dividing primula .. or is that polyanthus ..

i was dividing, and moving and replanting primula today .. they are a stunning blue colour with a brilliant yellow eye .. there were clusters of them here and there throughout the garden desperately in need of being separated .. i pulled five or six single plants from each cluster i dug up, and planted them in a number of different places around the yard .. the beauty of perennials ..



i'll have to look up the difference between primula and primrose .. for some reason, i believe they are different .. ah, found it in "primroses and spring" by doretta klaber, written in 1966 .. she says: "primrose is the english or common name for primula" .. actually, the other name i was thinking of is polyanthus .. these are the primroses that we can buy in the grocery stores and nurseries early in the year, to add bright colour to our gardens after many grey, overcast, and often rainy days of winter .. so, to carry on .. today i was dividing, and moving and replanting polyanthus .. as i went through the motions i recalled having read somewhere that primula like to have their crown above ground .. and, i've noticed, in the past, that when i happened to bury the little crown a bit too deep that the plant started to get moldy .. unless i lifted them right away they just disappeared .. so i am careful to keep the crown just above the ground .. i dig a hole, three or four inches deep, let the roots fall into the hole and then fill in from the bottom of the roots up .. as i firmed the soil around the plant, i was reminded of when i was twenty something, working in an nursery in ontario, and the fellow who owned the nursery instilled in me that plants need to be firmly planted so as not to be falling over, or wobbling about .. i took his practical advice to heart, and have since planted plants securely, firming the ground around their stalks .. i believe this does give them a strong foundation from which to grow .. it's good to have these gentle reminders come, more often than not, at just the right time ..





this, i believe, is a true english primula .. i don't know which one .. i found it last year in a garden, with about 100 others, and brought it home .. this coming spring (2009) will be its first performance in my garden ..

yesterday, i spent the afternoon building another bed in our yard, and planting about 30 primula 'wanda' around the base of a rhododendron .. i feel excited to see the outcome in the spring ..

it's the little things ..