Primula japonica 'Apple Blossom' ^AM

Primulaceae

Primula japonica 'Apple Blossom'

Primula japonica 'Apple Blossom'

Primula japonica 'Apple Blossom'

The candelabra primulas (the Proliferae section) are wonderful plants, originating from China and the Himalaya, for woodland or damp, even extremely wet, places. They make clumps of strong leaves, deciduous in some species and persisting through the winter in others, and then send up their tall stems. At intervals up the stems there are whorls of ten or so flowers, each ring opening in succession, perhaps one every five or six days, . As there can be up to six, even seven, whorls, that gives an exceptional flowering period. So there can be a mass of colour – and that colour can be brilliant orange or yellow, red, pink, white, even dark maroon.

		Primula aurantiaca has several whorls of flowers, red in bud and orange when open, and with red flowers stems and red mid-ribs to the leaves, it is very colourful. It is somewhat shorter than most other members of the section.
		Primula beesiana flowers later than most primulas in this section, and they die down completely in winter. This sub-species of Primula bulleyana has light reddish purple flowers, with a yellow eye.
		Primula x bulleesiana has dark red flowers with a yellow eye. Colours are somewhat variable, as they are hybrids between Primulas bulleyana (yellow-orange) and beesiana (pinky-purple)..
		Primula bulleyana has four or five whorls of flowers opening in succession up to stems. The flowers are orange/yellow, and appear later than those of most members of the section. Dies down completely in winter.
		Primula bulleyana hybrids have four or five whorls of flowers opening in succession up the stems. The flowers are shades of vivid orange/yellow, and appear later than those of most members of the section.
		Primula burmanica has up to half a dozen whorls of deep red flowers. It is distinguished from Primula beesiana by its lack of farina (white meal) on stems and leaves, and from some red forms of Primula japonica by ... not a lot.
		Primula burmanica SDR5801 has four or five, possibly six, whorls of flowers opening in succession up the stems. The flowers are a colour that lies somewhere between purple and scarlet. It is closely related to Primula beesian and bulleyana, but has no trace of farina. It dies down completely in winter.
		Primula chungensis is one of the earliest to flower of the candelabra primulas, rather smaller than most, with about five or six whorls of flowers, orange in bud but opening to an orangey yellow. The foliage dies down for the winter.
		Primula x chunglenta is one of the few hybrids that very occasionally turns up in the garden, although we grow many of the candelabra species there. This seems always to be the same, very vigorous, with lots of pink flowers, orange towards the centre. It is sterile, and can only be multiplied by splitting the plants in autumn. It is always in demand when it is included in a show display, but it rare that there are enough for us to include in our catalogue.
		Primula cockburniana 'Kevock Sunshine' is a rare form of this small candelabra primula, with yellow flowers. We have isolated a strain that now gives only yellow-flowered plants, usually with two or three whorls of flowers opening in succession up the flower stems. The foliage dies down for the winter.
		Primula cockburniana orange ex SDR1967 is the usual bright orange form of one of the smallest of the candelabra primulas, usually with two or three whorls of flowers opening in succession up the flower stems. The foliage dies down for the winter.
		Primula cockburniana SDR5939 is a recent introduction, and is the usual bright orange form of one of the smallest of the candelabra primulas, usually with two or three whorls of flowers opening in succession up the flower stems. The foliage dies down for the winter.
		Primula 'Inverewe' is a hybrid between two of the candelabra primulas, P. pulverulenta and P. cockburniana. As it does not set seed, it can only be propagated by division of plants, and so remains uncommon. It has up to six or seven whorls of bright orange flowers opening in succession up the flower stems. Rosettes of leaves stay green throughout the winter.
		Primula japonica 'Carminea' is a vigorous woodland plant with gorgeous, deep carmine red flowers.
		Primula japonica 'Miller's Crimson' is a variety of this splendid, easy garden plant that has been loved for many years, with deep, ruby red flowers with an even darker eye.
		Primula japonica 'Oriental Sunrise' is a candelabra primula with warm, deep red flowers. It dies down completely in the winter, but makes vigorous growth through the spring and summer.
		Primula japonica 'Postford White' is an excellent form of this excellent species, with white flowers with a yellow eye. It is the earliest of all the candelabra primulas to flower with us.
		Primula japonica 'Striatum' is a remarkable variety of this easy, reliable garden plant that came to us from a friend in Japan. The flowers are basically white, but every petal is streaked with deep red.
		Primula japonica 'Valley Red' is a variety that has been around for a long time, although it is a recent addition to our collection. It has scarlet flowers with an orange eye.
		Primula miyabeana is not often found in cultivation. It comes from Taiwan, and has whorls of bright, rich pink flowers and unusual leafy bracts.
		Primula poissonii has whorls of extremely bright, rich pink flowers with yellow eyes. It is the latest of the candelabra primulas to flower with us and in the wild, and we may even have a few flowers remaining until Christmas.
		Primula poissonii SDR4617 has whorls of extremely bright, rich pink flowers with yellow eyes. It comes from wet meadows at around 3300 m.
		Primula prenantha SDR3909 is one of the tiniest of the candelabra primulas, nothing like the size of the commonly seen garden species. It has quite dark green leaves, and the short stems have one or two whorls of the yellow flowers with dark calyces. Quite a distinctive plant. These plants originated from seed collected in the Kanchenjunga area.
		Primula prolifera has up to six or seven whorls of bright yellow flowers opening in succession up the flower stems. The rosettes of leaves stay green throughout the winter. Primula prolifera is probably the same as Primula helodoxa, at least so far as cultivated plants are concerned.
		Primula pulverulenta has up to about six whorls of deep pink flowers with an even deeper maroon eye, opening in succession up the flower stems. The stems and leaves are coated with creamy-white flour ('farina'). The rosettes of leaves die down in the winter.
		Primula pulverulenta Bartley hybrids is our favourite candelabra primula, in a group that has plenty of excellent competitors. It has up to six or even seven whorls of rosy pink flowers with a yellow eye, and as they open in succession up the flower stems there are flowers for two months or more.
		Primula secundiflora looks like a member of the Sikkimensis section, with a couple of whorls of flowers, each with a short stem, so that the flowers hang down. But it is in the candelabra (Proliferae) section, and its (rare) hybridising habits confirm that this is correct. It has evergreen rosettes of quite small leaves, and upright stems with red-pink flowers and distinctive dark/light striped calyces. These are seed-raised plants from garden stock.
		Primula secundiflora SDR4401 is from meadows, occasionally wet. It has evergreen rosettes of quite small leaves, and upright stems with red-pink flowers and distinctive dark/light striped calyces.
		Primula secundiflora SDR4435 comes from a meadow that appeared to be permanently wet. It is an evergreen species, with rosettes of quite small leaves. The tall upright stems have about two whorls of red-pink flowers with distinctive dark/light striped calyces.
		Primula serratifolia is rarely seen in cultivation and is of limited distribution in the wild. It comes from openings in very wet woods, high (3800 m) in the mountains. There are one or two whorls of yellow flowers, with a stripe of white along the centre line of each petal, or the colouring may be pale yellow with a deeper yellow stripe. Either way, the very centre of the flower is orange.
		Primula serratifolia SDR5165 is rarely seen in cultivation. It comes from openings in very wet woods, high (3800 m) in the mountains. There are one or two whorls of yellow flowers, with a stripe of orange along the centre line of each petal, or the colouring may be pale yellow with a deeper yellow stripe.
		Primula wilsonii var. anisodora is an evergreen Primula, keeping its shiny leaves in good condition through the winter, and often retaining a few flowers right through to Christmas. This is a variety with deep maroon flowers with a yellow eye, and reputedly a smell of aniseed, although that is not obvious.
		Primula wilsonii var. wilsonii is a form with deep, dusky purple flowers, with a yellow eye. It is evergreen, keeping its shiny leaves in good condition through the winter, and often retaining a few flowers right through to Christmas.