PART II.] 



ALPINE FLOWERS FOR GARDENS 



291 



more congenial than the bare fashionable 

 flower-garden of our own day, and they 

 are well worthy of a place on the cooler 

 sides of the rock-garden or among the 

 mountain shrubs near it. 



Primula rosea (Rosy Indian Primrose). 

 A brightly-hued Primrose, from 6 to 8 

 inches high, the flowers in umbels of from 6 

 to 9 blooms, on a rather stout stem, rosy 

 carmine in colour, with a yellow throat. 

 The leaves are very smooth, about 4 inches 

 long, and serrated at the margin. It is 

 a charming plant for a bog garden, and 

 thrives in any damp, light soil. I have 

 seen it flourish in a sunny bog-bed even 

 better than in a shady one, but it will not 

 endure a dry, sunny position. In Scotland 

 it grows apace in ordinary garden borders, 

 owing to greater rainfall. The plants are 

 easily grown from seed or increased by 

 division of the root-stock. 



P. rosea grandiflora. Of this variety 

 the flowers are more robust, and borne on 

 taller and stouter stems ; the colour a 

 deeper carmine-crimson. 



P. frondosa. A member of the mealy 

 section of Primula, this is the best, most 

 vigorous, and the freest bloomer, growing 

 with great vigour and freedom where 

 P. farinosa is a failure. Growing 9 

 inches high, the plant when seen in a 

 colony is very pretty, and in quite open 

 spots will come into flower earlier than 

 many species of the genus. It is a 

 fine plant and truly perennial. The 

 best place is the rock-garden, and here 

 on a level spot, rather low down, and 

 afforded some protection by higher rocks 

 from mid-day sun, the plant will form 

 a pretty picture for a long time. When 

 sown as soon as ripe, the plant may be 

 largely increased by seeds, the seedlings 

 to be grown in colonies, and the soil 

 chiefly loam, with small broken rock inter- 

 mingled, and a coating of small stones on 

 the surface. 



P. Sieboldi (Siebold's Primrose). Though 

 this handsome Primrose has been con- 

 sidered a variety of P. cortusoides, it is dis- 

 tinct for the size of its flowers, the breadth 

 of its foliage, the creeping character of its 

 root, its exclusively vernal habit, its 

 pseudo-lobed or grooved seed-vessel, and 

 the roundish flattened form of its seed. 



Since its introduction from Japan, numer- 

 ous beautiful varieties have been raised, 

 some of the most distinct being GlarkicR- 

 flora, Lilacina marginata, Fimbriata oculata, 

 Vincceflora, Coerulea alba, Mauve Beauty, 

 Lavender Queen, laciniata, and maxima. 

 These possess a fine diversity of colour, 

 and some have the petals fringed. One 

 of the chief merits of these Primulas is 

 that they bloom early, flowering about the 

 month of April when flowering plants 

 are rare ; and another is, that they 

 are free bloomers, throwing up successive 

 flower-stems, and lasting a long time in 

 perfection. The best soil for them is 

 light and rich, consisting of fibry loam, 

 leaf-mould, pulverised manure, and some 

 grit to keep it open. They are impatient 

 of excessive moisture, and when put in 

 open ground should be planted in well- 

 drained soil, or in raised positions in the 

 rock-garden. The roots creep just below 

 the surface, and form eyes from which 

 any variety can be easily propagated. 

 P. Sieboldi is a perennial, which loses its 

 leaves in autumn and winter, when it goes to 

 rest, and breaks up again early in spring. 



Primula japonica. One of the hand- 

 somest of Primroses, a good perennial, and 

 is not at all tender. It is a first-rate 

 border plant, and in moist shady spots of 

 deep rich loam it grows vigorously, 

 throwing up flower-stems 2 feet or more 

 high, and unfolding tier after tier of its 

 crimson blossoms for several weeks in 

 succession. It may be grown in the rock- 

 garden as well as in the border, and is an 

 excellent wild - garden plant, thriving 

 almost anywhere, and sowing itself freely. 

 It is said to be rabbit-proof. There is 

 a white form, a pale pink, and a rose 

 form, but the best is the original rich 

 crimson. In raising P. japonica from 

 seed, it should be borne in mind that 

 the seed remains some time dormant, 

 unless it is sown as soon as it is gathered, 

 and that it must on no account be sown 

 in heat. A cool frame is the proper place 

 for the seed-pan, and till the seed has 

 germinated, care must be taken to prevent 

 or keep down the growth of Moss and 

 Liverwort on the soil. This Primrose is 

 grown finely at Enys, in Cornwall, along 

 the margin of a pond. 



