JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDENER. 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



THE PraJIKOSE. 



AVING, when advocating the claim of the 

 Suowdrop to moi-e extensive cultivation as 

 an early -flowering plant, promised also to , 

 say a sometliing on the Prijurose as adapted 

 for purposes for which the Suowdrop was 

 not so well suited, I now proceed to do so. 

 My intention in the present ai-ticle is to 

 point out the merits of one or two well- 

 known members of this family which are 

 not suf&ciently known and appreciated. 

 As a plant adapted for early spring bedding — that is, 

 for bedding iu the beginning of Febniary and onwards, I 

 know of none equal to the single white Primi'ose. It is neat 

 and compact, so that even when not in flower its appear- 

 ance is pleasing, and it flowers so early that one might 

 r.xhnost say it blooms the year before. Many we had here, 

 as the winter was mild and open, have continued to flower 

 an tm^n since the end of October, whilst in the middle of 

 January the gi-eatest portion of them were in the height 

 of their beauty. So early is the best variety of the single 

 white, that when growing in the same j^osition as the wild 

 ■one, it is earlier in bloom by several weeks. Being of a 

 j)ure white it contrasts well with the damp dark-coloured 

 ground on which it is planted, or with the herbage by 

 ■which it may be surrounded. The eye of the flower, like 

 that of all the family, is a pale yellow, and the habit is 

 identical with that of the wild one. It bears seed fi-eely, 

 and reproduces itself plentifully where the situation 

 favours it, but the seedlings so raised do not all maintain 

 4hat purity of colour which the parent has, as I have now 

 and then obseiwed in some of them a tendency to merge 

 into the colom' of the wild one. Care ought, therefore, 

 ito be taken that the stock is kept as pure a white as 

 possible, I)y destroying all the cream and parti-coloui'ed 

 ones, unless tliej- possess some special merit. - 



In a general way the plant may be increased six times 

 .fls fast as can the double one of the same colom-. Although 

 we now and then adopt the system of propagation by 

 seedlings, the bulk of our stock is obtained by dividing 

 the old plants. Wo seldom or never allow permanent 

 edgings of them to remain more than two years iu one 

 place, unless they consist of double ones, which are of 

 much slower growth. The single, however, is our gi'eatest 

 favourite, as good-sized jjlants of it are plentifully co- 

 "vered with flowers, and when planted in close ILue, say 

 around a clump of Rhododendrons or other slu-ubs of that 

 kind, it presents a ring of the purest white, which is con- 

 spicuous at the distance of half a mile. When more 

 closely viewed it looks stOl more beautiful, since it is 

 bu-t seldom any of the individual florets become dh-tied 

 or damaged by sings or other vei-min, as is the case with 

 the Clu'istmas Rose and some other plants, and the 

 flowers rising above the fohage make the rows look like a 

 floral wreath of the most delicate white. In this latter 

 respect it rivals the Camellia, while for abundance of bloom 

 the single white equals, if not excels, the wild one. 



Now, although I give the preference to the single white 

 No. 676. -Vol. XSH., New Series, 



as regards earhness of flowering and contrast with other 

 plants, I do not deny a place to other kinds. The next 

 is a single lilac or mauve-coloiu'cd one. It exists in 

 many shades of colour, and there are many different 

 opinions as to theu' respective merits. If, however, the 

 Primrose in question bo described as the " Single Mauve," 

 its colour may be sufliciently guessed at. It seeds and 

 sows itself abundantly ; and pale and light tints can be 

 obtained in any quantity. The free-growing and iree- 

 floweiing quahties of the white one belong to it in an 

 equal degree, but it is neither so early nor so conspicuous 

 when looked at fi'om the distance. As a variety, however, 

 it is well deseiwing of a place, because next to the single 

 white it is the earliest of the kinds we gi'ow, and the fact 

 of its having so many shades of colour makes it more 

 probable that mthvidual tastes wiU be gi-atified. 



The next best single oae we have in any quantity is a 

 rather dark red, with the usual pale yellow eye. The 

 flower of this is, perhaps, the largest of all, but it is much 

 later in aiipearmg than that of the white and the last 

 described, and its flower-stem seems weaker, so that the 

 number of .central upright flowers on each plant are few. 

 As a variety, however, it is desei-ving a place, and, doubt- 

 less, others will be raised fi-om it, though it is less in- 

 chued to reprodiice itself under ordinary cu-cumstances 

 than the other two are ; still, with care it can be had in 

 quantity. There is great diversity among different kinds 

 in tills respect, and those who take a dehght in multiplj-- 

 ing names need not be at a loss for opportunities in a 

 family like the Primrose, which sports so much. 



We will now turn to the double ones, which seem to 

 cany a more attractive name with them, and are thought 

 by many to be the only ones worth cultivation. Although 

 I do not deny them their due share of merit, I by no 

 means assign them the highest position. The single ones 

 in general flower weeks, and sometimes even mouths be- 

 fore the double ; they are also sooner obtained in quantity, 

 and being of more "robust habit are less hkely to suffer 

 from the eflects of a hot summer than the double ones. 

 Nevertheless a portion of the latter are veiy useful, as 

 they come in after the others are partly over, and look 

 well. The double pink or mauve is the most prolific; 

 the double wliite is very pretty where it does well ; 

 and the crimson is much the same, though seldom met 

 with in a perfect state, the flowers too often having a 

 tmge of yellow in them. The old double yellow is not 

 so plentiful as it ought to be, and I question whether it 

 is as common now as it was fifty years ago, for at that 

 time I remember of rows of it as edgings to the paths of 

 some cottage gardens growing and flowering most luxu- 

 riantly just under the tips of the branches of the Goose- 

 ben-y trees. Now it figures in nm-serj'men's hsts at a 

 higher price than many Geraniums; and I find a veiy 

 spm-ious kind is getting abroad, not by any means the 

 true double Prinu-'ose of bygone days. Speaking of this, 

 however, I may remark that a few years ago a fiiend of 

 mine discovered a double one in a wood amongst the 

 common ones that were veiy plentiful there. He removed 

 it to his garden, and there it is now a very fine one. 



No. 1223.— Vol. XLVII., Old Seeies. 



