{"id":11532,"date":"2009-04-20T02:58:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-20T06:58:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-08-13T18:57:17","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T22:57:17","slug":"nice-busy-spring-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2009\/04\/nice-busy-spring-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"A nice, busy, spring weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
A seed-raised blue strain of Primula denticulata, the Drumstick Primrose, blooms in the woodland garden.<\/p>\n
A gardeners life revolves around the seasons, and no season is more cherished or busy, as is spring. April in our New England Garden marks the official start of the outdoor gardening season, with endless chores, and endless celebrations and discoveries. This mid-weekend in April, marks the beginning of our Primrose season, with the earliest blooming species, those that hail from the highest elevations of the moist, Alpine snow-melt areas of the Alps,( with the first buds blooming in our alpine troughs of Primula marginata) or the Himalayas ( with the fast growing Drumstick Primroses, the Primula denticulata) which grows in moist alpine areas in China and Nepal. I really like this more natural planting, scattered around the opening in a woodland rather than planted in an mulched with orange mulch, or in a back plastic nursery pot….always thing natural, if in doubt, google the species and see if you can find an image on Flickr or at the a researcher site showing a population growing in the wild. And if you borrow an image, be certain to ask the Flickr member for permission to use the photo if you are bloggin if, for I was lazy or forgot on my last post, and accidentally used an image of a members stunning photo, and I am still feeling badly about not crediting the person. Thankfully, they were very understanding, and a simple apology sufficed. Still, I feel badly about it, and it snapped me back into a more conscious state of blogging. <\/p>\n
Primula marginata is a true high alpine primrose, with mealy foliage and dentated foliage, it prefers growing in pure limestone rock or tufa rock. This specimen is growing in a tufa filled trough, where it is exposed to the coldest of temperatures all winter long. There are a few cultivars of Primula marginata available from the alpine plant nursery’s, all are magnificent, but just remember that they prefer well drained, gravelly soil with extra lime.