Primrose is a delicate flowering plant from the family Primrose. Its name can also be translated as "primrose". In the 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 a low shoot appears 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 periods and appearance. Florists know how to make this beauty blossom at the right time, so by the time pots with colorful primrose appear in abundance.
Plant description
Primrose is a perennial, and occasionally an annual herb. It is compact in size. The height during flowering does not exceed 20-50 cm. The plant feeds the 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 petiole oval, lanceolate, or ovoid leaflets. They are painted in a gray-green hue without a pattern. The surface of the leaf is smooth or embossed, swollen between the veins. The edges of the leaves are solid or finely serrated. Due to the short pile, the foliage seems fluffy and soft.
A long naked peduncle grows from the center of the outlet. 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 (plain or colorful) - white, purple, lilac, pink and red. The center is almost always yellow. Flowers succeed each other for 3-8 weeks.
After pollination by insects, oblong seed capsules 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.
Primrose ordinary (vulgaris) or stemless (acaulis). This species is especially popular among 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 diverse color. They are grouped in a dense umbrella inflorescence and bloom in April-July.
Primrose ear. The inhabitant of the alpine slopes grows denser, oval leaves with a smooth, shiny surface and grayish dusting. 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.
Fine-toothed primrose. A rather large species up to 30 cm tall grows wide oval leaves with a wrinkled surface and serrated sides. The leaf length reaches 20-40 cm. A dense spherical inflorescence about 10 cm in diameter blooms on a long stem. It consists of violet, lilac, red or white tubular flowers with a diameter of up to 15 mm. Flowering occurs in April-May and lasts up to 40 days.
Primitive inverse conic (obconica). A herbaceous perennial with many round or oval leaves grows up to 60 cm in height. Wavy petioles in diameter reach 10 cm. A large umbrella of white, pink or purple flowers rises above them.
Primrose is Chinese. The plant forms a dense rosette of openwork lobed leaves. Above them are pubescent red-brown peduncles 30-35 cm long. Each one carries only a few large (4 cm in diameter) flowers.
Primrose is Japanese. A perennial garden variety with elongated lanceolate leaves that form a symmetrical rosette. Peduncles 40-50 cm long contain several tiers of umbellate inflorescences, which are arranged in whorls. This species belongs to the group of candelabrum primrose. The diameter of the tubular flowers of various shades of red is 3 cm.
Primrose is high. A resident of southern Europe grows wrinkled oval leaves with small teeth along the edges. The leaflets are 5-20 cm long and 2-7 cm wide. 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:
- Primrose colossus - larger flowers with raspberry petals and a yellow star in the center;
- Duplex - dark yellow pharynx is surrounded by bright cherry petals.
Based on species primroses, breeders have bred many varieties terry primrose. They differ in a large number of petals compared to ordinary ones. From a distance, the buds look like small roses with softer petals. Especially popular is the Rosanna variety variety. Bushes about 15 cm high are covered with a dense cap of narrow flowers of white, apricot, yellow, pink and red.
Breeding methods
Primrose is grown from seeds, and also propagated by dividing the bush and leafy cuttings. It should be noted that when sowing independently harvested seeds, varietal properties of especially terry primroses are not preserved. The seeds themselves quickly lose their germination, so they are sown as early as possible.
Pre-grow seedlings. To do this, in mid-February, shallow boxes with a mixture of turf, sand and sheet soil are prepared. Small seeds try to distribute evenly on the surface. They are only slightly pressed into the ground. To preserve humidity, the container is covered with a film and placed in the freezer for 25-30 days. You can take the box to the street. The air temperature during this period should be at -10 ° C.
After stratification, frozen seeds are transferred to a lighted window sill, in a room with a temperature of + 16 ... + 18 ° C. Shoots appear soon and heterogeneous. When the seedlings reach the age of 2 weeks, the shelter is removed. Plants with 2-3 real leaves dive into another box with a greater distance. As they grow, several more picks are carried out. For open ground primrose seedlings will be ready only after 2 years.
A bush of 4-5 years old 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. Previously, the plants are well watered, dug up and carefully released from the ground. The roots are washed in warm water, and then with a knife cut the plants into divisions with 1-2 growth points. Slices are treated with charcoal and flowers are immediately planted in a new place.
For cuttings, use a leaf with a petiole and a kidney at the base. It is rooted in a sandy peat substrate. In this case, half of the sheet plate is immediately removed. Keep the stalk in a warm (+ 16 ... + 18 ° C) room with bright but diffused light. The emergence of new kidneys indicates successful rooting. After this, the cuttings are transplanted into separate pots with soil for adult plants. In the spring they can be sent to the garden.
Landing rules
In the open ground primrose is planted in spring or early fall. Most plants are very resistant to frost. In temperate climates and more southern regions, they normally winter under leaf cover. The landing site should be protected 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 stagnation of water. Best developed primrose on loam. Before planting, the site is dug up and, if necessary, sand, manure, and crushed moss-sphagnum are introduced. Depending on the height of a particular variety, the distance between plants is 10-30 cm.
Home primrose should be replanted annually after flowering. The overgrown bushes are divided into parts. As a result, the leaves will be brighter, and flowering more plentiful. The soil for indoor primrose is made up of peat, leaf and turf soil with the addition of river sand. A thick layer of drainage material is necessarily laid out on the bottom of the pot.
Primrose Care
With the right choice of place, care for primrose will not cause much trouble.
Lighting. Direct sunlight is contraindicated to the plant, burns quickly appear on it. It is better to keep it in shaded places where the sun only gets in the early morning or at sunset.
Temperature. The optimum temperature for primrose is + 16 ... + 22 ° C. Most of the time the flowers are kept outdoors or regularly air the room. To bloom longer, you need to place the plants where the temperature is + 12 ... + 15 ° C.
Humidity. Typically, all types of primrose adapt well to natural moisture. However, they gratefully respond to periodic sprayings. In too dry air, the edges of the leaves curl up and dry.
Watering. The soil at the roots of primrose should always be slightly moist, but not swampy. 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 during the season, plants are fed a mineral complex with a low nitrogen content. Begin to fertilize in early spring. During budding and flowering, top dressing is stopped and resumed only at the end of summer.
Diseases and pests. Primrose is sensitive to fungal infections (root rot, jaundice, rust, anthracnose, powdery mildew). It may also develop bacterial spotting or the cucumber mosaic virus. The disease is prevented by the correct watering regimen. At the first signs of infection, treatment with a fungicide helps (Fundazole, Topsin, Bordeaux liquid). All affected areas must be ruthlessly removed and destroyed. Among parasites, aphids, spider mites and slugs are most annoying. The treatment of vegetation and soil with Actellic and other insecticides helps to quickly get rid of them.
In landscape design
Garden primrose, thanks to a wide variety of colors, allows you to create an amazing ornament on the site. Since flowering varies greatly in terms of time, you can choose 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, a border of a border, bushes, a high coast of a reservoir. They look good in the neighborhood with muscari, tulips, daffodils, irises, phloxes, soapwort. Some species with inflorescences on long stems are cut to make bouquets.
