May, 1916 
DH. A ReaD) BENee hl AvewAeZol NH 
229 
with a copious veining of purple on the 
lower half of the falls. These two new 
species delight in a moist loamy soil 
and are not averse to partial shade and 
are well suited for planting by the side 
of water. 
In recent years China has given to 
gardens in the west many very beauti- 
ful kinds of Primroses and among them 
Primula pulverulenta, P. Cockburniana 
and P. Veitchii. In habit and in foliage 
the first named resembles the well 
known P. japonica but has flower scapes 
a yard or more tall and each bears nine 
to eleven whorls of flowers. The indi- 
vidual flowers are a third larger than 
those of the Japanese Primrose, rich 
crimson in color and often twenty or 
more in a single whorl. The flower 
scapes are clothed with a white farina 
and it is this peculiarity together with 
its large flowers and taller scapes that 
makes this new plant so very superior to 
P. japonica and undoubtedly one of the 
very finest of all hardy Primroses. 
There is an albino form, known as var. 
Mrs. R. V. Berkeley, which has cream- 
white flowers each with a rich orange 
colored eye, and is a worthy companion 
to the crimson-flowered type. In Massa- 
chusetts P. pulverulenta thrives and is 
perfectly hardy and in one garden I 
know, that of General Stephen M. Weld 
at Dedham, Mass., there are large colo- 
nies of this plant naturalized from self 
sown seeds. It is a true perennial of 
vigorous growth, is very floriferous and 
remains in flower for a couple of 
months. 
._ Primula Cockburniana has neat obo- 
vate, pale green leaves and bright 
orange-scarlet flowers, each an inch 
across, and borne in several whorls on 
scapes one to one and a half feet high. 
The color of the flowers in this Primrose 
is unique in the family and is one of the 
rarest colors in the vegetable kingdom, 
but, unfortunately, the plant is virtually 
a biennial. Hybridists, however, have 
secured several crosses between it and 
P. pulverulenta and some of these hy- 
brids have the perennial character of the 
last named and flowers of the same color 
as those of P. Cockburniana. In stature 
and habit these hybrids, to which the 
names Unique and Unique Improved 
have been given by the raisers, are in- 
termediate and there is every possibility 
of a new race of hardy Primroses, dis- 
tinguished by their remarkable orange- 
scarlet colored flowers, being developed 
from these two species. A shady po- 
sition, fairly heavy loam and cow dung 
and abundance of water at the roots are 
the essentials for the successful culture 
of these Primroses. An ideal spot is 
the side of a woodland stream free of 
rank weeds. 
The third species (P. Veitchii) is a 
true perennial, with leaves resembling 
those of P. obconica but with a dense 
felt of white hairs covering the under- 
side. The flowers are of a pleasing 
bright rose color and are freely pro- 
duced in whorls on scapes one to one 
and a half feet tall. A Lardy P. obconica 
with non-poisonous leaves sums up P. 
Veitchii. A light loamy soil rich in leaf- 
mold and a moderately dry situation are 
necessary for its successful cultivation 
and under such conditions it will natu- 
ralize itself. 
Although hardy in the warmer parts 
of this country only, Corydalis thalictri- 
folia and C. Wilsonit deserve mention 
here. The first has leaves rather fleshy 
in texture in shape resembling those of 
a Maidenhair Fern, and very numerous 
erect racemes of large clear yellow 
flowers. The other is a smaller plant 
with finely cut leaves, covered with a 
white farina, and erect racemes of deep 
yellow flowers. If seeds be sown in May 
in a cool greenhouse and the seedlings 
potted on they will flower the following 
winter. Their culture is of the simplest 
and those on the lookout for pleasing 
decorative plants, for basket or pot cul- 
ture in a cool greenhouse, will do well to 
give C. thalictrifolia and C. Wilsonii a 
trial. 
Lilies belong in the category of her- 
baceous perennials and I am tempted to 
add a word on their behalf. At the 
commencement of this article it is em- 
phatically laid down that a rich soil is 
necessary to obtain full results in the 
herbaceous border. Lilies are an excep- 
tion. To them manure is absolutely 
inimical and I do so much wish that 
lovers of these flowers would appreciate 
this fundamental truth. It is true that 
some, like Lilium tigrinum and L. Henryi, 
will withstand abuse in this direction as 
in others, but there are very few that 
can. The herbaceous border with its 
rich soil is not the place for Lilies. 
They should be planted in association 
with low growing shrubs, as stated in 
my July, 1915, article, “Consider the 
Lilies,” or with ferns. 
In the Regal Lily (L. regale) it is 
generally conceded that garden-lovers 
have a “jewel beyond price,” but its dis- 
coverer is fearful lest its admirers undo 
it with kindness. Loam, leaf-soil, good 
drainage and full exposure to sun and 
air are the essentials demanded by this 
Lily. Do not give it fertilizer in any 
form any more than you would give an 
infant in arms beefsteak. And the lat- 
ter is true for Lilies generally in the 
outdoor garden where they are planted 
in the hopes of their yielding flowers 
from year to year. Mulch them with 
leaves in the fall but do not, if you value 
your Lilies, feed them with manure. 
[Next MontH: Harpy RHODODENDRONS | 
The Story of the Modern Gladiolus 
MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAI 
HERE is “fashion” in flowers as 
well as in other things. They 
come and go in gardening, and 
just now the Gladiolus is much 
in vogue. But it is not 
a new flower—not by a 
long way. The Gladio- 
lus was not well known, 
however, before Queen 
Victoria’s day, and in- 
deed tradition tells us 
that it was Her Majesty 
herself who started it 
on the road to popu- 
larity. While on a visit 
to the younger Napoleon 
the Queen saw in the 
gardens at Fontaine- 
bleau, at that time 
under the care of the 
elder Souchet, several 
varieties of these splen- 
did blossoms which had 
been produced by Sou- 
chet, and she was so im- 
olus Colwillei. 
pressed by their beauty that she carried 
a number of the bulbs back to England. 
We use the term “produced” when 
telling of Souchet’s work, because these 
For forcing into flower in early spring and general indoor cultivation, use the varieties of Gladi- 
The colors are light and the flowers slender and graceful 
Massa- 
9 chusetts 
flowers, with all their wealth of beauty 
and their wonderful variations in form 
and color, are the result of cross fer- 
tilization—they are not domesticated 
wild flowers. The wild 
Gladiolus is, as a rule, 
rather insignificant, only 
a few varieties being at 
all attractive. But it 
was discovered that 
these plants with the 
homely blossoms had 
latent _ possibilities 
which could be devel- 
oped, and Souchet had 
taken advantage of this 
discovery. He was not, 
however, the first to at- 
tempt these experiments, 
for long before his day 
others had been at work 
on them. 
For many years the 
wild Gladiolus had been 
known to horticulturists 
