Rich auriculas are the florist’s crown jewels

PREPARE to be thrilled at the Scottish Auricula & Primula Society’s annual show in Auchterarder Church Community Centre next Saturday.

Auriculas are exquisite flowers. They come in jewel-like shades and are held on upright stems above a rosette of bright green leaves.

They are one of the original florists’ flowers – those select blooms including tulips which, during the 17th Century, had groups devoted to their cultivation – and many gardeners are still obsessed by them.

I’m one of them. I’ve got a small but growing collection of auriculas. Recently I’ve found myself eyeing up the nice oak bookcase in my dining room and considering if I could paint it black and use it as a ‘theatre’, the shelving units traditionally used to display auriculas at their best.

The flowers of some auriculas are covered in ‘farina’, a dusty, white coating that adds to their charm. These varieties need some protection to prevent the effect from being spoiled by rain.

Other auriculas are more than happy to live in the borders and all of them are tough and resilient, thanks to their origins in the high alps.

They can take cold weather and chilly breezes that would stop other flowers in their tracks and they much prefer a north-facing position to somewhere nice and warm.

If you’ve got a cold corner of the garden that needs brightening up, then set up a small bistro table and cover it with little pots filled with auriculas.

It’s what I do and it never fails to charm.

Meanwhile, I’ve been busy sowing all kinds of salads and watering everything in sight in order to combat our lengthy

spell of dry weather. April brought with it very little in way of showers and May has shaped up the same way.

The grass has been slow to grow because of the lack of moisture but I can’t say the same about the dandelions, which are flourishing. I’m always a little impressed by their ability to lie flat as the mower approaches and then pop up again once it passes over.

It struck me the other day, as I was trying to get rid of these weeds, that I grow the essential ingredients for dandelion and burdock and that instead of adding them to the council compost bin I should be harvesting them for a brew. D&B has been around since the Middle Ages and I reckon it’s what those early auricula fanciers drank at their meetings.

In recent years some parts of the south of England have gained a reputation for producing sparkling wine to rival Champagne, but this spring the grapes have been devastated by hard frosts.

You don’t have that problem with dandelions or burdock leaves.

They may lack the appeal of auriculas but they share the same ability to thrive regardless of the weather.