Primroses

Subcategories

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  Acaulis primroses

  These charming and informal plants have the same shape and habit as the familiar wild primrose or Primula vulgaris. As opposed to the polyanthus forms, which have several flowers on one tall stem, the hybrids of the acaulis primroses produce a profusion of individual flowers on single stems. They are some of the earliest to flower, easiest to grow and will self-seed profusely, producing a lovely mixture of colours.

  Many of these are old Barnhaven strains, some of which date back to the 1950s. These very hardy old-fashioned primroses are a treasure trove of pure, yet subtle colours.  Each plant is a softly fragrant bonanza of blossom. Pick the flowers for your first spring posies - for each blossom plucked, another long scrolled bud springs up.  They will be a boon for the early pollinators and will provide that early splash of colour when all is still drab and gray.

  
  Flowering period: Late Winter - mid-spring
  
  Height: 10-15 cm
  
  Culture: Acaulis primroses are happy in a semi-shade. They need cool, damp soil where they will form quite large clumps. They will do well in garden beds or pots or grown under deciduous trees in the garden. Add some well-rotted manure and garden compost before planting. May be divided every couple of years. 

  
  For more information about sowing acaulis primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds.

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  Barnhaven Polyanthus

  Polyanthus primroses are so called because they produce several flowers on a tall stem. Their origins are lost in the midst of time but probably derive from crosses between Primula vulgaris, Primula veris and Primula elatior. 

  Barnhaven polyanthus primula derive originally from five packets of Sutton's seeds which were purchased by Florence Bellis in 1935. All our polyanthus are direct descendants from these seeds. In all this time, there have been only two ''foreign'' introductions to our strain - pollen from the original Cowichan clone and plants from Linda Eickman's pink strain of polyanthus.

  All the Barnhaven Polyanthus plants and seed still come from these carefully hand-pollinated seed strains. This ensures that we produce high quality plants and seed every year from our rigorously selected plants, maintaining the variety in the forms and colours that we love. 
  
  Flowering period: Late Winter - mid-spring
  
  Height: 15-20cm.
  
  Culture: Polyanthus primula produce very good visible displays in the garden and are often used in formal beds in combination with spring bulbs or other plants. They will also grow very well in pots. Just keep removing the spent stems to prolong the display. Will do best in semi-shade, damp but well-drained soil. Clump forming, divide every couple of years for the best results.
  
  For more information about sowing Polyanthus primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds.

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  Victorian Polyanthus

  The Barnhaven Victorian Polyanthus strain was first introduced in 1948 by Florence Bellis. Developed from a seed strain called Suttons Blue, it was first sold as a mixture of 'Victorian Shades'.  This is the entry from that early catalogue: 'The opulent shades of an elegant era - American Beauty, cerise, fuchsia, purple, some occasionally silver-edged'. They were then separated out into the strains that we still have today 'Violet, Mauve' Carnation, Striped, Muted and Old Rose Victorian'. Willie and Sylvia Sinclair added the Fuchsia and Valentine Strains. 

  These polyanthus primula are lovely grown together in complementary colours - can be used as formal bedding or in containers with euphorbias or grasses for a lovely display.
  
  Flowering period: Late winter - mid-spring
  
  Height: 15-20cm.
  
  Culture : These polyanthus primula are lovely grown together in complementary colours - can be used as formal bedding or in containers with euphorbias or grasses for a lovely display. Polyanthus primula need semi-shade. If growing in containers, place the pots in the sun in the spring and put it in the shade in the summer months. If growing in the garden, make sure they are not in full sun in the afternoon or grow them under deciduous trees.
  
  For more information about sowing Victorian Polyanthus primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds. 

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  Barnhaven Cowichans

  These stunning strains of Polyanthus Primula are real historical gems bred by Florence Bellis in the 1950s and kept going ever since by painstaking hand-pollination. They have  astonishing glowing colours with either no eye at all or the tiniest yellow eyelet. Most of the plants have bronze foliage.

  The original Cowichan plant arrived by chance in a garden in the Canadian hamlet of Cowichan Station. It had dark bronzy leaves and flowers of an intense ruby red which was continued solidly into the centre of the flower, unrelieved by the normal yellow eye. The plant appeared to be sterile. By the time that Florence Bellis bought her plant, it had been weakened by over-enthusiastic division for commercial production. Florence's plant flowered only once, but she managed to coax some pollen out of it which she used on her famous polyanthus ''Kwan Yin''. After a number of years of hand-pollination and selection she produced the Barnhaven strain of Cowichan polyanthus. She bred in the Barnhaven vigour, but the plants have kept the astonishing glowing colours with either no eye at all or the tiniest yellow eyelet. Most of the plants have bronze foliage.
  
  Flowering period: Late Winter – mid-spring.
  
  Height: 15-20cm.
  
  Culture: Barnhaven Cowichan polyanthus can be grown in pots or in semi-shade in the garden. They look stunning with spring bulbs in complementary colours. 

  For more information about sowing primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds. 

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  Juliana Primroses

  Here you are among the happy-go-lucky primroses. Primula juliae hybrid primroses are confident of their ability to out-spread and out-flower anything twice their size in your garden. They are generally small-flowered, but make up in exuberance what they lack in size. They come into flower early, and if conditions suit them, they will provide a mound of flowers, with hardly a leaf visible, for a full three months.

  Primula juliae was first identified in 1900, originating in the eastern Caucasus. This was an exciting discovery for plant breeders as they were a dark pink or magenta, unlike the other common forms of P. vulgaris and P. veris found in Europe  which were yellow. Plants were sent to Kew and Oxford in 1911. Soon it was being crossed with other species and also with coloured forms of primula vulgaris. "Wanda" was an early result of this activity, and remains the best known of the group. Listed in commercial catalogues as "Wandas", "Julianas" or "Pruhonicians", they are all hybrids of Primula juliae. 
  
  Flowering time: Mid-winter – early spring
  
  Height: 10-15 cm
  
  Culture: Juliana primroses will multiply prodigiously, some types carpeting the ground as does P.juliae by creeping root-stocks, others form bushy rosettes, all are excellent for edging and rockeries or just allowed to run. Happiest in semi-shade, they will tolerate being in a drier/ sunnier position than other primroses.
  
  For tips on growing Juliana primroses see the section on Primroses.

  For more information about sowing primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds. 

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  Gold Laced Polyanthus

  These are the famous 'Gold-Laced' primroses, also known as  'Victoriana Gold-Lace', due I suppose to their popularity during the Victorian era, Primula elatior 'Gold Lace' or even the Bumblebee Primrose. 

  The Gold-Laced polyanthus is what was called the florist's polyanthus, as it was considered as worthy as the auriculas by the amateur breeders who bred them as show plants with exacting standards for more than two centuries.  Take a look at the strict criteria for judging these flowers on the American National Auricula and Primula society. 

  Enthusiasm for these flowers was at its peak in the early 19th century. Florists’ feasts and shows were held and the supreme champion was awarded a copper kettle. After the industrial revolution interest declined though a few people still grew them in small numbers notably the members of the Primula societies in England. Florence Bellis heard of these plants and was determined to reintroduce them. In 1944 a certain Mr Briggs sent her a few seeds of Gold Laced. He told her that at the beginning of the war there were but two small nurseries in England who still grew the traditional Gold Laced. He did not say what happened to the other one but the seed he sent came from the other nursery which had been bombed. The owner was obliged to gather up pieces of plants spread over a radius of a half a mile to recover sufficient remains with which to begin again. From these shreds and scraps of plants he grew plants enough to provide a few seed some of which were given to Mr Briggs. Barnhaven first listed Gold Laced in their catalogue in 1948.

  They still have their own categories in the Primula shows throughout the UK and the States, though they have become more widely available through in-vitro propagation. However, many of the plants on the market do not live up to the exacting standards of the early breeders, which is why we keep them going through rigorous hand-pollination. Due to their popularity new strains have been developed with different coloured lacings and backgrounds and even double forms!
  
  Flowering times: Late Winter - mid-spring
  
  Height: 15-20cm.
  
  Culture: Gold-Laced Primula are showy plants that are great for early displays in containers either on their own or combined with early miniature daffodils. They need a bit more cossetting than other Polyanthus primula and will appreciate more feeding and regular dividing to keep producing a good display. 
  
  For tips on sowing Gold Laced Primroses see the section on Sowing Primula.
  

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  Enthusiast's Primroses

  Also called anomalous primroses or Elizabethan primroses, these are real museum pieces. These curiosities were much sought after in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are in fact mutations where the calyx differs from normal flowers. Jack-in-the-green, a flower held in a ruff of leaves, Hose-in-hose, the calyx transformed into petals to give the impression of one flower inside another. Jackanapes, with a striped calyx, Gallygaskins, with a large ribbed calyx, and others. 

  Barnhaven have been selling seeds of these wonders without a break for more than half a century! There will be polyanthus and acaulis forms in the mix. You may also get a small proportion of normal flowering blooms. 

  Flowering times: Late Winter - mid-spring
  
  Height: 15-20cm.
  
  Culture: Enthusiast’s Primulas are not more difficult to grow than other primroses. They will do well in semi-shade the garden where they will often flower exuberantly but can also be grown in pots so you can you can show off your collection of rarities to unsuspecting visitors. 
  
  For tips on growing Enthusiast's Primroses see the section on Primroses.

  For more information about sowing primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds.

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  Double Primroses

  Our double primrose seed is the result of our special breeding programme; which dates back to Florence Bellis’s work that was started in the 1950s. We pollinate over 30 different colour sections to produce the seed so the colour range is astonishing. If you raise double primroses from our seed you will have unique plants that have never before seen the light of day. 

  PLEASE NOTE: These seed strains are for gamblers only. As double primroses don’t set the seed, the seed you receive is from the second generation of single flowers that have been pollinated with pollen from double flowers. On average, you can expect about 25% doubles out of a packet but we cannot guarantee how many double flowers your packet of seed will produce. You may get more than your ''quota''. You may get none at all. Germination can be slow and sporadic. Cherish the slower-growing seedlings - these are more likely to bear double flowers. A proportion of single flowered plants sometimes become double the second year.
  
  Flowering period: Early - late spring. 
  
  Height: 10-15cm.
  
  Culture: Double primroses are very floriferous, this means they will need extra feeding and watering to keep them healthy. We also recommend dividing them every couple of years to renew the root stock. Semi-shade in pots or in the garden.

  For more information about sowing primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds.

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  European Species

  There are 33 European species of Primula, here are some of the most commonly grown wild primroses.  Great for wildlife and a natural looking garden. As they are botanical species of Primula they will self-seed profusely but may also hybridise with other primroses growing in the area. Please note that these plants have been bred in ‘captivity’. Picking flowers or relocating plants in the wild can endanger wild populations.
  
  Flowering period: Early - late spring. 

  Height: 10-15cm.
  
  Culture: Easy to grow in shady, damp habitats. Please note the different soil preferences though. 

  For more information about sowing primroses, please consult our information page Sowing Primula seeds.