Auriculas are the alpine cousins of our wild primroses. They have smooth fleshy leaves often covered with powder, to protect them from the intense solar radiation of the high mountains. Their jewel-like colours were much loved by the 18th and 19th century florists and are now being rediscovered by young and old alike. They are broadly split into two categories : Garden and Show.
Garden Auriculas include alpine, border, doubles and striped. These are intended for the garden and are fully hardy. Grow them in pots or in the ground, but make sure they have good drainage in winter and protection from slugs.
Show auriculas are split into 5 distinct types : self, fancy, green edged, grey edged and white edged. All have a distinct circle of white paste or farina at the centre of the flower. The show auriculas are often grown in pots and need a little more attention if you are to succeed in producing top quality flowers.
Minimum plant order of 6 plants.
Do not be tempted to water much in winter and don’t worry about frosts – the plants are hardy. Protect plants from winter rains and avoid pots becoming water logged.
To display your auriculas put them on window sills or shelves around the outside of the house or in a cold greenhouse. Facing north or east is best and avoid the midday sun.
For more details on how to grow your Auriculas visit our culture section !
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