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THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • APRIL 2017
PRIMROSE REVIEW •
Rudy Raes varieties
This year’sRudyRaes’ Primrose Festival was held for the
third time at BurstonNurseries near St Albans. Taking
place every other year, it attracts growers from all over the
British Isles to see an extensivedisplay of both novelties
and established varieties from theBelgian company’s
breedingwork. PhilipOglesby, theUK agent for Rudy
Raes, has developed an effectiveworking relationship
withBurstonNurseries director JamesAlcaraz. ‘The
Primrose Festivals have only beenpossible as a result of
his cooperation and enthusiasm’, saidPhilipOglesby.
This year, for four days inFebruary, visitorswere able to
see trial batches of well over a hundred varieties.Many
were grown in three formats – 9.0cmpots, 10.5cmpots
and six-packs. Some of themore vigorouswere also
presented in1.0 litre and 1.5 litrepots.
Therewas a new series on show, Charlie,midseason to
late, quite vigorous but bred for retentionof a compact
habit. This adds another series toRudyRaes’ existing
stable, startingwith the very earlyPrimus, and then
running through fromEvie toAmbie, Rambo andTobie, to
the lateCabaret. Yet another new series is verywell along
thepipeline.
TheRudyRaes portfolio seen at Burstons’ featured a
dozenone-off varieties. Among them areSparklyBlue,
with its distinctivewidewhitepicoteepetal edges,
RaesberryRose, andWoodlandRose. Chameleon,
a variety grownbyBransfordNurseries as a result of
requests by retailers, is adeeppink on a strong
yellowground colour. Therewas also the recently
introducedEverlast, very hardy and suitable for planting
green in autumn.
Of the special mixes on view at BurstonNurseries,Milk
Shake, seen as an introduction at this year’s IPM, is a
very pleasing shadesmixture of violet, lilac and
white-shaded flowers.
Thedemand is not just in theUK, sogrowers are able
tobenefit frombreeders’ efforts inGermany, Belgium,
theNetherlands andDenmark. British-bred varieties are
not tobe forgotten, either. These include the intensely
double-floweredBelarina series fromDavidKerley. Three
new varieties, Grand Ice, Snow andVanilla, bring to
fifteen-strong the range of these tissue culturepropagated
varieties.
ValeRoyal
AlsoBritish-bred are seed-raised varieties fromHoward
Lupton inNorfolk, and fromothers, brought to themarket
by theValeRoyal Horticultural consultancy. TheVale
Royal range haswon an important place in themarket
for premium varieties,markedout by unusual colours or
flower form, or by suitability for growing in largepots. A
major producer is theBransfordWebbsPlant Company
nearWorcester, runner up in its category in this year’s
International Grower of theYear Awards contest. It
offers to its retailer customers almost adozenValeRoyal
varieties, nearly all produced in1.0litrepots. Earley
Ornamentals raises the youngplant plugs for Bransford.
The company’s nursery is important toValeRoyal as a
test site for potential new varieties, where they canbe
trialledunder fully commercial conditions. Varieties under
trial are routinely scoredon a scale of 1 to 10by a team
of Bransford staff, some of themgrowers but otherswith
office-basedwork.
ValeRoyal varieties offeredbyBransfordWebbs this
season includeClottedCream, AppleBlossom andCherry
Blossom, Ember Glow, FrostyMorn andWoodlandWalk.
There is also the stand-alonepolyanthus Firecracker, and
theValeRoyal cowslip (Primula veris) varietyCabrillo.
For the 2017-18 season, Bransford andother ValeRoyal
customerswill have further possibilities to consider. Rosy
Glow andPinkPerfectionwill joinClottedCream and the
white Innocence in theSuper Frilly collection, all of them
with large, frilly, slightly scented flowers.
SpringSupreme Lilacwill be a newcomer to its series.
TheSpringSupremes are ideal for 1.0 litrepots, and are
markedout by extremely freeproductionof frilly flowers
(up to100per plant) held centrally above the leaf rosette.
At the compact endof theplant spectrum, Cupid is a new
shadesmix, all the flowers a subtle combinationof blue
over a creamor white ground colour. AndRosebuddies
is a compact series consistingof five colours/shade
mixtures, flowering in January – February, and ‘perfect for
10.5cmpots’.
Looking ahead, the current catalogue features two
stand-alone varieties available as samples. There are
likewise two series, bothhardy, dark-leaved and compact.
WoodlandWild is in six colours, is early-flowering andwith
anAlpineplant and flower character, andRoyalWanda is
in eleven colours. Both are good for 9.0cmpots.
New shadesmixtureAmore.
