Garden auricula

A few years ago, I read an article in the now-defunct Victoria Magazine about auricula primroses. They're an object of devotion among collectors in England; the trend has caught on to a lesser extent in the US, where growing conditions for true Primula auricula are less ideal. Martha Stewart reportedly keeps potted auriculas indoors, as did collectors in the 18th and 19th centuries. In those days, rare specimens were so prized that special decorative backdrops were painted especially for the plants so as to show them off to their best advantage.

The auricula in my garden isn't quite so delicate or precious, but I adore it all the same. It's actually a hybrid between P. auricula and P. hirsuta; the result of such a cross is referred to as a "garden auricula." Garden auriculas adapt well to Pacific Northwest conditions; I have mine in an outdoor planter kept in a sheltered spot.

I don't consider myself much of a plant collector, but now that the dahlias have wedged their way in, who knows... I'm sure I could find room for more auriculas!