Auriculas

Through a Gentleman I have met at the woodturning club, I have been made aware of the wonderful flowers pictured below. They are (Mainly) Auricula Primulas.  The growing of which was a major hobby of late Victorian and Edwardian times, especially in the North of England.  There are still a lot of avid growers today, but they are not as well known as they used to be.

The plants are basically descendants of the humble Primrose / Cowslip / Oxlip and bred to the beautiful things you see below.

This (above) is one bred by my friend Gordon and is called 'Pendle Sparkler'

The three photographs below were taken at a recent show in Cheadle, Stockport.  They give some indication of the varieties of colour that are available.

The picture below also taken at the Cheadle Show, is a cowslip - We forget how lovely some of our native wild flowers are.

If you would like more information about Auriculas,  you can always 'google' them,  or have a look at

http://www.auriculas.org.uk

Excellent site with lots of History,  How-to info and some stunning piccies.........Enjoy.