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