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Asiatic Primula

Since the 19th century, thanks to the exploits of many an intrepid explorer, there has been a huge influx of Primula species into our garden from the mountainous regions of Asia and new species are still being discovered. Our collection includes the species that are most easy to grow in our gardens and most of them make breath-taking displays. They also extend the flowering season extensively as they generally flower later than our European native primroses.

All of our seed comes from our own production, we hand-pollinate the species separately to ensure the purity of the species unless they are plants that will not cross pollinate with anything else.

Subcategories

Candelabra Primulas

These stunning candelabra Primula from the high mountain meadows grow up to 1 metre tall with whorls of flowers up the stems. They are also known as bog garden primulas. Very hardy and long lived as long as they don’t dry out. They will self-seed profusely but be aware that most of the primulas in this group will hybridize so if you want to keep their offspring the same colour you will have to grow them in different parts of the garden.

Flowering period: Late spring - summer

Height: 30cm -1m

Culture: They will be happiest in bog garden conditions, pond edges or stream banks. They will also grow well in damp shady borders or woodland. Plant them in bold groups or drifts for the best effect or in combination with foliage plants such as ferns, irises and hostas. They will put on a wonderful display in late spring.

For more information on sowing Candelabra Primula seed our section on Sowing Primula.
Belled Primulas

Belled primulas take their name from the bell-shaped flowers of these spectacular plants. Originating from alpine slopes of the Himalayan mountains such as Bhutan and Tibet, they will do well in garden situations if grown in the right conditions as they need plenty of water during the growing season. When they are happy they will self-seed abundantly, form quite large clumps and are often heavily perfumed.

Flowering period: Late spring - summer

Height: 30cm -1m

Culture: Can be grown in similar conditions to candelabra Primula. They will be happiest in bog garden conditions, pond edges or stream banks. They will also grow well in damp shady borders or in woodland settings. They look wonderful en masse but a clump of four or six plants will be quite effective in a small area.

For more information on sowing Belled Primula please consult our pages on Growing Primula.
Primula sieboldii

Barnhaven have been growing Primula sieboldii since the 1950’s and have developed their own garden worthy hardy strains of Japanese Primroses through years of selection and hand pollination.

Primula sieboldii were some of Jared and Sylvia Sinclair's favourites ( Barnhaven owners in the UK) and the seeds we are offering for sale today are the result of the years of hard work they put into the breeding programme. They prided themselves in developing strains whose flowers had better petal texture and substance with shorter, stronger stems than the Japanese counterparts. They focused on obtaining vigorous plants that would perform as well in the garden as they would in pots (which is how they were usually grown). In their 1976 catalogue they listed 36 different plant hybrids for sale. For more information have a look at this wonderful extract of Barnhaven's 1976 catalogue.

They used to be Willie Sinclair’s favourites and as he used to say ‘They are sheer magic. Carpet the earth with them.’

Flowering period: Mid-spring – early summer.

Height: 10 -15cm

Culture: Best sown early in the spring when the temperatures are still quite low. Can be planted out in the shade or semi-shade. They are often cultivated in pots but will need dividing every couple of years. However, they are hardy garden plants and will appreciate an organic rich soil that does not get water logged in the winter. They can be grown beautifully under azaleas or rhododendron’s in the garden as they favour a slightly acidic soil.

For more information on sowing Japanese primroses, please consult our section on Primula sieboldii
Other Asiatic species

Since the 19th century, thanks to the exploits of many an intrepid explorer, there has been a huge influx of Primula species into our gardens from the mountainous regions of Asia and new species are still being discovered. Our collection includes some of the species that are the easiest to grow in our gardens and most of them make breath-taking displays.

Flowering period: Asiatic Primula extend the flowering season extensively as they generally flower later than our native primroses with the majority flowering from late spring to early summer. There are exceptions though as some species such as P. rosea will flower very early and some twice a year such as P. capitata, which will flower in spring and also in early autumn.

Culture: growing Asiatic Primula species in our gardens ranges from very easy to being quite tricky. Please consult the individual plant descriptions for the right conditions. As a general rule they will not do well in pots so ideally it is best to find the correct conditions for them in the garden.