138 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 13, 1888. 
your readers. Shipley Apricot was ripe in the open here on August 1st, 
and Hemskirke is ready to-day, August 8th. Four or five years ago I 
gathered fine ripe Gr<_en Gage and Victoria Plums from the open walls on 
August 3rd. This year there will be none really ripe until the last week 
in August or the first week in September.— J. Muir, Margam, South 
Wales. 
CHOICE ALPINE PLANTS. 
Soldanellas. —These form one of the most charming groups 
among the dwarfer alpines. Too little known and understood 
probably are some of the reasons for now and again meeting 
with them starved in small pots with moss-covered soil, bearing 
sure evidence of the lingering existence. To pass from a few 
miserable pieces so generally seen to a fine carpet of either of 
the species when in full flower, would illustrate in the best 
possible manner the real beauty of these lovely little alpines. 
They are by no means difficult to grow, but, on the other hand, 
are of comparatively easy culture, the one great point insuring 
success being abundant moisture. In dry shallow soils they 
soon become unhappy, and growth will be anything but luxuriant, 
but they may be planted with perfect safety in the full sun 
provided they are in a deep bed of soil of peat and loam, which 
must be continuously moist. It will not be difficult where 
rockeries exist to find a suitable position for them, or they will 
soon be content in the artificial bog, in which place care must be 
taken that they do not get over-run by Lichens. I have said 
that under certain conditions they are quite safe in the full sun, 
and on the other hand they do well in moist shady positions, but 
wherever they are placed moisture must be forthcoming to do 
them justice or have them in perfection. 
Soldanellas seldom find their way to the exhibition tent, so 
that there would appear abundance of room for improvement in 
their culture, and a few well-flowered examples at any of our 
spring shows would be sure to meet with many admirers, seeing 
that they are almost, if not quite, unique in appearance. The 
two species most generally seen, at least where they are to be 
seen at all, are S. alpina and S. montana. The first-named 
forms a dwarf compact carpet of roundish, leathery, and some¬ 
what shining leaves, and from these issue the flower stems, which 
usually attain to about 6 inches high, terminating with pendant, 
pale blue, somewhat bell shaped flowers, usually about four on 
each stem. The flowers, which are cut into numerous narrow 
segments, have a most pleasing appearance when seen in any¬ 
thing like specimen form, which, unfortunately, is not an every¬ 
day occurrence. S. montana is very similar to S. alpina, and 
hardly distinct enough probably to be regarded as species, the 
only difference being, so far as my own observation goes, is that 
montana is larger in all its parts, of more robust habit, some¬ 
what taller, growing to 9 inches high when established, and the 
flowers a little bolder. S. pusilla is of smaller habit of growth, 
with reniform leaves, while the corolla is not so deeply divided 
as in the case of the two first-named. Then we have the exceed¬ 
ingly small S. minima, a still rare plant of very slow growth. 
I have never seen a healthy patch of this, nor have I grown one 
to my satisfaction; the scraps one gets from importation re¬ 
quiring, as a vule, much care and patience to establish. A 
position on the rockery in the shade and near the eye is suitable 
for these plants, and after planting in equal parts of peat and 
loam, with a good addition of sharp sand, place some stones on 
the surface to prevent a too rapid evaporation. On many of the 
great mountain chains of Europe these grow somewhat plenti¬ 
fully, and it is to be regretted that they do not reach us in finer 
tufts than they do, as by making a start with good sized plants 
instead of the microscopic scraps one usually receives of these 
from hardy-plant nurseries, the after attention is comparatively 
easy. If memory serves me right I believe Mr. Lynch of the 
Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, grows the Soldanellas in company 
with hardy Sarracenias, Parnassias, Goodyeras, Droseras, and 
moist-loving native Orchises in peat in a narrow border at the 
foot of the rootery in the bog garden, and which may be 
saturated at will. 
Primula obconica. —Without exception this is the most 
floriferous of all the Primulas, flowering continuously for months 
in succession; not merely in one or two, sufficient to prove that 
the plant has a flower upon it, but in one unbroken mass of 
flower spikes, which are continually produced, and develope their 
pleasing flowers with truly remarkable freedom, and of which the 
following will serve as an illustration. I was calling on a friend 
in the neighbourhood of Bath in the early part of the present 
year, when I was somewhat surprised to find a fine specimen in 
full flower in an 8-inch pot in the cool conservatory. I was 
informed that the plant bad been flowering for some weeks, was 
most useful for vase-decoration on account of its lasting qualities 
and light graceful spikes associating so well with other flowers. 
Some three weeks since my friend wrote me saying that the 
Primula I so much admired had been flowering continuously 
ever since my visit (when 1 believe it had some twenty-seven or 
thirty spikes of bloom) but that the gardener had that day 
cut off all the flower spikes for fear the p'ant might become 
exhausted. Thus, after a period of six months flowering, com. 
pulsory means had to be resorted to so as to promote new 
growth and be ready again for winter flowering; so that apart 
from its value as a hardy plant, it will become invaluable for 
greenhouse and conservator decoration, and by adopting special- 
means in its culture it may become a prominent figure among, 
and likewise a valuable addition to, winter-flowering plants. 
Where good plants of this pleasing Primrose exist, the best 
means will be to give them a shift into larger pots, using 
good sandy loam, fairly rich, and keep the flower spikes pinched 
out till the new roots have taken possession of the fresh soil, 
after which, if treated as a cool conservatory plant, similarly to 
the Chinese section of Primulas, it will be found to be one of the 
most useful of recent introductions, and as a perpetual bloomer 
unique. 
Onosma taurica (Golden Drop).—A choice gem among 
alpine plants, and one of the most beautiful of the Borageworts. 
It flowers in May and June, and delights in a moist deep loamy 
soil with perfect drainage. It should be planted so as to allow 
it to ovei'bang a projecting ledge of rock with plenty of fissure 
room for the roots to dive into My principal reason for calling 
attention to it just now is that the present is a good time for its 
propagation; not that I would infer that this is the on 1 y season 
in which it may safely be propagated, far from it, as it may be 
done any time when suitable cuttings are to be obtained, still I 
point to this midsummer period because cuttings of the right 
stamp will be more plentiful than they were at flowering time. 
When of 3 or 4 inches in length strip them off with a heel 
attached, and insert in very sandy loam in pots, and place them 
in a cool shady position under handlights and keep them close. I 
prefer to keep the knife away from these, for it does more harm, 
than good. Such cuttings as I have described will root free y in 
about three weeks, when the lights may be removed by degrees 
and ultimately altogether. Its tubular, somewhat ventricose- 
drooping golden flowers in long cymes, render it a favourite 
whenever seen in good condition, and indeed it is one of the 
most desirable and attractive of rock plants. 
Silene maritima FL.-PL. —This forms prostrate tufts of 
glaucous leaves close upon the ground, which, owing to its free 
and dense growth, soon forms a perfect carpet of its leaves. The 
flowers are large, pure white and double, somewhat resembling 
those of a double white Pink. It is perfectly hardy, and a 
continuous bloomer, easily grown aud increased by means of 
cuttings, which should be secured when about 2 inches long. It 
grows well in ordinary soils, and on account of its prostrate 
habit it is suitably adapted for the lower portions of the rockery, 
where it forms a conspicuous plant for a considerable time 
during the summer months. 
Primula minima. —I doubt not that this plant has been 
somewhat of a puzzle to many growers of choice alpines, aud 
my experience of it is that it requires careful hands and watchful 
eyes to keep it in good condition Slugs are particularly fond of 
this little pigmy, and if they get a good feed, the case, so far 
as its recovery is concerned, is almost a hopeless one. When in 
flower it is singularly ornamental, owing to the unusually large 
rose coloured flowers which spring from its minute rosettes of 
leaves, and which are nearly an inch across, sometimes hiding 
the foliage entirely. To grow it well use equal parts of good 
mellow loam and fibrous peat, to which add some broken brick 
or mortar rubbish, making the whole compost rather sandy. 
Give abundance of drainage and plenty of water during spring 
and summer, and where confined to pot culture let them be 
firmly potted. If planted out it should be associated with the 
dwarfest and choicest of alpines. — J. H. E. 
SOIL FOR STRAWBERRIES. 
SUCCESS with Strawberres in p >ts dep -nds greatly on the quality of the 
soil. Really first-rate crowni an 1 splendid fruit are only produced in 
substantial soil. Manure, no doubt, plays an important part in r aring 
good plants, but n -thing, in my opinion, will fully compensate for the 
want of good soil, and too much attention cannot be gireD to this.. I 
have grown plants in light soil and they grew fre-ly, hut whtnfreing 
time came the sandy soil was of li'tle use, and did not pro lu te half the 
crop or anything like such fine fruits as plants di 1 iu very heavy soil. 
When once established in this they reem independent of manure aud 
develope in a mod satisfactory way, both iu the case of the plants in 
autumn and the fruit in spring. As many of your readers will now be 
potting their spriDg-fruiting Strawberries they will find it of 'he grea'est 
advantage to secure some very good loam for them, and if this does not 
