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What are auriculas?

Auriculas are perennials that include the show and alpine types with their almost artificially perfect flowers. These are hardy in a cold winter throughout the UK - can withstand temperatures down to -15°C (5°F), but do need shelter from rain and summer sun in an alpine house and are best grown in pots. Border auriculas, however, put up with the worst of winter weather.

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 frame

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.

as they cannot tolerate winter wet. Their curious colourways and striking appearance can make them tantalising to grow, but they do require some dedication.

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

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 peat-free loam-based compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

• Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

, peat-free multipurpose compost and grit. Repot into fresh compost each year.

Although they are completely hardy, keep your show auriculas in a cold frame

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.

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

Plant border and alpine auriculas into any well-drained soil in a shaded position where the soil doesn’t dry out in summer.

RHS guide to planting perennials

Show auriculas

• Keep your plants just moist over winter in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame
  

  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.

• In early spring refresh the top layer of compost
  

  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

  
  • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  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

• 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

Plant into any well-drained soil in a shaded position where the soil doesn't dry out in summer. It is possible to improve your soil or create a rock garden if your soil is heavier and not so well-drained.

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

You can detach offsets by teasing them away from the parent plant and repotting them individually into small pots that will comfortably contain the roots. Equal parts peat-free loam-based compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

• Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

, multipurpose compost and grit is perfect for this.

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

Rosettes are the circular arrangement of flower petals; or a cluster of leaves radiating from approximately the same point usually around a stem. Examples include aeonium and most succulent plants, African violets, primula, sempervivums.

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 peat-free multi-purpose compost in a seed tray
  

  A seed tray is a shallow, vertical-sided, rigid plastic or wooden tray with drainage holes in the base. It contains enough compost for seeds to germinate and grow into seedings, but then they'll need transfering into pots.

• Keep in the cold greenhouse or cold frame
  

  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.

• Once seeds start to germinate cover them with a thin layer of compost
• 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
  

  A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

  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 peat-free loam-based, peat-free multipurpose and grit

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

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

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost:

• Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

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.