THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 195 



a bed of coal ashes or a brick floor in the full sun, and give them 

 enough water. Take them iudoors early in September, let them 

 stand two years in the same pots, and even three, if they do not 

 appear starved, and you will have a grand head of bloom. A warm 

 greenhouse is requisite to the perfect development of this plant, for 

 if kept cool it does not flower until so late in the spring that the 

 flowers are not wanted. There are several varieties, the best of 

 which are Eetusa major, H. splendens, and It. siiperla. 



Rosea is a fine plant for the greenhouse in winter and spring, 

 and makes a pleasing clump in the sunny border during- summer. 

 Its aspect is always pleasing, as the leaves in summer are of a tender 

 shade of green. In winter its leaves become delicately tinted with 

 purplish red, and in spring it throws up a splendid head of flowers, 

 ■which are accompanied with long rosy bracts, and at the same time 

 the edges of the leaves become more deeply coloured. This plant is 

 worth growing to specimen size, and as it grows fast the amateur 

 may soon have reason to be proud of his possession. 



ScHEEEi is a poor sickly-looking plant, not worth growing any- 

 where or anyhow. 



ScAPUOPiiTLLA is a fine globular plant in the style of agavoides, 

 first-rate for bedding or pots. 



Secunda is in the style of the well-known glauca, but more 

 robust, and of a dark green, with a very slight glaucous tint. It 

 flowers freely, and is decidedly effective as a bedding or basket plant. 



S. H. 



PEIMULA CORTUSOIDES AS A BEDDING PLANT. 



BY GEORGE GOUDON. 



^B. SAUNDERS, in speaking of this beautiful primula 

 and its large flowered varieties in the June number of 

 the Eloeal World, expressed a doubt as to the varie- 

 ties being suitable for bedding purpose?, and I would 

 like to remove the doubt by saying that they are the 

 most valuable of spring bedders. They are as Mr. Saunders 

 observes, perfectly hardy, and as the flower-stems are stouter and do 

 not attaiu such a great height as when the plants are grown under 

 glass, the weather does not materially injure flowers, even when 

 most unfavourable. They may therefore be planted out without 

 any anxiety being felt as to the probability of a failure occurring. 

 This fact cannot be known too widely, for we have nothing else 

 amongst hardy plants flowering in spring which will furnish the 

 same rich purplish magenta colour as that of P. corfusoides amcBiia, 

 which is the highest coloured of the series of varieties, as well as 

 the most plentiful. Early in May last I had the opportunity of 

 seeing large beds of it in Hale Earm Nurseries, Tottenham, and a 

 more glorious sight could hardly be imagined. Some of these, Mr. 

 Ware said, had been in the same position two years, others had 



July. 



