Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens here on the Isle of Wight?

""mike"" wrote

Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens here
on the Isle of Wight?

No they do seem to have had a good year. I've certainly noticed more than
ever before and in our own garden they have come up in unexpected places.
Interestingly a few plants are obviously hybrids with some polyanthus we had
so we have some primrose shaped plants/flowers but with different colours
and the opposite. Quite interesting, especially one clump with large
flowers.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 04/04/2015 22:59, Bob Hobden wrote:
""mike"" wrote

Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens
here on the Isle of Wight?

No they do seem to have had a good year. I've certainly noticed more
than ever before and in our own garden they have come up in unexpected
places. Interestingly a few plants are obviously hybrids with some
polyanthus we had so we have some primrose shaped plants/flowers but
with different colours and the opposite. Quite interesting, especially
one clump with large flowers.

Not the prettiest of plants, but so colourful, and they really do seem
to grow anywhere. I think I'm growing to like them!

On Sat, 4 Apr 2015 08:43:39 -0700 (PDT), "\"mike\""
wrote:

Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens here on the Isle of Wight?

I haven't seen any in my garden in Cheshire yet but I'm sure there
will be some in other gardens around the area.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software for Windows http://www.npsnn.com

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ...
""mike"" wrote

Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens here on the Isle
of Wight?

No they do seem to have had a good year. I've certainly noticed more than ever before
and in our own garden they have come up in unexpected places. Interestingly a few plants
are obviously hybrids with some polyanthus we had so we have some primrose shaped
plants/flowers but with different colours and the opposite. Quite interesting,
especially one clump with large flowers.

Bob, all our native Primula species (with the exception of P. scotica) will readily
hybridise with polyanthus. Wildflower seed suppliers had their fingers badly
burnt in the 1980's when they imported cowslip seed from Holland which
had been produced next to polyanthus! At Ashton we kept all native Primula
species isolated for seed production - although that didn't stop them hybridising
amongst themselves. It is thought that the native oxlip was originally a hybrid
between primrose and cowslip.

Phil

On 04/04/2015 22:59, Bob Hobden wrote:
No they do seem to have had a good year.

me too

We had some last year, and I left the front lawn unmowed for a while to
give them a chance to grow. /She/ has already complained, and I haven't
done the first cut yet! But this year they are everywhere. I like
flowers in the grass!

Andy

On 05/04/2015 10:43, philgurr wrote:
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ...
""mike"" wrote

Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens here on the Isle
of Wight?

No they do seem to have had a good year. I've certainly noticed more than ever before
and in our own garden they have come up in unexpected places. Interestingly a few plants
are obviously hybrids with some polyanthus we had so we have some primrose shaped
plants/flowers but with different colours and the opposite. Quite interesting,
especially one clump with large flowers.

Bob, all our native Primula species (with the exception of P. scotica) will readily
hybridise with polyanthus. Wildflower seed suppliers had their fingers badly
burnt in the 1980's when they imported cowslip seed from Holland which
had been produced next to polyanthus! At Ashton we kept all native Primula
species isolated for seed production - although that didn't stop them hybridising
amongst themselves. It is thought that the native oxlip was originally a hybrid
between primrose and cowslip.

I expect that Primula farinosa (a close relative of Primula scotica)
doesn't hybridise with polyanthus either.

Phil


--
SRH

In article ,
philgurr wrote:

Bob, all our native Primula species (with the exception of P. scotica)
will readily hybridise with polyanthus. ...
... It is thought that the native oxlip was originally a hybrid
between primrose and cowslip.

No, that's not quite right. Yes, they will all hybridise, and are
fairly promiscuous even in the wild, so that one can argue that they
are really only subspecies. My primulas started as polyanthus, and
have bred themselves back to something very similar to cowslip
(probably over 70+ years). But there are TWO 'oxlips' in the UK:
the false oxlip, which is a stable hybrid, and the true oxlip,
which is as separate as either primrose or cowslip.

So the modern understanding is that we don't have a clue! Of course,
as usual, most of the taxonomists are sure that they know, but they
aren't all sure of the same thing ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 04/04/2015 22:59, Bob Hobden wrote:
""mike"" wrote

Coming up like weeds this year.

Delightful but they seem to be prolific this year or is it our gardens
here on the Isle of Wight?

No they do seem to have had a good year. I've certainly noticed more
than ever before and in our own garden they have come up in unexpected
places. Interestingly a few plants are obviously hybrids with some
polyanthus we had so we have some primrose shaped plants/flowers but
with different colours and the opposite. Quite interesting, especially
one clump with large flowers.


I have a couple which appear semi-double and also have a ruffled calyx.
I shall be keeping an eye on those:~)
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 15:03:32 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 5 Apr 2015 14:24:26 +0100 (BST),
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

So the modern understanding is that we don't have a clue! Of course,
as usual, most of the taxonomists are sure that they know, but they
aren't all sure of the same thing ....


Doesn't DNA analysis sort these things out definitively these days? Or
is it too complicated even for that?

It would be wonderful to use DNA string analysis but it's not so easy
as DNA strings are more complicated to than the plants!

Steve

--
Neural Network Software for Windows http://www.npsnn.com

In article ,
Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 15:03:32 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

So the modern understanding is that we don't have a clue! Of course,
as usual, most of the taxonomists are sure that they know, but they
aren't all sure of the same thing ....

Doesn't DNA analysis sort these things out definitively these days? Or
is it too complicated even for that?

It would be wonderful to use DNA string analysis but it's not so easy
as DNA strings are more complicated to than the plants!

That's not actually the problem. Firstly, it is expensive. But
the real issue is that getting reliable answers from it needs a
rigorous approach to analysis, and most modern taxonomy is a
discipline that is more akin to that of Miss Whiplash than the
statistics I was taught.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 2015-04-05 13:24:26 +0000, Nick Maclaren said:

In article ,
philgurr wrote:

Bob, all our native Primula species (with the exception of P. scotica)
will readily hybridise with polyanthus. ...
... It is thought that the native oxlip was originally a hybrid
between primrose and cowslip.

No, that's not quite right. Yes, they will all hybridise, and are
fairly promiscuous even in the wild, so that one can argue that they
are really only subspecies. My primulas started as polyanthus, and
have bred themselves back to something very similar to cowslip
(probably over 70+ years). But there are TWO 'oxlips' in the UK:
the false oxlip, which is a stable hybrid, and the true oxlip,
which is as separate as either primrose or cowslip.

So the modern understanding is that we don't have a clue! Of course,
as usual, most of the taxonomists are sure that they know, but they
aren't all sure of the same thing ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I'd like to know why they turn into pink ones. There's a large bank at
the bottom of the hill leading up to us and it's covered with sheets of
primroses but in just a few areas there are some that have turned pink.
I've noticed it here and there in other lanes, too and they're in the
wild so not planted by a rogue gardener!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

In article ,
sacha wrote:

I'd like to know why they turn into pink ones. There's a large bank at
the bottom of the hill leading up to us and it's covered with sheets of
primroses but in just a few areas there are some that have turned pink.
I've noticed it here and there in other lanes, too and they're in the
wild so not planted by a rogue gardener!

Cowslips do the same, only it's reddish. Plant inheritance is
mind-bogglingly complicated, but let's call it 'genes'. My
guess is that there is a combination of genes that induces the
red, and it is essentially a random variation. And, because it
is a combination, it can appear in populations of yellow ones,
and yellow ones can arise from the seed of red ones.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 2015-04-06 14:48:57 +0000, Chris Hogg said:

On Mon, 6 Apr 2015 14:39:10 +0100 (BST),
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
sacha wrote:

I'd like to know why they turn into pink ones. There's a large bank at
the bottom of the hill leading up to us and it's covered with sheets of
primroses but in just a few areas there are some that have turned pink.
I've noticed it here and there in other lanes, too and they're in the
wild so not planted by a rogue gardener!

Cowslips do the same, only it's reddish. Plant inheritance is
mind-bogglingly complicated, but let's call it 'genes'. My
guess is that there is a combination of genes that induces the
red, and it is essentially a random variation. And, because it
is a combination, it can appear in populations of yellow ones,
and yellow ones can arise from the seed of red ones.

There's a great swathe of bluebells on the cliffs near us; a sea of
blue when in flower and the perfume is wonderful, but right in the
middle it's possible to see the very occasional pale pink one.

Replying to you and Nick, I like it VERY much that nature takes matters
into her own hands at times. I can't say I like the pink ones but I do
like that they occur in that random fashion.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon