THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



769 



its orange-red flowers quite unlike any- 

 thing previously seen in this group. It 

 grows in wet upland meadows at eleva- 

 tions of many thousand feet, forming a 

 tuft of wrinkled leaves not unlike those 

 of our wild Primrose and slender stems 

 of 12 to 1 8 in., with sparse whorls of 

 flowers nearly an inch across. It may 

 become freer in flower under cultivation, 

 otherwise it can hardly be called a showy 

 kind, its great value perhaps being the 

 new colour for our hybridists. 



P. cortusoides. A distinct species 

 bearing clusters of deep rosy flowers on 

 stalks 6 to 10 in. high. In consequence 

 of its tall free habit it is liable to injury 

 if placed in an exposed spot or open 

 border, and should therefore be put in 

 a sheltered position, such as a sunny nook 

 in the rock-garden, where it is surrounded 

 by low shrubs, etc., or in any place where 

 it is not exposed to cutting winds, and at 

 the same time not shaded to its injury. 

 It forms a charming ornament for the 

 rock-garden, for a sunny sheltered border 

 near a wall or a house, or for the margin 

 of the choice shrubbery. The soil should 

 be light and rich, and a surfacing of 

 cocoa-fibre or leaf-mould is beneficial in 

 dry positions. It is one of the most beauti- 

 ful of Primulas, being readily increased 

 from seed, and hardy in any well-drained 

 and suitable position. Siberia. Near to 

 this comes P. Veitchii, newly introduced 

 from Western China. The new plant is 

 yet more robust, with broader leaves and 

 larger flowers of a deeper rose colour, 

 and comes from open and sunny places 

 at an elevation of many thousand feet. 



P. deflexa. An attractive little plant 

 recently come to us from inland China, 

 where it grows in mountain woods at a 

 great elevation. Its stout scapes rise 

 from a rosette of hairy leaves to a height 

 of 12 or more inches, bearing a dense 

 head of small rosy-purple flowers which 

 point downwards, and thus account for 

 the specific name. 



P. denticulata. A pretty Himalayan 

 Primrose, of robust growth, 8 to 10 in. 

 high. It has large tufts of broad foliage, 

 and produces in spring, on stout erect 

 stems, large dense clusters of lilac 

 blossoms. It is a most variable plant, 

 and some of its more distinct forms 

 have received garden names, of which 

 the principal are mentioned below. It is 

 paler in colour than any of its varieties, 

 and its foliage and flower-stalks are not 

 mealy. P. pulcherrima is a great im- 

 provement on the original. It grows 

 from 10 to 12 in. high, and has a more 

 globular flower-truss which is of a deep 



lilac colour. The stalks are olive-green, 

 and, like the leaves, are slightly mealy. 

 It is very beautiful when in flower. 

 P. Henryi is a very strong - growing 

 variety, but does not otherwise differ 

 from P. pulcherrima. It is a very fine 

 plant, often 2 ft. across, and in Ireland it 

 reaches even larger dimensions. P. cash- 

 meriana is by far the finest variety. The 

 flowers are of a lovely dark lilac, closely 

 set together in almost a perfect globe on 

 stalks over i ft. high. They last from 

 March till May. The foliage is beautiful, 

 and, like the stalk, is of a bright pale 

 green, thickly powdered with meal, in 

 which, as in many other points, the plant 

 strongly resembles P. farinosa. A new 

 garden-raised variety, Queen of Purples, 

 is very handsome, with large flowers of 

 an intense deep purple. 



All the varieties are hardy, though 

 their foliage is liable to be injured 

 by early spring frosts. They may be 

 placed either in the rock-garden or in an 

 ordinary border, and will grow vigorously 

 in a deep moist loamy soil, enriched by 

 manure. They prefer a shady situation, 

 with a clear sky overhead, and delight in 

 an abundance of moisture during warm 

 summers. If grown in masses in beds, 

 the flowers should be protected by a 

 hand-light or frame placed over them to 

 preserve them. P. erosa is similar to 

 P. denticulata, but is smaller and less 

 hardy ; it has paler flowers, and altogether 

 it is an inferior plant. 



P. deorum. A rare plant from the 

 mountains of Bulgaria, growing in damp 

 grassy places just under the snow-line. 

 Its leaves are rather fleshy, forming a 

 tufted rosette, from which springs a stout 

 stem of 8 or 9 inches with a massive 

 truss of violet-purple flowers. It is 

 hardy on the north side of the rock- 

 garden, thriving in sandy loam and in a 

 moist position, such as the foot of a broad 

 flat stone, which gathers the rain and 

 conducts it to the root. It should be 

 shielded from heavy winter rains by a 

 tilted pane of glass. 



P. farinosa (Bird's-eye Primrose). A 

 charming native Primrose with small 

 rosettes of silvery leaves, and flower- 

 stems generally 3 to 12 in. high ; the 

 flowers, borne in a compact umbel in early 

 summer, are lilac-purple with a yellow 

 eye. They vary a little in colour, there 

 being shades of pink, rose, and deep 

 crimson. In our gardens it loves a 

 moist vegetable soil, and in moist and 

 elevated parts of the country it flourishes 

 in the rock-garden and in slightly elevated 

 beds without any attention ; but in most 



3 D 



