English Primroses for American City Gardens— By H. c. Anderson, 



CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF THIS DAINTY FLOWER OF SPRING IS MOST EASILY GROWN ALMOST ANY- 

 WHERE, AND MAY BE INCREASED RAPIDLY FOR BORDERS AND TO GIVE A PROFUSION OF FLOWERS 



New- 

 Jersey 



LOVERS of flowers, to-day, with a won- 

 - / derful variety of plants within easy 

 reach, and brought to their attention by at- 

 tractive flower catalogues, can know very 

 little of one of the joys dear to the hearts of 

 our grandmothers, the exchange of favorite 

 plants, arranged for, no doubt, over the tea 

 cups, by the gentle ladies of long ago. 

 Almost all old gardens, fragrant with the 

 memories which hover round the sweet, 

 old-fashioned flowers, can boast of at 

 least one little clump of English primroses 

 obtained, possibly, in the old-time flower 

 ■exchange. Our garden was no exception 

 to the rule and, for thirty years or more, 

 a little primrose plant, brought originally 

 from an older garden, stood in a retired 

 corner, apparently making no growth what- 

 ever. Its charmingly dainty flowers, with 

 creamy white petals and golden eyes, 

 bloomed very early each spring, and con- 

 tinued to bloom for at least six weeks. A 

 desire to have more led us to experiment 

 with .the original plant, and, at the end of a 

 few years, as a result of our experiments, 

 we now have five hundred plants, and, if 

 space would allow, could have, this year, 

 five thousand; and all at the cost of but 

 a little time and trouble. 



Our experience with the English prim- 

 rose is that the plant is exceedingly hardy 

 and flourishes in al- 

 most any exposure. 



The garden in 

 which it grows is 

 fairly well sheltered, 

 with houses near, and 

 a high fence to the 

 north; but the plants 

 .have been sent to 

 many other localities, 

 -even as far west as 

 'California, where they 

 ihave been grown suc- 

 cessfully, and as far 

 north as Ipswich, 

 Mass. 



The multiplication 

 of plants was begun 

 by separating the 

 •original cluster and 

 placing the single 

 plants in a border, 

 and anyone else can 

 do likewise. The 

 cluster should be dug 

 up, the earth shaken 

 off, and the clump 

 "divided." If it is 

 grasped firmly with 

 both hands and pulled 

 apart to the centre, 

 it will be quite easy 

 to disentangle the 

 small plants and pull 



Showing development of a single plant after 

 ten months' growth. Planted November 4th ; 

 photographed September 20th 



When a single plant has been allowed to 

 grow for a year, it may be separated into 

 five; if left undisturbed for two years it 

 will furnish twenty or twenty-five plants. 

 This fourfold increase cannot be relied 

 upon if the plants become crowded and 

 matted, as they will if left for four or five 



years, although they may then be depended 

 upon to furnish forty, fifty, or more plants, 

 each with its cluster of rootlets and its 

 crown of leaves. 



Experience has proven that the trans- 

 planting may be done at almost any season, 

 but it has been most successful when done 

 after the warmest weather is over. Any 

 time during October will serve, and, if the 

 season is mild, it may be done even later. 

 If one wishes a sightly border the first 

 season, the plants should be put about five 

 inches apart. The following spring they 

 will make a continuous border and will bear 

 a moderate number of flowers. 



In the autumn, if another border is 

 desired, every alternate plant may be taken 

 up, separated, and replanted in the new 

 border. 



If there are thirty plants in the first bor- 

 der there will be fifteen to be taken up. 

 These would furnish seventy or seventy- 

 five plants, and, in another year, they could 

 be separated into three hundred and fifty 

 or three hundred and seventy-five plants; 

 and it may be easily seen that there is noth- 

 ing but the lack of space and time to limit 

 the increase. 



The foliage is very pretty in the early 

 summer, and, if planted in rich soil with 

 good drainage, the plants will increase 

 greatly in size dur- 

 ing June and July. In 

 August the leaves 

 may become slightly 

 yellowish, especially 

 if other plants are 

 allowed to over- 

 shadow or fall over 

 them. To fellow 

 amateur gardeners, 

 who can only occa- 

 sionally snatch time 

 to work among the 

 flowers, it may not be 

 amiss to suggest that 

 when the time draws 

 near for separating 

 and transplanting the 

 flowers it is well to 

 watch the weather 

 and seize upon a time 

 when a "rainy spell" 

 seems imminent. The 

 canny gardener soon 

 learns to know the 

 signs of coming rain, 

 and can save himself 

 the daily watering of 

 the newly set-out 

 plants. After a few 

 days of rain the plants 

 will need no further 

 attention until the 

 garden is given its 



them off One by One. A single plant of the English primrose (Primula vulgaris). The flowers are pale creamy yellow with darker eyes Winter Covering. 



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