Primula: types and varieties with descriptions and characteristics + photo

In nature, a low perennial with a rosette of oval gray-green leaves is found in the temperate climate of Europe and Asia, takes root on the slopes of the Himalayas and the Alps, feels comfortable in North America. The most beautiful plants from the Primrose family have chosen impregnable mountains, the ends of glaciers, deep gorges, but they are not accepted in gardens and parks. Breeders have bred many cultivars of primrose. Flowers of some species delight with delicate tones, others with colorful and bright colors.

General description of the plant

There are legends about the beautiful representative of the numerous genus Primula.In ancient times, people believed that heaven gave the earth a flower. In Russia, they believed that the primrose opens the door to spring. The bush has a small size, together with buds it grows to a height of 20-30 cm, some species - up to 50. The branched root of a herbaceous perennial is close to the ground surface. A rosette of leaves with serrated or solid edges is formed directly above the ground. They are covered with short villi, have no pattern, and have different shapes.

At the top of a long peduncle in most species of ornamental plants, an umbrella is formed with corollas of oval petals, which at the base are folded into a narrow tube with unfolding edges. After pollination by bees, boxes appear. Inside they ripen oblong seeds covered with brown or black skin.

What colors are there?

The family consists of 4 hundred species, which are divided into sections. Primroses surprise with a variety of shades. Petals delight with rich colors, there are:

• red;
• purple;
• pink;
• white;
• burgundy;

There are not only colorful, but also monochromatic corollas. The middle of the primrose is most often colored yellow. The leaves of perennial grass in different varieties, and there are about 200 of them, differ in both shades and shape.

Popular types of primroses

The Primrose family is conditionally divided into sections. Some plants of the genus are unpretentious and take root in a cool climate, others can only be planted in pots and kept in an apartment, varieties with double flowers are especially demanding on care.

Stemless

Compact primrose acaulis grows to a height of no more than 20 cm. The rosette is formed from long oval-shaped leaves.They are distinguished by a rich green color. Flowers with a diameter of 30-40 mm are collected in a dense umbrella. The corollas of the stemless primrose delight with a variety of shades. Buds open in April, flowering continues until mid-June.

Siebold

Several centuries ago, a very beautiful primrose grew wild in the suburbs of Tokyo. The Japanese began to plant decorative perennials in pots. The flowers of the Siebold species have an unusual shape, the corollas are directed to the sides or up, fall down. Smooth, star-shaped or fringed petals are colored in different colors, but are not yellow and blue.

There are primroses in which the inside of the flower is white, and the outside is purple or pink. Some varieties enchant with bright and cheerful eyes.

Japanese

In the impenetrable gorges of the mountains of the Asian islands, a rather tall primrose with flowers collected in several tiers has found its place. The plant from Japan migrated to Europe, where they began to decorate flower beds.Buds of white, purple, pale pink petals bloom in May. The length of the leaves of the Japanese beauty, ending in large notches, reaches 25 cm. Tall peduncles look great in bouquets.

Royal primrose

Slopes of volcanoes are often overgrown with herbs, but then a terrible element wakes up and throws ash into the sky, floods the earth with lava. On the slope of the crater, which often reminds the inhabitants of Java, there is a primrose, called the royal primrose. People are afraid of the flower, because it blooms at the wrong time, and this portends a new eruption. In fact, before the volcano activity begins, high frequency oscillations occur, the plant absorbs nutrients faster, and it blooms. The layer of ash retains heat and moisture, the ornamental perennial is comfortable on the slopes of the volcano.

In the wild, the Royal primrose often has a bright orange or yellow color, but cultivars have been bred with petals of various shades - lilac, pink, purple, purple.

Cortusoid

For a flower that still grows in the mountains of Altai and the Urals, in the forests of Siberia, is characterized by high winter hardiness. A cultivated perennial plant has attractive toothed leaves covered with villi. The elegance of the cortuzovid primrose is given by high umbrellas, consisting of a dozen flowers:

• red;
• pink;
• purple.

The diameter of the rim does not exceed 20 mm. Plants are planted in flowerbeds in several pieces, they decorate alpine slides.

Polyanthus

Repeated crossbreeding of different varieties of primrose has led to the creation of multicolor varieties. The hybrids turned out to be very beautiful and attractive:

• original bush form;
• corrugated leaves;
• large beaters;
• variety of shades.

Primula polyanthus blooms in late spring. The polyanthus type of flower does not tolerate cold well, it freezes in frosty winter.

Toothed

A perennial plant that grows wild on the slopes of the Himalayas, forms an umbrella of pale oval leaves. Against their background, amazing inflorescences stand out, consisting of balls of various colors - from white to ruby and scarlet. Small-toothed primrose bushes are covered with plaque. In a cultivated form, the perennial is used in landscape design, florists create elegant bouquets from flowers.

Elatior

High primrose has large red, scarlet or burgundy corollas. Against their background, a yellow center stands out. The perennial rosette of the elatior species is formed from short wrinkled leaves.Large-flowered primrose blooms in early spring, cut to decorate bouquets.

Citate

Perennial plants with oblong leaves gathering in a rosette at the root climb the slopes 4 km high. At the ends they are rounded or pointed, at the base they narrow into a petiole. The bushes of the capitate primrose are covered with a whitish coating. Flowers are collected in umbrellas.

Violet corolla has a long tube, a short cup in the form of a silver bell. Primula tolerates shade, withstands frosts up to 29 ° C, looks great.

Voronova

In the forests of the Caucasus, even now you can find an evergreen perennial with petiolate leaves, covered with fluffy hairs on top. An ornamental plant loves penumbra; in April, single corollas 30 mm in diameter appear on short pedicels, consisting of delicate lilac petals.

Viala

In the mountains of China, a perennial grows, shedding oblong leaves in autumn. When growing cultivars of primrose, quite unlike other species, shelter is required for the winter. In summer, spike buds up to 15 cm long bloom on peduncles reaching a height of 0.5-0.6 m. Tubular corollas have unusual red cups, blue and purple petals.

Selection criteria

Ornamental plants, which in the wild have chosen the slopes of mountains and gorges, lend themselves well to selection, adapt to different conditions. Large-flowered hybrids with an unusual shape of petals and leaves will decorate both the flower bed and the garden, terry varieties look incomparable. Francesca is popular in Europe, which has original green corollas.

Flowers of the auricula species with orange eyes look spectacular on the site. Yellow and purple primroses are successfully combined, red flowers add sophistication to the flower bed. For the design of borders, varieties of bright colors are specially bred, the corollas of which are collected in large umbrellas.

To make the plant delight with sophistication and beauty for more than one month, but for a long time, species with early, medium and late flowering are selected.

The use of primrose in landscape design

The variety of shades of decorative perennial contributes to the creation of amazing patterns. Primrose does not release buds at the same time, and if you choose the right varieties, the primrose will delight with beauty from the beginning of spring to the end of summer. Decorative flower goes well together:

• with tulips;
• phloxes;
• daffodils.

Alpine hills and flower beds are decorated with primroses, borders and ponds are edged. Florists use long spherical umbrellas to make bouquets.

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