вЂMy father always grew a few, but when I began to take an interest, things took off.вЂ™ By the time Simon was 11, he and his father Bill were exhibiting at the National Auricula & Primula Society and gaining trophies. Plant collecting is notoriously addictive but, for Simon Lockyer, dainty, delicate auriculas have become both a muse and a profession. And they can be used for many other small pot plants when the auriculas arenвЂ™t flowering! The best sources for mail order auriculas are Drointon Nurseries, Pops Plants or Wootens of Wenhaston.Light-centred alpine Primula auricula вЂGwenвЂ™ Annaick Guitteny Hand made in Dorset by a couple whose main trade is boat-building, they are extremely well made and designed to withstand the elements. I now sell these simple wall-hung cedarwood theatres in my online shop.

I struggled to find an auricula theatre when I first set out to buy one, so I designed on and had it made.

Another reason to keep repotting them is to check for the dreaded vine weevil, which is the main enemy of these addictive little flowers. You can replant these in smaller pots, and most should flower the following year. Autumn is the time to divide the plants, and this is done simply by tipping the pot up and gently pulling apart the offsets (see a short video here). In spring when they are in growth and flowering, they need plenty of water in winter dormancy they need much less, but canвЂ™t be completely ignored. After they have finished flowering I move them to a shady spot in the garden, and then theyвЂ™ll come into the greenhouse for winter. I display them in a traditional auricula theatre on a northeast-facing wall, where they are also protected from the rain - but they donвЂ™t stay here all year round. Preferring the cool, free-draining conditions that the plants would have in the wild (they are derived from the Alpine Primula auricula), they really donвЂ™t like too much heat and sun. I grow all my auriculas in 11-15cm terracota pots, and I canвЂ™t deny that they are fairly high maintenance. Many of the shows and doubles have a dusting of white farina on their leaves or flowers, a mealy substance that is thought to be a type of natural sunscreen, and this means they can be easily damaged in rain. The show auriculas come in many forms, including single-colour selfs, edged auriculas, with white, grey or green-edged petals, fancies and stripes (like green вЂPsycheвЂ™ and pale yellow вЂRegency PaperchaseвЂ™ above). Popular with the Florists in the 17th century, they fell out of fashion as the show auriculas took over, and have only started regaining popularity in the last 50 years. Next come the doubles, and I love these for their tightly clustered rose-bud flowers, like bunched taffeta or silk (like the gold-coloured вЂCarmelвЂ™ above). The alpines, characterised by gold, cream or white centres, bright, glossy colours and rounded petals, are similarly easy to grow, but with slightly larger, showier flowers than the borders. The border types are the easiest to grow in a garden setting, with floriferous clusters of dolly-mixture flowers. There are various different types of auricula. Although they have a reputation for being tricky, I have managed to keep them going and have increased my collection threefold by dividing plants in the autumn, with enough extra plants to give away. A few years ago I came back from Chelsea having seen the famous W&S Lockyer exhibit and ordered a collection of auriculas.

Auricula flower