What is a " Primrose? "—By Sherman R. Duffy, 



AN ACCOUNT OF ONE MAN'S EXPERIENCES IN THE GROWING OF MANY PLANTS IN THE HUNT 

 FOR THE REAL PRIMROSE, AND SOME OF THESE ALLIED KINDS WITH WHICH IT IS CONFUSED 



IF PRIMULA VERIS is Primula vul- 

 garis, and if Primula vulgaris is Pri- 

 mula acaulis, and if Primula veris is also 

 Primula officinalis, and if Primula veris 

 is likewise Primula elaiior, what, pray, is a 

 primrose ? This interesting and rather intri- 

 cate proposition was presented to me for the 

 first time through some correspondence with 

 the managing editor of this magazine. It 

 was brought about because I wrote him I did 

 not believe that our summers were too hot 

 and dry for the sucessful cultivation of the 

 primrose. I offered to send some photo- 

 graphs to show that I was growing prim- 

 roses, but sent a picture of what is styled a 

 polyanthus. 



It develops that my understanding of the 

 word primrose in connection with the poly- 

 anthus is not the accepted usage of the word. 

 As a sort of a codicil I sent a picture of a 

 family group of primulas — I sidestep the 

 word primrose — as a guarantee of good 

 faith. 



When it comes right down to figuring 

 what a true primrose is and how to go about 

 buying the seed of a true primrose, I don't 

 know exactly what anybody is going to do. 

 Among my statements concerning prim- 

 roses I mentioned blue polyanthus — wrong 

 again. Like the animal in the sideshow, 

 "there ain't no such thing," but seedsmen 

 advertise them. 



It was a very interesting study to look 

 over the various kinds of primulas I had 

 bought and grown under the titles given 

 them by seedsmen and then try to diagnose 

 them. As a test I brought a bunch of 

 several kinds of primula blossoms to the 

 manageress of the hostelry where I reside 

 during the working days of the week. She 

 is an Englishwoman who has been in America 

 only a few months. I offered her the collec- 

 tion of blooms and said, "Can you tell me 

 what these are?" 



"Certainly," she answered. Selecting 

 some of the yellow blooms she said, "These 

 are primroses. The others are primulas." 



I hunted up my collection of seed cata- 

 logues and made a Hst of the primula seeds 



'laced" polyanthTiSj deep red-brown -witti a 

 narrow edge of golden yello-w 



I had purchased and from which I had at 

 various times raised plants and here it is: 



Primula vulgaris. 



Primula acaulis. 



Primula veris maximum Triumph. 



Primula veris elatior (polyanthus). 



Primula veris carulea. 



Polyanthus (Pritmda elatior), Giant Blue. 



Polyanthus {Primula elatior). New Large flower- 

 ing- 

 Invincible Giant Cowslip. 



Primula Sieboldii, new hybrids. 



Primula cortusoides Sieholdi, mixed. 



Primula denticulata, new hybrids. 



Primrose (bunch-flowered primrose), large flow- 

 ered mixed. 



Polyanthus, Munstead strain of bunch prim- 

 roses. 



Primula Cashmeriana "Ruby" 



Primula Japonica. 



Bailey's encyclopedia says Primula veris 

 should be divided like all Gaul, into three 

 parts, P. officinalis, vulgaris, and elatior. 

 He says vulgaris is the primrose and that 

 it has yellow flowers borne on long slender 

 pedicels and not rising above the leaves. 

 William Robinson, in "The English Flower 

 Garden," says P. vulgaris is of various 

 colors, including blue. I know that I have 

 the yellow primrose P. vulgaris which 

 Robinson styles the common primrose and 

 which Bailey distinguishes by the unadorned 

 and unquahfied title of plain primrose. 



Also, the "blue polyanthus" and Primula 

 veris ccerulea agree with the description of 

 P. vulgaris according to Robinson, although 

 the pedicels are not as long as in the P. vul- 

 garis as described by Bailey. The poly- 

 anthus, as described by everybody, has an 

 individuaUty that makes it unmistakable, 

 but it has occasional forms that verge toward 

 vulgaris in the shortening of the scape and 

 the elongation of the pedicels. 



However, whatever they may be, whether 

 true primroses, polyanthuses or imitation or 

 bunch primroses, according to the idea of 

 the botanists or the jargon of the commer- 

 cial seedsmen, they are well worth growing. 

 Moreover, barring one or two of the species 

 named, they present no grave difficulties 

 of culture even in light, dry, sandy soil. 

 Primula denticulata, according to my experi- 

 ence, must have a moist soil to flourish. P. 

 Cashmeriana did not seem to be hardy, or 

 the soil was uncongenial. At any rate, after 

 making fine plants it failed to appear the 

 following spring. 



The various veris, elatior, vulgaris, and 

 polyanthus types which I have tried have 

 grown and bloomed excellently. The poly- 

 anthuses are more showy than the others 

 owing to their habit of throwing a compact 

 bunch of flowers well above the foHage, while 

 the others nestle among the leaves or send 

 their blossoms only out to the tips of the 

 leaves. 



Primula Sieboldii or cortusoides, var. Siebol- 

 dii, is another of the species of primrose with 

 which I have experimented that seems to like 

 65 



Some members of the Primula family, all easily 

 grown If given a deep soil and partial shade 



a light open soil. It is the handsomest in 

 foliage and has the most graceful flowers. 

 The leaves turn yellow and disappear shortly 

 after the plant blooms, and it seems to be in 

 a dormant state until late in the summer, 

 when green leaves start from the creeping 

 root-stock. I have thought several times 

 the plant was dead, but, on digging around 

 it, found the roots seemingly fresh and it 

 reappeared later in the season. 



The denticulata primroses unquestionably 

 seem to want more coolness and moisture 

 than either of the above. They send out 

 their leaves and flower heads at the same 

 time. These primroses need a mulch and 

 extra care in the way of furnishing moisture 

 to thrive during the hot months, but their 

 dainty heads of blue and lavender in the 

 spring are well worth the attention. 



For gorgeous masses of color in the early 

 spring, the polyanthus can't be beat. It 

 is so easily raised from seed, such a sure 

 bloomer and requires so httle attention I 

 cannot understand why it is not more com- 

 mon. A fifteen-cent packet of seeds will 

 give a good supply of plants in a wonderful 

 range of color, varying from almost pure 

 white through light and deep yellows \\-ith 

 some exquisitely tinted forms, through 

 scarlet to almost black with endless varia- 

 tions of "lacings" and frills and scallops. 



The blue primroses seem to me the least 

 valuable of the lot, for their color is not good, 

 particularly after their first year. It is pur- 

 pHsh at best and becomes dingy as the plant 

 grows older. Several years ago I was given 

 a few clumps of blue primroses, and later 

 raised some "blue polyanthus" from seed. 

 They were identical in character. 



As to their drought-resisting properties, 

 I find them in the same class \nth gaillardias, 

 one of the most certain subjects to survive. 



