How to grow perennial primroses outdoors

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Perennial primroses are one of the first to bloom in spring. Planting and caring for primroses is not very difficult and even beginner growers can do it. Small, neat bushes are distinguished by bright, variegated, juicy shades and can turn any flower bed into a real work of art.

Types and varieties

You will be amazed at how great the variety of primroses is. Today, there are 550 species, and tireless breeders continue to develop new varieties and hybrids. To organize this abundance, the flowers were divided into sections.

Primrose section

Accommodates the simplest varieties, devoid of powdery plaque:

• adorable primrose - a twenty-centimeter bush framed by oval leaves with small teeth along the perimeter. Small purple flowers up to 2.5 centimeters in diameter, united in an inflorescence resembling an umbrella;
• stemless primrose - oblong leaves, stems about 20 centimeters. Single flowers are yellowish or snow-white with a purple throat;
• high primrose - wrinkled leaf plates, the stem grows up to 30 centimeters. Two centimeter flowers of a light yellow tone. There are varieties of dark pink, lavender, brownish with golden edging.

The same section includes Abkhazian primrose, Komarova, Pallas and others (photo below).

Muscarioides

It unites 17 species with pointed inflorescences resembling a cylinder. For our latitudes, Viala primrose with lilac-pink flowers and large wrinkled leaves is more suitable.

Julia's section

Consists of 1 species and many hybrid varieties, differing in palette. Julia's primrose grows up to 10 centimeters. The leaf plates are oval, pale green. Three centimeter amethyst flowers with a lilac tint are arranged one at a time.

Toothed-leaved

Includes varieties whose flowers are collected in head inflorescences. Bright and popular representatives:

• fine-toothed primrose - leaves are voluminous, pale green. Flowers can be white, lilac-purple or amethyst;
• capitate primrose - the lower part of the leaf plate seems whitish, due to a mealy bloom. The flowers resemble jagged bells.

The latter variety does not tolerate winter well.

Auricula

Contains 21 species of low-growing plants. Depending on the varietal accessory, the flowers are painted in a pale strawberry, lilac, purple tone with a snow-white or yellow core. Together with the stems, they are covered with a powdery coating (photo below).

Corduroy

The section includes 24 varieties of colors that resemble a funnel in outlines:

• rocky - a thirty-centimeter bush framed by wrinkled leaves with dissected tips. Flowers bloom from April to June;
• cortex-shaped - oval leaves with teeth around the perimeter and umbellate inflorescences of a red-purple tone. Blooms from May to June.

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An equally striking representative is Siebold's primrose with pink or lilac flowers that are part of loose umbrella inflorescences.

Mealy

The section is presented in 90 varieties. There is a plaque on the sheets. There are flowers of lilac, lilac, amethyst, yellow and white shades.

Planting seeds

If you decide to decorate the garden plot with perennial primrose (photo in the article), you can plant seeds. Observing all the rules of the procedure, you will make sure that further care does not require much time and effort. However, remember that seeds harvested with their own hands lose their germination in a short time, therefore, sowing must be carried out immediately after collection.

Purchased seeds of common varieties for seedlings are planted in December or January. Hybrid primroses - in February or March. But in this case, get ready for the fact that out of 7 seeds, only 1 sprout will sprout. Do not rush to get upset, some varieties give almost 100% germination.

There is one little secret that some growers know. The day before planting the seeds, they must be soaked in a solution of humic concentrate. It will increase the percentage of germination. Aloe juice can be used as a biostimulant. The seeds are soaked for 20 minutes, dried a little and planted in the soil.

Now you can start planting:

• prepare a shallow box or container;
• put the film on the bottom and make holes. The holes will allow excess water to drain off;
• fill the container with a mixture of turf and leaf soil, sand, taken in a 2: 1: 1 ratio. You can also make another mixture. The first part should consist of equal amounts of turf, store soil and peat. The second part includes sand, sphagnum moss, vermiculite and perlite. Completely "lazy" growers should take a ready-made flower substrate;
• to disinfect the soil, calcine it in the oven for a third of an hour, then pour it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• moisten and loosen the soil;
• sow seeds to the surface. You can take them 1 at a time with a toothpick. There should be no more than 5 seeds per 1 cm2. You do not need to bury it in the ground. Just press down lightly;
• cover with plastic wrap;
• place in a freezer with a temperature range of -10 ° C to -12 ° C for 21-30 days. Or you can transfer the seeds from frost to warm every 2 hours. Repeat 5 times. Remember that for some species there is no need for such a procedure. Fine-toothed, common and tall primrose do well without it;
• place the box with seeds in a well-lit, but protected from direct sunlight, place with a temperature range of 16 ° C to 18 ° C;
• open the film three times a day so that the plants get used to the air;
• after 14 days after germination, the top film can be completely removed.

Prepare that the seedlings will grow very slowly. This is their nature. Seedlings can be fed with a weak solution of mineral agents. The procedure is carried out once every 10 days. As the seedlings grow, add soil.

When 2-3 leaves appear on the sprouts, they must be dived into another container. It is allowed to transplant into open soil only when their height is 10-20 centimeters. Do not be discouraged, but up to this point it may take 2-3 years.

Landing in open ground

When the seedlings of perennial primrose (photo below) are ready for planting and subsequent care, the flower can be dived to a permanent place. The procedure should be carried out in late spring or autumn, in the second year of the flower's life.

First you need to find the right site. It is necessary that it be shaded by shrubs or fruit trees. Shield the primrose from the direct rays of the midday sun.

The soil should be loose, light, well-drained. The plant will take root in clay soil. But if it is too heavy, it is recommended to enrich it with two kilograms of manure, 13-15 kilograms of sand, crushed sphagnum moss and vermiculite. The number of components is indicated per 1m2.

Disembarkation is carried out in pre-prepared, well-moistened pits. Their dimensions are equal to the size of an earthen coma with seedlings. The distance between the grooves for large varieties is 20-30 centimeters, for small ones - from 10 to 15 centimeters. Keep in mind that decorative flowers do not tolerate free space. You need to calculate the distance between the bushes so that as they grow, they close together.

A plant grown from seeds will delight you with lush flowering for 2-3 years after sprouting.

Dividing the bush

If you do not have the patience to grow a perennial primrose (photo below) from seeds, you are ready to start planting and subsequent care, which means that the reproduction method by dividing the bush will suit you. This method is simpler and more popular.

A good time to divide is after the end of flowering. The process is carried out in several stages:

• dig up the plant, being careful not to damage the rhizomes;
• remove excess soil and rinse the roots with water;
• with a well-sharpened knife, separate the required number of shoots. If you need a lot of planting material, delenki with one bud and several roots are suitable for planting. You don't have to worry about the survival rate;
• treat the cuts with crushed coal;
• dig holes that allow you to freely place the roots of the primrose inside;
• pour bone meal on the bottom to strengthen the flower;
• place the seedling in the hole;
• cover the depression with soil;
• pour well under the root;
• to retain moisture, mulch the soil with peat, sawdust or pine needles.

If the bush has very weak roots, axillary shoots can be taken for reproduction. Separate the leaf with the bud, petiole and piece of stem. Cut the leaf in half, plant in a container with a mixture of soil.

Transfer to a lit place without direct sunlight, with a temperature range of 16 ° C-18 ° C. When stems with 3 leaves grow from the buds, in the spring, you can transplant to a permanent place.

Care rules

When the planting of a perennial primrose (photo in the article) has been successfully completed, you can start taking care of the flower:

• watering is carried out once every 7 days. During dry and hot periods - every three days. Water is brought under the root, trying not to hurt the flowers and buds. Do not let the earth dry out. In the fall, you do not need to moisten the soil;
• after moistening the soil, it must be carefully loosened and weeds removed;
• to avoid moisture loss, you can lay a layer of mulch around the bushes;
• to prevent alkalization of the earth, 1 time in 30 days, together with irrigation, a chelate or ferrous sulfate is added;
• when the first leaves appear, complex mineral fertilizers are applied every 10 days. The concentration should be half as indicated on the instructions. The procedure is carried out until the plant has faded. It is worth considering: a high nitrogen content in the soil will lead to the fact that your primrose will not bloom next year. Although it will delight you with beautiful foliage. To avoid such a nuisance, apply dressings every other time containing only potassium and phosphorus;
• in the last summer month, you need to add a solution of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers to prepare the flower for wintering;
• after flowering, it is necessary to loosen the soil, remove weeds and leave the plant alone until winter. It is necessary to preserve the rosette and leaf plates, which will cover the roots in cold weather. Last year's foliage can only be removed in the spring;
• in cold regions, for the winter, primrose is covered with a 7-10 centimeter layer of straw, dry leaves, spruce branches. In snowy and warm winters, additional shelter can be omitted.

You need to transplant a flower once every 4-5 years. At the same time, the division of the bush is carried out.

Growing problems

Primrose does not belong to whimsical plants, but it is also susceptible to diseases:

• downy mildew - characterized by brownish spots on the outside of the leaf plate. A whitish bloom can be seen on the inside of the sheets. The affected areas are treated with a Bordeaux mixture;
• powdery mildew - a whitish bloom with black blotches appears on the outside of the leaves. Diseased plants are destroyed, neighboring plants are treated with a special solution for powdery mildew;
• gray rot - the disease spreads to leaves and inflorescences. A gray fluffy bloom forms on them. The affected parts are removed, healthy parts are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture;
• late blight - rotting of the root system, accompanied by wilting of the aerial part. Not subject to treatment;
• spotting - the disease begins with the appearance of small pale spots on the leaves, which eventually turn bluish or gray. Then, a plaque appears on them. The affected areas dry up, flowering stops. It is necessary to cut off the affected leaves, treat the plant with a solution of "Fundazol";
• anthracnose - brown spots with dark edging appear on the leaves. In the initial stages, the diseased parts of the plant are removed, then the primrose is treated with copper sulfate or fungicides 3 times with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

Root nematodes and southern root nematodes can provoke diseases in primrose. The plant must be destroyed and the soil checked in the laboratory.

In addition, the flower can be attacked by spider mites and mites, caterpillars, leaf miner, thrips, aphids. They are treated with insecticides.

If you regularly examine the primrose (photo in the article) and provide it with the necessary care, you will rarely encounter problems. The flower is quite unpretentious. Take some time for him and he will answer you with gorgeous, vibrant and juicy blooms.