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Monday 8 August 2011

Poly poly polyanthus!


Polyanthus bundles on the outside tables at The Good Earth (one of our local coffee shops)


Polyanthus in bloom in my garden, finally!


Polyanthus at The Good Earth

It’s hard to find something that can match the long flowering period of Polyanthus, they reward you with months of bright cheerful blooms. Ideally, polyanthus enjoy a moist, well drained garden soil that has had plenty of compost, mulch and organic material dug in. 

Polyanthus are perennials and they do respond well to being divided. If you look at a plant which you may have bought as some time ago, you may notice that there are now multiple small plants and no large one. If you lift the small plants and give them space to grow, they will reward you with renewed vigour and flowering. 

The primula family comprises a number of hardy perennials including Primula veris, the cowslip, and P. vulgaris, the primrose. The polyanthus is a hybrid of these two, with characteristic whorls of primrose flowers in a huge variety of colours, carried on strong stems above a rosette of oval leaves.

The polyanthus I planted in May have just begun to flower, which hopefully lasts until last spring.

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