734 PRIMULA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PRIMULA. 



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 



Primula capitata. 



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 and easily raised of the Primulas, being 

 readily increased from seed, and hardy in 

 any well-drained and suitable position. 

 Siberia. 



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, and 

 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 

 w r hich as in many other points the plant 

 strongly resembles P. farinosa. 



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. farinosa (Bird's-eye Primrose}. -A 

 charming native species with small 

 rosettes of silvery leaves, and flower- 

 stems generally 3 to 12 in. high, though 

 sometimes more. The flowers, which 

 are 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 

 districts a little care is necessary. In 

 the rock-garden it is perfectly at home in 

 a moist, deep, and well-drained crevice, 

 filled with peaty soil or fibry sandy loam. 

 In the drier districts it would be well to 

 cover the soil with Cocoa-fibre, leaf-mould, 

 or broken bits of sandstone to protect the 

 surface from being baked and from ex- 

 cessive evaporation. P. f. acaulis is a 

 very diminutive variety of the preceding. 

 The flowers nestle in the hearts of the 

 leaves, and both flowers and leaves are 

 very small. When a number of plants are 

 grown together, they form a charming little 

 cushion of leaves and flowers not more 

 than \ in. high. Being so small, the plant 



