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Primula x polyantha

 
Primula x polyantha
polyanthus primrose
Primula x polyantha

Common name polyanthus primrose
Family primulaceae
Life cycle perennial (Z3-8)
Flowers various colors (spring)
Size 6-12"
Light sun-part shade
Cultural notes moist, well-drained, neutral-acid soil; prefers cool temperatures

Hybrid primroses with Primula veris and Primula vulgaris (and perhaps P. elatior) in their ancestry. They feature the familiar mid-green scalloped leaves common to many primulas, and grow in tidy rosettes. Flowering stems appear in mid-spring, and hold clusters of tubular flowers, which may take on many different colors. We grew ours from seed labeled as P. elatior – perhaps because according to some taxonomical resources, P. polyantha (without the x) is synonymous with P. elatior subsp. elatior. In any case, they are a marvellous burgundy/yellow bicolor, which I've seen approximated in online photos of the Pacific Giants strain. They seem to come true from seed more often than not, although some seedlings come in all yellow.
The plants that I grew from seed a few years ago flowered early in their first summer, and have been growing stronger by the year since then (second-, third-, and fourth-year plants are shown on this page).

polyanthus primrose

We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston.

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Seed-starting details for this plant

  1. Seed from '11 trade. Baggy 70F (55%G, 8-22d)
  2. Same seed as above. Baggy 70F (53%G, 8-30d)
  3. Seed from '14 garden. Baggy 70F (72%G,15-22d)


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