2784 



PRIMULA 



PRIMULA 



mountains, and others from boreal and mountainous 

 regions of Europe and North America. From Japan, 

 P. japonica and P. Sieboldii are the best. From China, 

 P. pulverulenta and the recently introduced species, P. 

 Bulleyana and P. Beesiana, are large and showy, pro- 

 ducing their bright flowers in whorls, P. Beesiana hav- 

 ing from five to eight whorls with an average of sixteen 

 flowers in a whorl. From experience and observation, 

 the writer finds that they must have a deep rich moist 

 soil in a sheltered place, with an eastern aspect, or 

 where t-hey are shaded during the warmest part of the 

 day. A low moist nook in a properly constructed rock- 

 garden is an ideal place for them. 



The high mountain and northern species, P. cortusoides, 

 P. denticulata and the variety cachemiriana, P. rosea, 

 P. farinosa, P. mistassinica, and P. Auricula, require a 

 rich moist soil with an eastern aspect in a rock-garden 

 for their successful culture. It is not so much the cold 

 of the winters as it is the heat and drought of our 

 summers that makes their cultivation difficult. 



Most of them flower through the months of May and 

 June. They are all propagated by seeds which may be 

 sown in flats in a cool shaded frame as soon as ripe or 

 about the end of July, wintering the seedlings in a cool 

 greenhouse or frame the first winter, and planting out 

 in the rock-garden in spring; or seeds may be sown in 

 February in a warm greenhouse as recommended for 

 the English primrose, but keeping the seedlings in 

 flats in a shaded frame till September before planting 

 in the rock-garden. A light dressing of decayed stable- 

 manure carefully placed between the plants as winter 

 comes on and a few hemlock or pine branches to pro- 

 tect them from the sun in winter are beneficial. 



While this last group of primulas may never become 

 so popular in this country as they are in the cool and 

 moist climate of England, yet, for anyone who can pro- 

 vide the conditions, they are well worth growing. 



Commercial culture of florist's primulas. (E. A. White) 



Primulas have long been regarded as important by 

 commercial plant-growers. Their compact dwarf habit 

 of growth and their freedom of flower production make 

 them especially desirable. They have never been used 

 extensively as cut-flowers, yet the flower-clusters of 

 some species, such as P. obconica and P. malacoides, 

 lend themselves well to artistic arrangement and are 

 sold in limited numbers in the larger cities, usually in 

 bunches of twenty-five sprays. P. Polyantha also pro- 

 duces sprays of blooms which are particularly attrac- 

 tive in spring when cut and arranged in a somewhat 

 formal manner similar to bunches of trailing arbutus. 

 The species most generally grown under glass for potted 

 plants are P. obconica, P. sinensis, P. kewensis, and P. 

 malacoides (fairy primrose); P. Forbesii (the baby 

 primrose) is still sometimes grown. 



While P. sinensis in its varying varieties is still 

 grown as a potted plant to a considerable extent, it is of 

 less importance commercially than are P. obconica, P. 

 kewensis, P. malacoides, and P. floribunda. P. sinensis 

 var. stellato. seems more in demand than the type. 

 When taken from the greenhouses to a dwelling-house 

 or a flower-store, the individual flowers of P. sinensis 

 soon fade and the plants become unsightly. Retail 

 dealers speak of them as "poor keepers." The most 

 desirable varieties of P. sinensis are Crimson King, 

 Pink Beauty, Reading Blue, Orange King, The Czar, 

 The Duchess, Coral-Pink, Princess May, and Royal 

 White. In the stellata group, White Star, Pink Star, 

 Light and Dark Blue Star, and Giant Red Star are 

 most frequently grown. P. malacoides and P. obconica, 

 the latter in its several varieties, Kermesiana, Fire 

 King, and Giant Red are probably the most important 

 present-day primulas. 



Primulas are usually propagated yearly from seed. 

 When very large plants for exhibition purposes are 



desired, the plants may be carried over a second year. 

 Young plants are usually more productive of blooms, 

 hence are more desirable. Seeds must be fresh. Primu- 

 las may also be propagated from cuttings. 



When large plants are desired for Christmas, the 

 seed is sown in January. Later sowings may be made 

 in February and March. Seed-pans should have a 

 layer of broken crock in the bottom for drainage, and 

 a little coarse material is placed above this. The seed- 

 pan is then filled evenly full with a mixture of equal 

 parts of leaf-mold and sand. This is compacted slightly, 

 being careful to have the surface even. The top of the 

 soil should not be over Y% inch below the top of the rim 

 of the pan. If lower than this, the confined atmosphere 

 about the seedlings may cause an attack of the "damp- 

 ing-off" fungus. The seeds are then sown evenly and 

 thinly over the surface and a thin covering of one-half 

 finely sifted leaf-mold and sand, thoroughly mixed, is 

 sprinkled evenly over the top. The seed-pans are then 

 sprinkled with a fine spray, covered with glass, and 

 placed in a partially shaded spot. As soon as the seed- 

 lings germinate, the glass should be removed. The 

 germination period in the life of primulas is a critical 

 one, and temperature, light, and moisture require 

 particular attention. 



When the seedlings have developed about three 

 leaves, they should be transplanted. Small flats are 

 preferable to pots. The seedlings are spaced about 13^ 

 inches each way. A soil compost of equal parts of 

 leaf-mold and sand is excellent for the first transplant- 

 ing. When the seedlings have developed about five 

 leaves they should be potted into 2- or 2J4-inch 

 pots. Care should be taken in this first potting and 

 in subsequent repottings not to set the plants too 

 deeply in the soil, as it causes the lower leaves to decay. 

 The crown should be even with the soil. If it is above 

 the soil, the plants will be inclined to topple over as 

 they reach maturity and it may be necessary to stake 

 them. At no time should the young plants be allowed 

 to become pot-bound. Any check in their development 

 during the rapid-growing period prevents the per- 

 fection of the plants. They should be repotted several 

 times and the soil made a little richer each time by the 

 addition of well-rotted cow-manure and bone-meal. 



About the tenth of June primulas may be put into a 

 frame out-of-doors. A shaded glass sash should be put 

 over them and raised about 2 feet above the frame. 

 This gives excellent air circulation about the plants and 

 makes them strong and stocky. In August the plants 

 are repotted for the last time. Six-inch pots are mostly 

 used. The soil at this time should be considerably 

 heavier and richer than previously. A mixture of three 

 parts leaf-mold, two parts finely chopped sod, one part 

 sand and one part well-rotted cow-manure with a 

 liberal sprinkling of bone-meal makes an excellent soil 

 for primroses. Watering should be carefully attended 

 to in the summer months. 



About the middle of September the plants should be 

 brought into the greenhouse and placed in a coolhouse 

 where a night temperature of about 45 can be main- 

 tained. This low temperature induces a stocky healthy 

 growth and subsequently large strong flower-spikes. 

 After bringing the plants into the greenhouse, they 

 should become accustomed gradually to full sunlight. 

 After a few weeks in a coolhouse, the temperature may 

 be gradually raised to 50 or even 60; but the plants 

 are better if grown in a low temperature. 



