Fairy Primrose (Primula malacoides)

Fairy Primrose
Primula malacoides

Pretty bloom great photo!

Thanks. I have been more successful growing the fairy primulas than the regular primulas.

Do they live over the hot summers down there? I have a couple that have made it through several years here; they are in the shade of hostas and ferns during the summer and have full sun winter/early spring. Mine won't bloom til early April, though. When do you divide yours? Mine need it I think, but last time I did that I killed all of them. It was in the Fall. I have Ken Druse's new book "Making More Plants: The Science and Art of Propagation" and he suggests dividing in early spring when the new growth starts, but I am still hesitant.

Mine usually survive until the first part of June if we do not have hot weather early. I have some planted in filtered shade which turns into full shade as summer approaches and some that receive morning sun and afternoon shade, plus I mulch them heavily. I have to treat them as annuals due to the heat and none have ever returned from seed probably because of the mulching. Because none of mine have ever lived past the summer, I have not had to divide them. I read the other day that they can be easily and successfully divided in the spring. If I were to divide them, I would probably do so after the new growth starts. They appear to be delicate plants so I probably would be hesitant to divide them also. Perhaps someone else has knowledge about dividing them and will share his or her information with us.

I found a site that describes how to divide the plants and states it should be done in June.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/propagation/primula/primula1.shtml

Great website, htop! Lots of ideas and information there. Thanks.

The BBC website does provide a lot of information. Many of the plants we grow here are grown over there. Your welcome, roshana.

Beautiful picture, htop. I love the primula family although I can't grow P. malacoides here in zone 5. I am successful with many others though and I would like to try growing double primroses. I think they are pretty tricky and I need to do some research on them.

Another one that is too tender for this zone is primula obconica. Have you ever tried that? It is a lovely plant.

NoH20, thanks. I have attempted to grow the "regular" primula several years in a row and they have always died quickly. Perhaps it was because I was planting them too late in the year. I always thought that I was watering them too much, but the fairy primula enjoy a lot of moisture. Perhaps I will attempt to grow the others again now that I know more about them after becoming a member of Dave's Garden. I never buy anything anymore until I check it out here. The primula obconica is a great looking plant. I have never seen it for sell here and have never tried to grow it.

Have you tried growing the primula indoors in bright light? I have read that they are great house plants. I have never tried to do so because there is no place to locate them in my house where they would receive enough light.

Thanks for the link to BBC; I checked it out and bookmarked the whole thing. Now I want to try taking clematis cuttings!
Too bad you can't oversummer the primulas...you might try potting them and placing them inside the house during hot weather...they don't need as much sun when they aren't blooming. Even at $1.67 apiece (Walmart price) I find them a little pricey to discard. Or do you start them from seed? Mine never go to seed because I am a compulsive dead-header.

htop, I never thought about growing them indoors - duh! They would make beautiful houseplants.

I don't have much window room and winters here are very gray. I do have plant lights set up over one table but there is never enough room for all the plants I want to winter over. You have given me yet another reason to think about putting up more lights!

Toxicodendron, there is no place to locate them in my house where they would receive enough light. Thanks for the suggestion, though. I paid $4.99 apeice for 4 inch pots this year because they are never available until February usually here. I have never seen them at Walmart. Home Depot is the only store I have purchased them from before now. I asked my favorite nursery to provide some for sell earlier in rhe year. The plants arrived in the middle of November and I didn't know that they had. I stopped by the nursery to buy some bulbs and there were only 3 plants left for sell. They sold out except for 3 in 3 days at $3.99 each! Unfortunately, the nursery is not ordering any more.

I have saved seed heads and planted the seeds the next year, but they never came up. I have taken the seeds and just dispersed them as nature would hoping they would come up the next year, but had no luck. Next year, I think I will buy them from a nursery online.

I've had good luck with P. obconica-it's much more hardy than malacoides and almost as pretty but I've only seen it in shades of lavender, purple and pure white. It seems the deeper purple ones are the hardiest. Needs full shade in hot summer and prefers to buddy up with Babies tears to keep the bed moist.

P. obconica appears to be a sturdier plant than the P. malacoides. The deep pink P. malacoides in the photo has been the best performer for me. Thanks for the information.

Do you happen to have any extra seeds from this plant?

Sorry, I sure don't have any now. If I can collect some from the plants for you I will when they seed. I buy them as transplants each year.

I remember reading once that primula seed should be sown fresh. Haven't tried it though.

I haven't either and I have never had any seedlings come up in all they years I have planted them.

Thank-You!