IRISH GARDENING. 



55 



Notes. 



Fritillaria askabadensis. 



This interesting and satisfactory species from the 

 Caucasus is the tallest herbaceous plant in flower 

 thus early in the year. Its rate of growth is re- 

 markable; from the time the shoots push through 

 the soil, but a few weeks elapse ere the stems are 

 over two feet high, bearing a head of pendulous 

 pale yellow flowers on long, slender stalks. The 

 leaves are long and narrow, scattered irregularly 

 on the stem, and of a Inight, shining green. It 

 was in flower from the middle of March, and is 

 perfectly hardy. 



Scilla sibirica multiflora. 



This variety is distinct from the common form in 

 the longer spikes, carrying more flowers, and 

 usually blooms earlier, though growing side by 

 side in the same soil and situation. It is a useful 

 plant for the rock garden, and the front of a border 

 as well as many little nooks and odd corners where 

 early flowers are welco-me in the opening months 

 of the year. 



Colchicum crociflorum. 



An interesting spring flowering Colchicum, shar- 

 ing this distinction with C. luteum, which comes 

 from Kashmir and Afghanistan. 



C. crociflorum, flowering now in the middle of 

 March, bears small flowers, jnire white within, but 

 each segment has a narrow strip of brownish colour 

 yiuining down the centre on the outside. Well- 

 drained soil and a sunny position is necessary for 

 both these species. C. luteum has flowers of a 

 golden yellow colour, and is not very common. 



Primula chasmophila. 



This pretty Primrose, lately introduced to cultiva- 

 tion, is figured in the Botanical Magazine at plate 

 S791. 



The figure was prepared from a plant which 

 flowered in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. 

 The seeds were sent to Glasnevin l)y Mr. A. K. 

 Bulley, of Neston, Cheshire, and were collected for 

 him in Bhutan by Mr. Cooper. 



The species was named by Professor Balfour, of 

 Edinburgh. It belongs to the section Soldanel- 

 loides, and bears two to three flowers clustered 

 together at the summit of a scape about three 

 inches high; the flowers are deep violet in colour, 

 with a pronounced mushroom-like odour. The 

 leaves, all basal, are hairy, an inch or little more 

 in length and half as wide, distinctly stalked, ancl 

 vfith lobed margins. 



It occurs at" an altitude of 16,000 feet in dry, 

 stony soil, in sunny positions. Under cultivation 

 it has the same fault as so many other species from 

 the same region — it is difficult to keep through our 

 damp winters, and is not likely to be a success 

 in the open. 



J. W. B., Glasnevin. 



Primulas for the Garden. 



Gardeners, and particularly those interested in 

 outdoor gardening, are fortunate in the enormous 

 number of Primulas now available with which 

 they may embellish their rock gardens, bog gardeni 

 and borders. From Europe, from Asia and from 

 America they come, and a very large proportion 

 of them are amenal^le to outdoor cultivation. Of 

 the newer introductions there are some which 

 perhaps we do not quite understand, particularly 

 as to wliether they are truly perennial or not, or 

 whether they like 'lime or the reverse, but half the 

 interest in growing plants is in discovering their 

 habits and requirements, and enough is known of 

 many of them to make it worth while i^ersevering 

 to find out the right treatment. 



In spite of the many new introductions from 

 China many of the old favourites are still in the 

 front rank and will not be easily ousted. As a 

 matter of fact there 13 not much to beat our 

 common Primrose, Prinnila vulgaris, clothing a 

 shady bank or hedge side, and opening its ever 

 welcome flowers so early in the year. There is a 

 handsome large-flowered form of the common 

 Primrose called Evelyn Arkwright, which is well 

 worth growing. The Oxlip Primula elatior and 

 the Cowslip Primula officinalis are both delight- 

 ful species worth growing in our gardens, and 

 flourish in ordinary loamy soil. The dainty little 

 I'rimula farinosa, is the type of a section which 

 includes also Primula Scotica, a little gem grow- 

 ing wild in the very north of Scotland, and P. 

 frondosa from the Balkans. All like moist soil 

 with a mixture of peat and a half-shady position. 

 Of the three, P. Scotica is the most difficult to 

 keep; P. frondosa is quite accommodating and 

 flowers freely every year, bearing quantities of its 

 dainty, ro'sy, purple flowers held above the rosettes 

 of mealy leaves; it responds to dividing and re- 

 planting annually after flowering. P. farinosa, 

 known also as the Bird's Eye Primrose, is smaller, 

 with lilac flower- each with a yellow " eye," 

 the variety magellanica has flowers of a bluer 

 shade. 



To the Auricula section belong most of the 

 older species best known in gardens, and which 

 are found wild in the mountainous regions of 

 Europe. The names of many of them have been 

 much confused and are far from right still in 

 gardens and nurseries, though l)otanists and those 

 who have made a special '-tudy of European 

 Primulas have done much to bring order out of 

 chaos. 



Primula Auricula is a variable species, and it is 

 doubtful if the true wild plant is very often met 

 with in gardens and nurseries. It apparently re- 

 sponds to cultivation in growing to a larger size 

 and in producing larger flowers, but, in any case, 

 the best forms met with in gardens are decidedly 

 worth having. The flowers are yellow and the 

 leaves often mealy, but sometimes not. The 

 Munich form is a pretty and fairly easily grown 

 plant rejoicing in loamy soil with lime in it ; it 

 is known as P. Auricula monacensis, and ha? 

 narrower leaves than the commoner forms of 

 Auricula, and heads of slender, yellow flowers. 

 The pretty, yellow-flowered P. Obristii is also 

 considered a variety of P. Am-icula, as also are 

 P. Balbisii, with large yellow flowers and green 

 leaves, and P. bellunensis, also yellow, both being 

 grouped under P. Auricula var. ciliata. Another 

 yellow-flowered species of the Auricula group 

 is P Palinuri from Southern Italy. It has large 



