IRISH GARDENING. 



Notes on some New Primulas. 



By Murray Hornibrook. 



It seems only a few years ago that — excepting 

 those from the European Alps — very few 

 Primvilas were known to our gardens beyond a 

 few well known species, such as P. japonica, 

 P. denticulata. P. rosea and P. sikkiiuensis, but 

 now the journeys of svich keen collectors as 

 Forrest, Wilson, Kingdon Ward. Purdoni and 

 Farrer have opened for us the doors of those 

 Primula treasure houses — the Chinese Alps — and, 

 as a result, one is almost bewildered by the 

 number of new Primulas — some already obtain- 

 able through nurserymen, others still in the posses- 

 sion of a few botanic and private gardens. 



Unfortunately a good many of these new 

 Primulas do not seem likely to prove " good 

 garden plants." I write this advisedly, having 

 learnt from many disappointing experiences that 

 few Priniulas that are not " good garden plants " 

 are likely to remain with me long. I can rarely 

 get shade in my garden without getting also the 

 roots and drippings of trees. Equally difficult is 

 it for me to satisfy the reqviirements of moisture 

 lovers in a limestone soil with a far distant pump 

 as the only source of artificial moisture. Others 

 more happily situated may therefore expend 

 their money upon these, at present rather 

 expensive, luxuries with a better hope of keeping 

 them as permanent joys of their garden than I 

 ever can. but as. through the kindness of friends. 

 I have already been enabled to try quite a large 

 number of these novelties, my experience of them 

 may be useful to readers of Irish Gardening. 



I have had several Primulas nearly akin to P. 

 cortusoides and P. obconica, as may he expected, 

 therefore, the majority of them are not very hardy, 

 but P. Veitchii is an exception, it has large thick 

 Pelargonium-like leaves and throws up quantities 

 of stems bearing good sized bunches of flowers in 

 varying shades of crimson pink. It seems quite 

 hardy here on a northern rock face growing with 

 Ramondias. P. Sino-Listeri is like a small 

 P. obconica. I have it in sandy leaf mould, but 

 it does not seem very hardy. P. septemloba. 

 with drooping heads of deep magenta-pink 

 flowers, seems perennial if protected from over- 

 head winter moisture. P. pycnoloba is an extra- 

 ordinary plant, with leaves of thick blanket felt 

 and small flowers encased in enormous creamy 

 calices. It seems to resent damp and to be 

 beloved of slugs. I cannot keep it out of doors. 

 P. malacoides and P. Forbesii are two charming 

 annuals which usually sow themselves freely. I 

 lift the seedlings and keep them in a frame over 

 winter, as neither of theni are very hardy. 

 P. Forbesii is nainute and fairy like ; P. malacoides 

 stronger, with wonderful scented foliage. 



P. Forresti I always lost until I planted it out 

 in full sun tightly wedged between rocks; here it 

 has lived and increased for three years, so I am 

 hoping that I have solved its difficultv. Its deep 

 cowslip yellow flowers are beautiful, and its 

 foliage has that wonderful pineapple perfume 

 that one finds in several of these Chinese Primulas. 

 One of the most distinct of the new sections is 

 known as Muscarioides. Most of the forms in 

 this section have spikes of flowers just like grape 

 Hyacinths. The best known was sent out as 



P. muscarioides, it is now known as P. Giraldiana. 

 It has spikes of blue flowers, but the individual 

 flowers are very small. P. pinnatifida is a much 

 smaller plant, with flowers of deepest blue. 

 P. deflexa is very fragrant and has a much finer 

 spike of flowers itlian the dowdy plant originally 

 sent out under this name, but now recognised as 

 P. Watsoni — this has heads but sparsely covered 

 with dull purple flowers nearly smothered in 

 " meal." All these forms, however, are quite put 

 into the shade Ijy an innocent imposter that 

 flowered for the first time this season; its seed — 

 together with that of another Primula — was sent 

 home by a collector who mixed his labels. The 

 Primula I got was named " P. tibetica," and 

 turned out to be a magnificent plant of the 

 Muscarioides section, with muchlarger flowers than 

 those of P. Giraldiana, varying in colour from pale 

 to a pure deep Oxford blue and with a fragrance 

 unsurpassed by that of any other Primula. It is 

 a gem of the first water, but its name puzzled me, 

 for I knew that Sir George Watt, in his monograph 

 on Indian Primulas, classified P. tibetica with P. 

 rosea — to which section the new Primula could 

 not possibly belong. I now learn from Prof. 

 Bayley Balfour that it has been determined that 

 the new Primula is a new species and is to be 

 called P. Menziesii, while the second Primula — 

 by error named P. bellidifolia — is the true 

 P. tibetica. (This plant is like a tiny P. rosea, 

 each thread-like stem bearing a single pink 

 flower — an interesting, but not a showy plant.) 

 The last member of this section that I have grown 

 — P. Littoniana — seems to be the best perennial 

 among them. It is most distinct — from narrow 

 hairy leaves it sends up what apj)ear at first to be 

 dwarf scarlet kniphophias until the purple 

 flowers break through the scarlet bracts. I grow 

 it in sandy loam, and provided it does not get too 

 much overhead winter wet it comes up again 

 every year, but seems after its second year to 

 deteriorate ; it must be either a gross feeder or 

 a surface feeder, and in future I will lift it and 

 replant it in fresh soil immediately after flowering. 

 As regards the others, P. Giraldiana usually 

 flowers two years and then dies, P. Watsoni and 

 P. pinnatifida flower and die, P. deflexa seems 

 more perennial ; but, as all come freely from seed, 

 I find it safer to raise a few seedlings yearly and 

 thus anticipate any shortage. 



The section Soldanelloides contains some of the 

 most beautiful Primulas in existence. So far I 

 have only grown one^P. nutans — which 

 flowered this year. It has a spike not unlike 

 those of the muscarioides section, but instead of 

 their minute flowers it has fewer flowers, but much 

 larger — each of them about the size and shape of 

 a Soldanella — wide open cups of the purest 

 lavender-blue, almost a plumbago blue and 

 dusted with meal — the effect is indescribably 

 lovely. My plants are so far only in pots, but 

 not one died after flowering, and all being well, 

 I will put some of them out next season in 

 similar soils and situations to those in which 

 P. Littoniana succeeds here — good turfy loam, 

 leaf mould and silver sand — in a spot not too 

 dry or water soaked. 



P. Knuthiana is like a strong growing P. 

 frondosa and seems to like similar treatment — 

 rich loam fairly damp. P. secundiflora is of the 

 same section as P. sikkimensis and has a few 

 large drooping port wine coloured flowers. So 

 far it is not a success here. It seems to require 



