Auricula are very hardy having come from the mountains! They love fresh air - even in winter and will tolerate being snowed upon quite readily. The main thing they hate is having "wet feet". Always use a very well drained soil so the plant 'carrot' doesn't rot. The 'farina' or 'meal' on some varieties is spoilt if plants get wet from above. For show varieties, always bottom water and keep in a cool greenhouse or cold-frame to maintain 'show' conditions.

Brenda Hyatt in her book "Auriculas Their Care and Cultivation" says auriculas "...respond to commonsense treatment and plenty of good, clean, fresh air."

In their natural habitat theya re protected in winter by a thick snow blanket so frost will not kill them. In hot summers they are prone to distress so shade them in hot sunny weather.

Re-pot plants in mid-summer when flowering is over unless you are setting seed for planting next year. A typical auricula compost would be:

Sterilized soil (loam)	2 gallons
Moss Peat	1 gallon
Perlite or grit (3-6mm)	0.5 gallon
Silver Sand	0.25 gallon
Slow release fertilizer	1 dessertspoon
Charcoal	1 dessertspoon
Lime	1 dessertspoon
Gamma Dust (vine weevil pesticide)	1 dessertspoon

Use 3" to 4" full sized pots for your plants. Personally, I prefer clay pots as they dry out more quickly and plants are less prone to rot.

Pests: Root aphis is often a problem in the summer. At repotting time either use a systemic insecticide or "paint" the roots with a mixture of 10% alcohol in water for a more 'organic' solution.