32 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Primroses and Polyanthus. 



Uy Amakanthe. 



The many varieties of these plants with their 

 Jacks-in-Green and Hose-in-Hose are but Greek 

 to tlie uninitiated — love they them never so well. 



The following notes may be a slight guide to 

 anyone wishing to make a collection. 



I shall begin with rriiinila offirhuilh ft. i'L — 

 perhaps the best known of these lovely things that 

 flourish nowhere so well as in our beautiful 

 " Emerald Isle." Many old varieties, beloved of 

 our ancestors, have died out. Some are being 

 steadily brought back to us after years of patient 

 and absorbing study. 



Madame de roinpaduur should, perhaps, head 

 the list. This is the old crimson-velvet Primrose, 

 rare and costly, but not at all impossible. The 

 same treatment of cool, loamy soil, peat, leaf- 

 mould, and well-rotted manure, that does with 

 all Prinu-oses, will suit it, and any that are not 

 considered altogether easy. Careful watering and 

 shading in hot weather is necessary for them, 

 which one would hardly think of doing with the 

 commoner, but beautiful, white and lilac varie- 

 ties. These are very strong growers. But to 

 return to the rarer kinds. I have much faith in 

 a peaty soil. It retains the damp, also a sound 

 plan is to carefully note whether the xA&ni looks 

 healthy or not. It the latter, take it up imme- 

 diately, dust lime over the root, re-plant in new 

 soil mixed with lime around the root, and there 

 will be renewed health and vigour from the treat- 

 ment in nearly every case. 



Old Rose is a very choice variety, and I think 

 " Cloth of Gold " should come next in popularity. 

 It is the best yellow we have, being deeper than 

 Early Sulphur," which is just sulphur, and that 

 of a pale tint; luit it is a popular variety and 

 not very common, though it will spread and 

 flourish,' given any kind of ordinary treatment; 

 it is hardly so vigorous as the white and lilac, 

 and apt to die out in a huff if neglected altogether 

 and not divided at the right time. It blooms 

 most floiiferously, sometimes from early autunui 

 until late spring, and for this reason demands 

 some kindness. 



French Grey is quite exquisite. There are 

 two distinct shades, one deeper than the other. 

 It is a charming Primrose. 



Burgundy is a cheery-looking magenta crimson 

 of a light shade. 



Now comes the dwarf Polyanthus type. 



Arthur de Moulins, a lovely amethyst, is a 

 most striking in the spring garden. 



Marie Crousse, a lilac rose colour, sometimes 

 slightly margined white, and sanguinea nigra 

 plena are of this type. The latter has rather 

 longer, almost black, tine stems, of the richest 

 crimson, quite the best crimson we have, but 

 not the darkest in shade. It is beautiful and 

 easy to grow. The leaves come up the most livid 

 green. The two former are also easily grown, 

 just requiring good soil and division now and 

 then. 



Of the larger Polyanthus type we luive a giant 

 in every way in Curiosity, pink and yellow; very 

 liandsome. In Prince Silver Wings we have a 

 perfectly delightful Polyanthus, plum colour, 

 silver-laced. The effect of the double flowers, 

 when well-grown, is remarkably beautiful, while 

 if allowed to deteriorate it becomes ugly and 

 single. 



The gold-laced varieties are represented by 



Toitoiscshell, a very great Ijeauty ; Harlequin, 

 red crimson, and Rex Theodore, deep red. 



Coming to I'li inula ufficinaJis elafior, the 

 single var., we find some very quaint and beauti- 

 ful kinds. The lovely elatior coerulca (the old 

 sky-blue silver-laced Polyanthus) leads the way. 

 With care, this makes rapid growth. A bed of it 

 mi.\ed with or bordered by the dwarf deep blue 

 Primrose, with large flower, really only a seed- 

 ling, but a splendid one, and called sometimes 

 the old Irish blue Primrose," is a sight not to 

 be forgotten. 



There is a deep blue double Polyanthus to 

 be had which is, I believe, quite hardy. I do 

 not think it has been named, and there are 

 lovely new-named bronze, crimson and golden- 

 laced Polyanthus just being brought back again 

 from the olden times. 



Perhaps some reader could solve a difficulty in 

 the correct naming of Jack-in-Green Primrose 

 '• Pantaloon." It has lived here as that for ages, 

 the darkest, richest crimson-brown Polyanthus 

 imaginable. 



Jackanapes has never lived here, but I have 

 seen it offered for sale. Scarlet red in colour, 

 with the same bright tint in a broad stripe or 

 panel up the centre, of each green leaf surround- 

 ing the flower. Now I am told this is Panta- 

 loon by an unimpeachable authority. Then what 

 should" the supposed "Pantaloon" be called? 



Another question I would like to hear answered ; 

 What is " Parkinson's Polyanthus " ? It is sup- 

 posed to be the Hose-in-Hose in " Mary's 

 Meadow " (Mr. J. H. Ewing's charming story). I 

 call my " Lady Dora " Parkinson's. I wonder 

 am I right? It is very old. very sweet, dwarf, 

 very easy, and of the richest yellow. A bed of 

 it smells like a lot of ripe apricots; yes, and 

 sweeter — it is just delicious. 



Lady Lettice is hirger and coarser, yellow with 

 pinkish tint. It is also a polyanthus. I prefer 

 not to call it Parkinson's. There is a lovely 

 Hose-in-Hose Polyanthus with drooping flower, 

 very sweet, larger and paler than Lady Dora. I 

 think it is Yellow Prince. Then there is 

 Sparkler of the same type, almost scarlet, smaller 

 than the last-named, rare, and very choice. These 

 are the best. Then come the " Jack-in-Green 

 Primroses," red, crimson, white, pink, sulphur — 

 all very nice and quaint; pure white, slightly the 

 Ijolyanthus type, beautiful, large white flower 

 with l)road orange centre. 



The single Primroses are Harbinger, early 

 white; Belvedere, lilac; Miss Massy, claret; and 

 hosts of seedlings. 



Potatoes. 



Towards the end of this month pUuiting will be 

 general, particularly of early varieties. The selec- 

 tion of suitable sorts is a matter of some import- 

 ance, liut no hard-and-fast advice can be given in 

 this respect, since soil, sitmition and climate affect 

 results so much that a variety may be a complete 

 success in one locality and a failure in another. 



We liave lately received from the Adviser in 

 Horticulture to the Cornwall Education Com- 

 mittee a Report on Potato Trials conducted in 

 that comity in 1921. We note that Silrer Sliain- 

 Kjch heads the list of late varieties with a yield 

 of l;i tons 6 cwts. .S lbs. per acre, and is followed 

 by Shamrorl- with 12 tons 1 cwt. 2J qrs. per acre, 

 fallowed closely by Kerr's Pink, a new variety 

 of nnu-li promise. Eavh/ Market gave 9 tons l:i 

 cwts. per acre, while (iieai Si-nf gave over 10 tons. 



