How to grow auriculas

What are auriculas?

Auriculas are

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

These three types of auricula - show, alpine and border - are catorgorised by their flower forms. Their growing requirements are different.

1.    Show auriculas have a long and fascinating history and are traditionally displayed in auricula theatres. These are open shelves on which the pots are arranged in rows like audience members. The flowers and foliage often have a white eye made of a flour-like ‘farina’, which is washed off by rain unless protected.

Overwinter them in an unheated greenhouse or

Cold frames are glaze box-like structures made from brick or wood with a  hinged or removable, glazed, sloping lid. Useful to protect plants from cold weather over winter or acclimatise (harden off) young plants in spring and provide extra warmth for tender crops in summer.

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2.    Alpine auriculas often have less elaborate markings on the flowers than the show types, and are grown in the same way as border auriculas, so will stand up to weather. They have no white dusting (farina) on the leaves or flowers, and the centre is one colour (such as yellow).

3.    Border auriculas are perfectly happy growing outside all year, edging a border or in containers. Colours are often more subtle and the edges between the colours less defined.

All types are available with double flowers.

How and when to buy auriculas 

Specialist growers offer the best ranges of auriculas, but border cultivars may be available from local garden centres in spring when they are flowering.

If you are looking to start collecting, specialist societies often have plant sales and exchange programmes for members.

Use our Find A Plant tool for stockists local to you.

You may find it useful to browse the website of the National Primula and Auricula Society 

Where to plant auriculas

Auriculas in containers

You can grow all auriculas in containers. It is one of the best ways to appreciate their beauty and scent. In the case of show auriculas, this also means you can move them out of the rain as needed.

Pot your auriculas into 9cm (3½in) pots of a mix of equal amounts of loam-based compost, peat-free multipurpose compost and grit or perlite. Repot into fresh compost each year.

Although they are completely hardy, keep your show auriculas in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse to give protection from rain and to provide shade. In summer, an outdoor tent of shade netting is preferable to a greenhouse, since the plants like to be as cool and as well ventilated as possible.

In the open ground

RHS guide to planting perennials

RHS guide to planting perennials

Show auriculas 

• Keep your plants just moist over winter in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame 
• In early spring refresh the top layer of compost with fresh loam-based compost
• As growth starts, increase the amount of water you give your plants
• Feed with half- strength general liquid fertiliser from February every two weeks until after flowering 
  

  RHS guide to fertilisers

  RHS guide to fertilisers
   
• Pull away any dead leaves, gently whenever required
• Repot annually, straight after flowering or in autumn, knocking old compost away and cutting away any dead roots. New compost ensures optimum drainage and nutrition (see propagation below)
• Repotting means you can detach offsets (baby plants) and pot them up
• Repot into a container of a size that will comfortably contain the remaining roots.
• Use terracotta or recycled clean plastic pots

In the open ground - border and alpine auriculas 

The easiest way to increase your stock is to pot up offsets in early summer after flowering (baby plants around the main parent rosette).

Border auriculas

Border auriculas need dividing less often than the show types. Every three or so years, lift and use the same technique as described for show auriculas of pulling the rosettes away from the parent and replanting individual plants or clumps.

Auriculas from seed

You can raise auriculas from seed, which can be satisfying and may result in some interesting colours. All offspring will be different to the parents.

• Sow seed from November to January
• Scatter the seed thinly onto moist multi-purpose compost in a seed tray
• Keep in the cold greenhouse or cold frame
• Once seeds start to germinate cover them with a thin layer of vermiculite
• Water really well, allowing it to flow through drainage holes and then leave until compost starts to dry out again, then re- water in the same way
• Once seedlings are large enough to handle which is when they have their first true leaves, transplant them into a seed tray spacing the seedlings 2.5cm (1in) apart 
• Once these have grown on, pot on the strongest into individual 9cm (3½in) pots of equal parts loam-based, multipurpose and grit or perlite mix

Happily, there are not too many pests and diseases that affect auriculas.

Aphids and vine weevil are the main pests, vine weevil grubs cause damage to plants roots, especially in containers. Repotting each year into fresh compost should help with this problem. 

Grey mould (botrytis) may be a problem in a poorly vented greenhouse or alpine house. 

If you are a member of the RHS, you can use our online Gardening Advice service for any gardening questions.