Pleasing green rosettes give way to blooming stems of... pleasing green rosettes, which (sometimes*!) give way to... pleasing green rosettes... This curious primrose would probably get kicked out of the exhibition if we tried to show it, but heck with it! We think it’s spiffy. We’ve named it in homage to Benoit Mandelbrot, the recently departed mathematician who coined the term “fractal” & gave the world a new understanding of geometry in nature. Auriculas have been cultivated by gardeners for hundreds of years & I recommend them especially to folks who’re not anchored to one garden permanently. To grow auriculas well, you need a cool, shady spot, a medium sized pot (6-10”) & rich, fast draining soil. When your plants start to get crowded you can either pot them into a larger container (don’t go too big!), trim the roots or divide your plants to increase your collection!

*The blooming stems occasionally will produce flowering stems from the center of the old blooms! Fascinating when it happens, but it doesn’t happen all the time.

Claire Woods
Propagator