Primula auricula 'White Ensign' (Au/S)

RHS Plant Profile
auricula 'White Ensign'

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Primula auricula 'White Ensign' (Au/S)?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
auricula 'White Ensign' RHS
Conservatory Greenhouse Alpine Rockery

An evergreen, perennial, fancy, show auricula up to 20cm tall with rosettes of pale grey-green leaves. The fragrant flowers, produced in clusters on short stems in spring, have pale grey-green petals with dark red feathering, white centres and yellow eyes

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Primulaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Clump forming
Potentially harmful
Skin allergen. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus
Primula are herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennials, forming a basal rosette of simple leaves, with salver-shaped or bell-shaped flowers which may be solitary or carried in an umbel or in whorls on an erect stem
Name Status
Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

Show Auricula group primulas have a distinct pure white circle in the centre of each flower. They can be single-coloured, edged with black feathering out to the margins, or fancy (edged with coloured feathering).

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow show auriculas in pots in an alpine house or cold frame, in a mix of equal parts peat-free, loam-based potting compost, leaf mould, peat-substitute and grit. Avoid wetting mealy flowers or leaves

Propagation

Propagate by division or by separating and rooting offsets, after flowering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Conservatory and greenhouse
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Garden edging

Pruning

No pruning required but deadhead after flowering, and remove dead or damaged leaves as necessary

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse red spider mite, slugs, leafhoppers and vine weevils

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus, primula brown core and grey moulds