Auriculas

I fell for auriculas [aurikel, auricule, oreille d'ours] in the 1980's, the older the better [snobbish I know!] but soon I began to embrace all different kinds. I am not talking about the generally wishy-washy unnamed colour selections found in springtime at garden centres [altho' I admit some of my seedlings do tend towards washiness], but the full-on drop dead gorgeous named auriculas from specialist nurseries, with names such as Queen Bee, Rolt's Fancy, Gizabroon and Snooty Fox.

Auricula origins, some history ............
The original auricula, Primula auricula is a wild flower growing in alpine meadows in the mountains of N.Europe. The flowers are normally yellow. Sacheverel Sitwell in 'Old Fashioned Flowers' [1939], remarks that it does throw reds and purples as do our native Primroses, Primula vulgaris and P. veris [Cowslip] which is one explanation for the original progenitors of the huge range of colouring now available. Ruth Duthie in 'Florists' Flowers and Societies' [1988] says that the origins are more likely be natural crosses between P. auricula and the pink P. rubra, resulting in Pxpubescens.

One of the wisdoms seems to be that auriculas came to England with Huguenot weavers when they were forced to flee France in the 16th century. Sitwell thinks there may be some truth in this but notes that auriculas also continued to be bred and grown in Holland and France. Ruth Duthie thinks it unlikely that the Huguenot weavers could have afforded to collect auriculas as they were much prized at the time. Auriculas were part of the general flower collecting craze but not quite reaching the same dizzying levels as that of 'Tulipomania'.

The earliest coloured illustration of an auricula is in ‘Cinque libri di pianti’ from the 1550's [Venice]. The frenchman Carolus Clusius wrote about 'bears ears' in the C16th [although more famously connected with tulips]. The plants were first recorded in print in England as 'beares eares' or 'mountain cowslips' in John Gerard's Herball of 1596. Brenda Hyatt's 'Auriculas' [1989] quotes from Gerard on the medicinal use of Auriculas "the Swiss called them 'Schwindlekraut' and used the rootes for strengthening of the head, so when they are on top of places that are high 'giddiness' and swimming of the 'braine' may not affect them"

[Please do not try this at home, I am no expert on the medicinal use or otherwise of the auricula].

By 1633 John Tradescant the Elder [gardener to Charles 1] was growing them in his gardens at Lambeth and had been recorded as 'improving' them. One of Bobart's contributions to the Morisonian Herbarium at Oxford University includes pressed specimens dating to 1711.

Florists societies
" ...the auricula we know today is a man-made plant. It is the work of generations of florists, using that word in its true sense of persons who cultivated decorative flowering plants, grew them to a high standard of excellence, and, as time went on, tested them by exhibiting them in competition with fellow florists" [Brenda Hyatt - Auriculas, 1989]

The real explosion of popular interest in breeding and showing auriculas came in the later 18th century and continued into the 19th century. The artisans of Lancashire, Cheshire and Sheffield in particular were credited with the keenest competitions.

By the 1870's however growing and showing was in steep decline. John Hepworth who was born near Halifax in Yorkshire in 1802, started growing auriculas at age 12 and later became a well known judge. By 1870 he was so worried about the fate of auricula growing he wrote an article - ‘A Plea for Auricula Revival’ which had such an effect that the main UK auricula societies were founded as a result. The Crystal Palace Show in London in 1877 was the first major auricula show held after the new societies were formed, over 1,000 plants were exhibited – George Lightbody was judged best in show and True Briton one of Hepworth's plants was also displayed.

Sitwell quotes from a letter to Gardening Illustrated from April 1935 from a Mr D Bamford from Middleton in Lancashire who was already looking back some 30 years or more when he wrote,
"The show auricula was grown extensively by the old handloom silk weavers in Lancashire, a generation ago. At that time they were not troubled with the smoke and pollution that we experience to-day, and they were generally their own masters. They could, therefore, spare the time during the day to walk into their gardens and attend to their auriculas, and often to make up for lost time during the day the shuttle of the loom could be heard clicking until dusk.............I have vivid recollections [as a small boy] of their frames, sheltered under the hawthorn hedge which usually surrounded their garden.... the scent from these newly lifted frames I can never forget."

I suppose we tend to be somewhat insular generally about our plants in Britain, Sitwell quotes from a French treatise dated 1732 which catalogues the wide range of different types of auricula available then, with names such as Le Feu Tingresse and Le Pannerok. Ruth Duthie also quotes French sources. It would seem that in Europe the auricula specialism tended to be in alpines and in Britain the edged and striped held sway [although this was not exclusive].

On this side of the channel names included a green edge, Rule Arbiter, True Briton - a white edge [still available in commerce], Grime's Privateer - a grey edge and Wrigley's Northern Hero, another green edge - all very swashbuckling! Also a series oddly called 'leather jackets' including George Swinford's.

Click to see a list of auriculas kept at Kilruddery House in Ireland in 1736, taken from Heritage of Ireland Plants - and thanks to Ina. Kilruddery House auriculas 1 : Kilruddery House auriculas 2

What's so special about auriculas - or why go to the trouble?
"This first moment of seeing a stage auricula is an experience never to be forgotten. It would seem incredible that a flower, through human skill, should attain to this degree of natural or trained artificiality. For the perfection of a stage auricula is that of the most exquisite Meissen porcelain, of the most lovely silk stuff of Isfahan"........[Sacheverell Sitwell, Old Fashioned Flowers, 1939]

I think it was probably Brenda Hyatt's book published in 1989 that started me off, with it's lavish photography for the time which showed just how beautiful these creatures could be. And it's not only the stagey Show Auriculas but also some of the old border varieties that are beautiful. An added bonus is scent which can be pronounced and delicious. Some also have white 'mealing' or farina [like a dusting of flour] which gives them an otherwordly beauty. There is an odd stiffness to some types, in particular the green and white edged which makes them appear to have been created out of something other than plant cells. A Fabergé richness in natural form.

Downsides
For the ups there are downs. I am ashamed to say I have had and lost a lot of auriculas. The most devastating loss was almost 60 plants rotted off after re-potting, turning up their toes at an alarming rate through the winter having made no roots and then being attacked by fungus gnat larvae - I lost quite a number of favourites.

They do need careful shading from strong light in late spring and through the summer. Watering can be an issue [less rather than more autumn - early spring]. They need to be checked especially autumn to spring for dying and rotting leaves as the crown of leaves which come from a thin white carotty root can start to rot under some conditions.

Vine weevils can devastate a collection, and woolly aphis [on the roots] can severely weaken and sometimes kill plants. Various drenches and sprays are available to eradicate vine weevils and methylated spirits painted on to root aphis helps shift them, but it's a fiddly job. I have found that if the root aphis infestation builds up sprays have not helped and I don't like using sprays too much anyway.

Auriculas only flower once a year in Mid April - early May [some do put on a few flowers in the autumn, but not a huge show].

Having said all of the above, a number of the border auriculas have survived many years neglected in gardens which allowed for their re-discovery in the 1980's.

Cultivation [in theory and in short]
Auriculas can be grown from seed. I sow in Autumn on the surface of multipurpose peat-free compost and then a scattering of fine gravel or vermiculite over the top and the pots are left in the cold frame/outside with some cover. Pot on when seedlings can be handled at around half a centimetre across or have more than 2 leaves. They are also increased from 'offsets', these are the plantlets that grow round the mother plant, [the mother being the one with the big carrot root]. Knock the plant out of the pot, the offsets are normally easily teased off the main plant or can be severed from the mother root as long as they have some of their own root as well. They can then be potted up on their own.

Most of the offset taking is done after flowering and in mid-late summer. As with many show plants the compost and mixtures can be contentious, I think my loss was in part to do with a bad mix of compost. I use John Innes 2 [which is like soil] with some bulk multipurpose mixed in and fine grit [one supplier recommends John Innes 3 rather than 2 so I will try this]. Feeding should begin when they start into growth in the Spring, the simplest being potash-rich such as tomato fertilisers. And no, I am not as assiduous in this as I should be. I am also still unsure which side I am on in the plastic vs clay pots debate. Clay is more traditional and 'cottagey' and stops the plants getting waterlogged in the winter but dries out quickly in summer. With plastic pots it's the reverse and I think the root aphis generally prefers the plastic pot environment [but they are not overly put off by clay either - thank you!]

My auriculas grow in a small customised cold frame about 3 feet off the ground with glass all round, a wire mesh bottom and sliding glass panels at the front to let the air circulate around. The case is partially shaded in the summer to stop scorching of leaves and drying out too fast.

Auricula theatres are another way of 'staging' displays, apparently the monks of Tournai in the 18th century had 15 or more auricula theatres. At Calke Abbey in Derbyshire [a National Trust property and also home of a rediscovered wallflower Harper Crewe] there is a re-construction of one which will be at its peak in April/May. It is a sort of arched indent built into a brick garden wall which contains tiered metal or wooden staging on which the auriculas are arranged.
The National Auricula and Primula Society replica of the Calke Abbey Theatre http://www.wilkin94.fsnet.co.uk/displays.html

I remember seeing a lovely rustic 'staging' by Carol Klein at one of the RHS Westminster shows and by Brenda Hyatt many years ago at Chelsea where the plants were in pots displayed against black velvet, some being 'framed' by ornate gilt picture frames to add to the theatricality.

For 'proper' cultural instructions consult a specialist book on the subject.

What are you looking at?
Borders - all sorts that have been handed down from 'cottage' gardeners including Old Irish Blue, Magnolia and the Dusty Millers.

Alpines - these can have very rich colours, sometimes all one colour or with lighter outer petals giving an often intense two-tone effect. Alpines have no 'paste' ring around the central stamens. Names to conjure with include Bookham Firefly from 1936, Snooty Fox and the unusual Sirius.

Edged - white edge, the white 'flour' frosts the petal edge, the petals themselves being a rich black. Startling and stunning. Green edge - like a thick pea green leaf, the colour radiates from the centre and is bordered by the green. Grey edged is another edgy variant.

Selfs - single colour petals with a ring of 'paste' around the stamens in the centre. These include Remus a blue self, Cortina a red self and Harrison Weir from 1908.

Doubles - self-explanatory, Barnhaven sells mixed seed [link below]. My favourite many years ago from seed was a rich purple, sadly now lost, the others tended to be yellows or muddy pinky shades. For oddness try Marigold, scrumpled up and yellowy/khaki/orangeish in colour.

Stripes - not rigid striping per se, Arundel Stripe is quite regular, others are not. Backgrounds range from yellow through red to black. In Ruth Duthie's book there are some good illustrations of stripes dating from the 18th Century contained in the Duchess of Beaufort's Florilegium.

If you want a better and far more accurate classification see Brenda Hyatt's book or other specialist primula handbooks or visit the National Auricula and Primula Society web site [link below].

Ina from the Netherlands is building a collection of auriculas especially the older cultivars and is always interested in tracking down more especially from the former E Germany..... have a look at some of her collection.

Reference books
The Auricula, C Oscar Moreton, illust: Rory McEwen [1964]
Auriculas and their cultivation, Brenda Hyatt [1989]
Old Fashioned Flowers, Sacheveral Sitwell [1939]
Growing Old Fashioned Flowers, Roy Genders [1975]
Florists' Flowers and Societies, Ruth Duthie [1988]
Auriculas for Everyone, Mary Robinson [2000]

Field House Alpines [Alpine & Show]
Dr V Woolley & Mr D Lochhead, Field House Alpines, Leake Road, Gotham, Nottingham, NG11 0JN, Nottinghamshire email

Hillview Hardy Plants

Pops Plants

Woottens of Wenhaston

Full list of UK National Collection Holders for auricula

Barnhaven Primulas
Barnhaven is a whole primula history lesson in itself - the nursery was started in the US in the 1930's by Florence Bellis, but ended up being carried on in the UK famously by the Sinclair's in Cumbria and now passed on to dedicated growers in Brittany, France. Seeds are available for a wide range of selected Primulas including auriculas and Gold Laced Polyanthus [another old Florists' show variety >> Barnhaven Primulas

National Auricula & Primula Society
If you want to grow and show auriculas in the UK seriously this is the society for you. They hold shows around late April, open to non-members, where you can experience the competition, see these beautiful creatures grown to their best, and maybe come away with some plants yourself. >> Find out more and show dates for the year

Saltford Show 2004 - here you will find pictures of some of the above mentioned types including a gorgeous blue and a selection of stripes.

The Tradescant Trust
The Tradescant Trust in London - located in an old church where both the Tradescants [father and son] are buried. They introduced many plants to English gardens particularly from the US including Tradescantia. To grow Tradescantia in it's many forms is to follow a line back into the 17th Century. The Trust runs a museum and small formal garden in the heart of London, close by Lambeth Palace, the River Thames and Houses of Parliamen >> The Tradescant Trust

>> Short article on Primroses and Cowslips

[April 2002 Updated December 2005/ February 2007/ April 2008]

@Kari's garden 2002 - 2008