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PRIMROSE GUIDES

yellow flowering primrose plant with dark green foliage growing outdoors

Growing From SeedVarieties

primrose are extremely soft and popular options as summer bedding plant , but most are notoriously difficult to grow from seed .

Even though it might be dispute , it is possible to produce many of your favourite primulas this way .

purple flowering primroses with orange centres growing from the ground outside

To grow primrose plants from seed :

Learn more about this entire process below .

When To Sow Primula

Many varieties of primula , include varieties of Polyanthus andAuricula , are best sown from February to April .

Some weak frost can actually facilitate sprouting , but you should avoid planting too early , and in cold areas , hold off until April .

Sow your semen any time before the conclusion of May and you should still see some flowers the following twelvemonth .

a primrose plant that has gone to seed with brown seed pods growing at the end of its branches

1) Source & Store Seeds

It is crucial to note that some varieties of primula are far more likely to germinate successfully than others .

you could buy seeds and should follow the seed - starting suggestions given for the specific case and cultivar .

In some casing , you might also be able-bodied to pile up seeds from primroses you are growing , as long as you have not deadheaded and have let the plants to go to seed .

a seed tray being filled with compost by someone using a trowel

When the come arrive or when you collect them , send them in a screw - top jar in your fridge , where they should remain viable for 2 - 3 years .

2) Prepare Your Seed Tray

check that that you choose your originate culture medium carefully .

primrose seedlings can be very sensitive to mineral common salt stop in fertilisers which are retrieve in some seed mixture , so choose a high - quality seed - starting compost .

Look for or make one with right aeration that is as fibrous and gritty as potential .

hand showing seed pods of Primula officinalis

check that your compost is not too fine or it may become compacted with watering .

3) Sow The Seeds

Seeds should be sown lightly on top of the medium , then lightly press against the open and not cover .

They involve luminosity to develop .

Some which germinate more slowly can be sow onto a thin layer of very fine moxie over the compost .

primrose seedlings bearing a few true leaves growing in a seed tray that has been placed on the grass outside

irrigate the seeds in with a o.k. scattering , then place a perforated lid over the tray to offer up protection from pests .

4) Place Outdoors

range the cover tray outside in a louche localization , not under Methedrine .

Under glass , temperature can be too warm , even in spring .

Ideally , temperatures should be preserve between 12 - 15 ° coulomb for sprouting to take place , but menses of freeze and thaw are ask beforehand , so it is best to seed as early as potential .

someone planting out primrose seedlings into a hole in the ground outdoors

Primroses should germinate and sprout within around 3 weeks , but some types , like Auricula and Sieboldii , can take up to 6 weeks .

5) Prick Out & Pot Up

prickle out the seedlings only once they have developed at least 4 true leaves .

Pot up each of the seedling that have shoot successfully into their own individual pots .

Water as want and check regularly .

6) Overwinter

Keep the untested plantsin a cold frameor in a cool but sheltered post over the following winter .

Plant out your young primula the following give and they should flower that yr , a year after sowing .

“ You will find Primulas are susceptible to fungal issues likeBotrytis cinerea(grey mould ) , ” shares Master Horticulturist Dan Ori .

“ I spray a preventative anti - fungous treatment regularly on young and potted plants .

“ Although there is no production that advertises that it prevents Botrytis available to the home gardener , a general fungicide should be efficient and yes , you may now get an constituent fungicide spray ( look out for the green bottle ) . ”