (while some of the fruits do not fly around for two years).

In this species, the following hybrid varieties are distinguished:

• terry;
• White.

Cercis chinensis

This species is represented by relatively tall trees that can reach 15 meters. Large leaf plates are heart-shaped. This tree loves warmth, and frosts can destroy it. During flowering in May, large lush bunches appear on the plant, consisting of flowers of a rich pink-purple color.

Cercis griffithii

This species is represented by a tall shrub with woody stems. Its height, as a rule, does not exceed four meters. Leathery dark green leaf plates have a rounded shape. The racemose inflorescences consist of 5-7 purple-pink flowers. Such a shrub is not able to survive the mid-latitude winter.

Cercis western (Cercis occidentalis)

The crown of this frost-resistant tree is highly branched, while the leaves are painted in a deep green color. Outwardly, this species is similar to canadensis cercis.

Cercis reniform (Cercis reniformis)

This thermophilic species is represented by low trees (about 10 meters) and large shrubs. Small drooping racemose inflorescences consist of deep pink flowers on short pedicels. Inflorescences can be about 100 mm long. The dark green smooth leaves are oval in shape.

Cercis racemosa (Cercis racemosa Oliv.)

In nature, the species can be found in the central part of China. This tall tree has a dark green foliage in the summer and yellow in the fall. Large racemose inflorescences of purple flowers appear in spring. They can fall on short stalks or sit tightly on the trunk and branches.

Garden primroses: varieties and species with a photo in the landscape

Primroses bloom in early spring, hence the name - primrose. However, not all varieties can be applied - there are summer flowering species. The leaves of the plant are leathery, covered with a soft fluff. This feature was the reason to come up with another name for the primrose - rams. In England, flower exhibitions are held annually, it is easy to find the rarest and most unique varieties there.

Primula (Primula) is a medium-sized, flowering herb (biennial and perennial), belongs to the family Primroses, of the order Heathers. Different types and varieties of flowers are scattered almost all over the world. Somewhere legends are made about him, and in some countries primrose leaves are used to make spring salads and medicinal tea. But you should be careful, for example, Opconica primrose is dangerous for allergy sufferers.

One of the most widespread legends tells of the guardian of the heavenly abode, who lost the keys to paradise. Having fallen to the ground, they sprouted with flowers of incredible beauty - primroses, which in some places, following the legend, are called keys. In Switzerland, primrose is considered a talisman that brings happiness. Beliefs associated with a flower can be described endlessly, and everywhere primrose has a positive meaning, magical (love) properties were even attributed to it.

Diseases

Let's consider the main diseases of flowers and their causes.

1. Gray rot - occurs in conditions of excess moisture, manifests itself in the form of weeping spots on the leaves and a gray bloom. Fungicides will help fight defeat.
2. Ramulariasis - occurs when the plant is kept for a long time in conditions of cold and high humidity. It is characterized by the appearance of light yellow spots on the leaves, followed by the formation of holes in their place. Fungicides are used to fight the disease.
3. Leaf spot - occurs in high humidity conditions. Brown spots appear on the leaves. The affected leaves must be removed, the soil must dry out and the plant must be treated with insecticides.

Plant care

This plant appears on store shelves closer to spring. If a primrose has appeared in the house, then all the features of care must be taken into account. At home, you can make sure that the plant feels much calmer and better. For this, air humidity and watering should be taken into account.

The primrose should not be in a very warm room, and it is necessary to water it quite rarely. You need to worry about the availability of liquid fertilizers, which should be used regularly during flowering.

Watch a video about caring for home primrose:

Features of care in the garden

It is necessary that the soil in the garden be fertile, because otherwise the plant will not be able to take root. As a safety net, it is better to make a mixture of leaves and manure to fertilize the soil. Watering primrose should be no more than once a week, and be sure to use fertilizers with phosphorus.

This miracle of nature does not like direct sunlight, so during the day it is better to shade the area. For the winter period, primrose must be prepared by covering it with straw or branches so that the plant does not freeze.

You will find more information about growing and caring for garden primroses in a separate material, and here we talked about the intricacies of growing a flower in the fall.

Watch a video about caring for primroses in the garden:

Transfer

It is necessary to plant the plant only in the spring, when the temperature reaches the desired level. The primrose must be planted in a container with soil and drainage, providing a temperature of 15 degrees.

As soon as the plant takes root, then you need to transplant it into the soil, trying not to water often. The primrose must get used to the new place, so it is worth checking its condition often in the fresh air.

Reproduction

1. The plant can be propagated using seeds, but this method is incredibly difficult. The fact is that very rarely it is possible to remove primrose from those seeds that ripen in capsules. The longer they are there, the less germination.
2. You can also use the method of dividing the bushes. It is necessary to carefully dig out the plant and cut off part of the root with a knife. This should be done in the spring or late summer. The separated parts of the root system are planted in prepared potters.
3. There is a way to propagate primrose by leaf cuttings. It is necessary to carefully separate several leaves and roots, so that they can then be placed in a mixture of river sand and soil. This breeding method will take place within 20 days.

The features of sowing primrose seeds at home and planting seedlings in open ground, as well as further care, are described in detail here.

Thanks to such a variety of primrose varieties, you can easily choose exactly what you like and will delight. For each species, you just need to choose the right approach and then the plant will feel great and delight others.

Primrose seed stratification

Florists claim that most seeds need stratification (cold hardening). Exceptions are fine-toothed and common primroses, as well as hybrid varieties.

Frosty stratification

The inoculum is stratified under negative temperature conditions:

1. In this case, the seeds are laid only in dry soil along the upper layer, without falling asleep with anything, even with light sand. They are lightly pressed into the soil with a toothpick or tweezers.
2. The seeds are not sprayed, the container is covered with cellophane or glass and taken out into the cold. It is advisable to hide it in a snowdrift.
3. If it is not possible, put it in the freezer for a month (at least 2 weeks).

Cold stratification with and without preliminary seed soaking

This method of hardening seeds speeds up germination, but the chances of success are lower than freezing. There are 2 ways:

• the seeds pre-swell outside the soil;
• sow directly into the soil; first kept warm, then transferred to the cold.

With soaking

The seed is pre-soaked in water on an ordinary dishwashing sponge:

1. The sponge is dipped into the liquid, squeezed slightly, the seed is scattered, and the top is covered with a sponge of the same size.
2. Wrapped with cellophane, sent to the refrigerator shelf and kept there for 7 days.
3. Before being sent to the cold, a sponge with seeds is placed in a warm place for three days and only then in the cold.

The soaked seeds are laid out on moistened soil without pressing them down. Cover with transparent cellophane.

Without soaking

Seed material is laid out on a wet substrate superficially, covered with a film, kept warm for 5 days until the seeds swell. Without waiting for the shoots to appear, they are placed in the refrigerator and stored until the first shoots. Subsequently transferred to room conditions.

Note! If there is no room for containers with crops in the refrigerator, seeds in paper bags are kept in the freezer for 12 hours before planting

Sowing without soaking

Seed Primrose Seedling Care

The process of growing primrose seedlings from seeds at home will require several picking procedures. Before emergence, containers should be opened and ventilated daily. As soon as the cotyledon leaves appear, remove the shelter, since high humidity on the soil surface can provoke decay and the development of fungal infections. You can backfill with calcined river sand or wood ash.

The first pick is carried out in the phase of the appearance of the first pair of true leaves. At this time, the primrose seedling has already developed a renal root system. A pick will accelerate its development.

For transplant, you need to take 50 ml cups. Memorize them with a nutritious mixture with the addition of dolomite flour.
Watering after the first pick can be 1 time in 3 days. Up to this point, watering should be carried out very carefully - as the upper part of the soil dries out.
For a dive, you need tweezers and a toothpick. After the cups are ready, a depression is made in the soil. The primrose seedling is pry off with tweezers and pulled out of the container.Then the root system is placed in a depression and covered with earth. You can water a little. If the air in the room is dry, then for the first 5 days after the pick, keep the seedlings in a plastic bag.

The second pick is carried out after 30 days. Cups with a volume of 200 - 300 ml are taken. After another month, the primrose seedlings are ready for planting in open ground.