Primulas 



need not be regarded. 1 Where farinosa refuses to settle and 

 be comfortable frondosa makes a fine substitute, though it 

 lacks in my eyes the grace of our native plant, and is 

 rather too leafy and clumsy in build. The new Chinese 

 P. Knuthiana is a still larger form of the same type of 

 Primrose, but after flowering appears to make rosettes 

 without sufficient roots, and so is liable to turn flabby and 

 then yellow in hot weather, and seems hard to restore to 

 health. Old plants look very queer here now, in the pipe- 

 bed, but what appear to be self-sown seedlings are racing 

 along to fill up their places. 



P. Jtiliae, the new comer from Trans-Caucasia, has 

 behaved here as a real lady, just as the bearer of such a 

 name should. Two tuffets came from Herr Siindermann 

 early in the year, their canary-coloured labels the showiest 

 part of them. Cossetted for a little in a frame and then 

 put out in cool, leafy soil they flowered brilliantly in late 

 April. The astonishing crimson-purple of their flowers is 

 in such sharp contrast with the brilliant yellow eye that every 

 one exclaims " Oh ! " " Marvellous ! ! " " My stars ! ! ! " 

 " Crikey ! ! ! ! " or something else according to the richness 

 of their vocabulary, when they first see it. Not only have 

 they developed their characteristic runners with new crowns 

 at their ends, but when I parted the leaves to enjoy a sight 

 of these promises for next year I found they were indulging 

 in a little quiet practice for next Spring's flowering, and had 

 several half-sized blossoms hidden away below, but as 

 brilliant in colouring as ever. Of the two I possess, the 

 plant in fat soil in a half-shaded border has done better 



1 Since writing this I have seen a plant straight from its native Balkans which 

 is as mealy as any miller. 



