OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN FLOWERS. 221 



than those of that species ; obovate, lanceolate, denticulate, and 

 very mealy underneath. 



To grow it requires not only a light but somewhat spongy soil, 

 as peat and sand, but it should never be allowed to get dry at 

 the roots; a top dressing during summer of sand and half 

 decayed leaves is a great help to it, for the roots are not only 

 then very active, going deep and issuing from the base of the 

 leaves, but they require something they can immediately grow 

 into when just forming, and to be protected from drought. It 

 will be well to remember that its principal habitats are on the 

 sandy shores, as that gives a proper idea of the bottom moisture, 

 and, from the looseness of the sand, the drier condition of the 

 immediate surface. My specimens have always dwindled during 

 summer and failed to appear the following spring, excepting 

 where such treatment as the above has been adopted. I am 

 much indebted for these hints to several amateurs, who grow it 

 well. That many fail with it is evidenced by the facts that it is 

 in great demand every spring and that there are few sources of 

 supply other than its wild home. Never was it more sought for, 

 perhaps, than at the present time, not only by amateurs at home, 

 but by both private and trade growers abroad. The exquisite 

 beauty of this primrose when well grown and the technical care 

 required to have it in that condition are both things of which 

 any plant lover may be proud. 



If once established, its propagation is scarcely an affair of the 

 cultivator's; the self-sown seed appears to germinate with far 

 more certainty when left alone, and, as the plants are always 

 very small, they hardly need to be transplanted. If left alone, 

 though they are often much less than an inch across, many will 

 flower the first season. Some have taken it as something of a 

 biennial character. The treatment is at fault when it gives 

 cause for such impressions; its perennial quality is both 

 authorised and proved under cultivation. 



Flowering period, March to May. 



Primula Sikkimensis. 



Nat. Ord. PRIMTJLACEJE. 



THE specific name of this noble and lovely plant has reference to 

 its habitat, Sikkim, in the Himalayas, where it was found not 

 many years ago. It is not largely cultivated yet probably not 

 well known. It may, however, be frequently met with in choice 

 collections, where no plant is more worthy of a place. Its general 

 character may be said to be very distinct, especially when in 

 flower. It is herbaceous, hardy, and perennial. Its hardiness has 

 been questioned for several years, but the winters of 1880 and 

 1881 settled that beyond the region of doubt. I had then many 

 plants of it fully exposed, without even a top-dressing, which is 



