My Garden in Spring 



in the pipe-bed, and made up for it by a charming display 

 this May. Its ugly duckling hybrid child P. Bowlesii shot 

 up its taller scape too. It is ungrateful of me to speak 

 slightingly of this plant after its dedication to me, but in 

 case you are thinking of rushing off to Mt. Cenis to hunt 

 for it I had better be honest and say it is very scarce : a 

 whole morning of careful search this June rewarded Mr. 

 Farrer and me with three plants of it, and between us 

 we do not miss much when we hunt for a thing systema- 

 tically. Also it is fair to say that in spite of its lovely 

 parents, rosy pedemontana and the true viscosa of imperial 

 purple, it is a mawkish magenta in all the specimens we 

 have found save one, which was a cheery crimson-purple, 

 and so good that at first sight I thought it too good to be 

 true Bowlesii. I wonder how this name will be pronounced 

 should it be tried by Poles and Russians, Germans, Turks 

 or Prooshians, or an I-talian. I rather fear it will become 

 Bovvleaysiee. Anyway I was glad to be the first to flower 

 my Primrose, and to be able to send a scape and leaves 

 to the British Museum, though it was not in time to appear 

 at the Primula Conference. It has made the most curious 

 long and narrow leaves this summer, and at present looks 

 totally unlike either parent. 



P. frondosa is a good plant for the sand and water-pipe 

 moraine even in fullest sun, and never looked so well here 

 with other treatment. Whether it be the true frondosa of 

 Janka or no, has been much debated, and at present it is 

 comforting to know that the latest authorities pronounce it 

 genuine, as the type specimen is suspected of having lost 

 its mealiness through maturity, and therefore Pax and 

 Knuth's upsetting decree that it must be without meal 

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