llii FAMILIAR GARDEy FLOJrERS. 



tlie southern extremity of Arabia Felix. A mueb improved 

 form — cousiderecl from the florieultural point of view — 

 was introduced by Messrs. Veitch and Son^ of Chelsea, in 

 the year 1872; this first flowered on the rockery at Kew 

 in the year ]S73, and was figured by Sir J. D. Hooker in 

 the work cited above, under f. QUAd. This later introduc- 

 tion is called Primida verlicillafa, var. sinensis. It is of 

 robust habit, producing a whorl of oblong leaves, from the 

 centre of which springs a stout flower-stem, bearing one, 

 two, or three distinct whorls of flowers, which are larger, 

 more richly coloured, and on shorter pedicels, with incon- 

 sjiicuous calyces, and therefore distinct from those of the 

 earlier form, and considerably handsomer. 



Collections of primulas are in request for rockeries, and 

 although a few of the sorts need special and pecirliar treat- 

 ment, a considerable proportion of the most useful species 

 readily conform to one simple system of cultivation. The 

 \-igorous-growing kinds require a deep sandy soil, always 

 moist, and some amount of shade from the midday sun in 

 the heat of summer. There is no primrose known to our 

 gardens that can with impunity endure drought as a 

 semjiervivum or seduhi can; all primroses suffer if much 

 roasted by sunshine, and a shallow, poor soil will but rarely 

 afford any of them a suitable root-hold. On the other 

 hand, most of the diminutive species bear full exjiosure 

 without harm, provided their roots have the advantage 

 of a deep, moist bed. It is advisable, when collections are 

 planted on a rockery, to associate them in groups as 

 nearly as possible, so as to subject them to uniform treat- 

 ment, and thus insure regular attention. When dotted 

 about in j^laces distant from each other, a few may be for- 

 gotten at times when extra attention is required. During 



