354 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 1 , 1896. 
MESSRS. SUTTON’S CHINESE 
PRIMULAS. 
It is matter for no surprise that this class of 
flowers should continue to be popular with all who 
cherish a love for the beautiful. Coming into 
bloom at any time from early autumn till spring, 
according to the practice and will of the cultivator, 
they furnish a supply of choice and handsome 
flowers all that time either for the conservatory, 
greenhouse, or the cut flower basket. Beautiful as 
the original Chinese Primula was, it cannot be com¬ 
pared with the modern types now in cultivation, and 
which the Chinese themselves would probably 
have a difficulty of recognising alongside of the 
original. Practically, the modern representatives 
have been developed in this country, so that we may 
claim them as English. It was our delight the other 
day to examine the rich collections and excellent 
cultures of Chinese Primulas at the Portland Road 
Nursery of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, and we 
may say at once that we have never seen them in 
finer form nor under better conditions. We have 
seen them when the skies were clouded and foggy, 
as well as when the ground outside was covered with 
snow, but on this occasion the skies were clear and 
the sun dazzling in its brilliancy after the cloudy 
days to which we had been accustomed for some 
time previously, so that the richness and beauty of 
the colours were shown up to the best advantage. 
At the present time house after house is filled with 
them from end to end, and it must be admitted that 
the display is very imposing. All the named sorts, 
and many unnamed seedlings, are arranged in large 
batches, thus showing up the merits of each variety 
most effectively. The span-roofed houses are con¬ 
structed on the most approved modern principles, 
admitting a maximum of light, thereby simplifying 
and rendering good cultivacion possible. To attain 
similar success in private establishments at this 
time of the year it is necessary to sow the seed in 
April or May, so as to give the plants plenty of time 
to come along slowly, and other conditions must, of 
course, be equal, so as to do the plants and the 
gardener justice. 
Sutton’s Giant Strain. 
For some years past we have noted several named 
varieties possessing unusually large flowers, but 
that number has been increased since last we saw 
them. Some of them produce seeds very sparingly, 
so that this alone hinders their rapid increase, but 
is no impediment to their infinite beauty and de¬ 
corative value. Giant Pink (plain-leaved) arrests 
the attention at once on entering the house, on 
account of the size and charming soft colour of the 
flowers, which measure from 2| in. to 2§ in. across. 
The colour deepens with age, and the habit of the 
plant is very robust, notwithstanding the fact that 
this and every other variety brought to maturity are 
grown only in 48-sized pots. Obviously large pots 
for Chinese Primulas are quite unnecessary. Giant 
Pink (Fern-leaved) differs chiefly in the form of the 
leaves, and in the beautiful wavy or gophered charac¬ 
ter of the flowers. The leading truss carries from 
sixteen to twenty-four flowers. The colour of 
Salmon Rose is well described in the name. The 
batch consists of Fern-leaved and plain-leaved 
types, having red petioles. Light green leaves and 
petioles are quite an unusual accompaniment to pure 
white flowers, yet this is the case in Giant White, an 
unusually choice, meritorious, and engaging type. 
A beautiful companion to this is Giant White, with 
red petioles, though in other respects closely similar. 
Nevertheless, this difference gives a distinctive 
character to each respective batch in general effect. 
Giant Red came from Brilliant Rose, but differs 
from its parent in the very much larger flowers, 
which are of a bright rosy-red with a white zone 
round the yellow eye, but the white is ultimately 
belted with crimson. This is one of the novelties not 
yet sufficiently plentiful to be sold separately, but 
goes with the packets of Giant Mixed. The Fern¬ 
leaved form of Giant White is characterised by the 
great size of its white flowers and robust, light 
green foliage. Giant Crimson is a reddish-crimson, 
with a black eye when fully developed, and resembles 
a Primula japonica under the shade of a north wall 
in April. An unnamed seedling belonging to this 
strain is notable for its deep shade of mauve-lilac, 
quite distinct from anything else in the collection. 
The leaves are of the ordinary form and have red 
petioles. The variety was raised by crossing a lilac 
with a white sort. Equally distinct and more charm¬ 
ing in its way is another seedling with scarlet 
flowers of a glowing or fiery lustre when the sun 
shines upon them. Both varieties are novelties of which 
we shall hear more anon. The giant strain is now 
of leading importance, as it is undoubtedly the most 
advanced modern type of the Chinese Primula. 
Ordinary Single Varieties. 
At the entrance of one of the houses a splendid 
batch of Sutton's Blue (Fern-leaved), extending 
along the staging for 18 ft. to 20 ft. and 5 ft. wide, 
confronts the eye of the visitor with very telling 
effect. The foliage is dark and the flowers are pro¬ 
duced in conical masses rising clear above the 
leaves. The word blue sufficiently describes the 
colour, and is justly applicable as far as the genus 
Primula is concerned, for to describe the flowers as 
mauve would be equally as erroneous as to state 
that they were red or purple. Reading Blue (plain¬ 
leaved), is nearly a month later in coming into 
bloom than its companion, and is therefore distinct 
in more ways than one. The effect of bright sun¬ 
shine upon them is to show them up in all their 
distinctive loveliness. The demand for them is more 
than silent testimony that they have many admirers. 
In the same house is a distinct Forget-me-not or 
lavender-blue variety, as yet unnamed. The plant is 
of good dwarf habit with green petioles and rounded, 
dense masses of flowers just resting upon the foliage. 
Rosy Queen (Fern-leaved) is a good grower, 
floriferous and of medium earliness. The flowers 
are of a charming soft pink colour. Reading Pink is 
a plain-leaved form with ma sses of flowers almost 
hiding the light green foliage. All the varieties when 
grown under the same conditions may be classed as 
early, medium and late, but the last-named may 
rightly be described as a first early. 
Amongst the numerous very choice white varieties, 
Snowdrift is notable for its purity and the quantity 
of flowers it produces, and the narrowness of the tube 
which causes the flowers to hang on for a very long 
period. It is the earliest variety of all to bloom, and 
has been open for months already. Sutton’s Pearl 
is equally choice to-day as it was in 1878, when it 
first saw the light. The large flowers are pure white 
on first expanding, but they develop a beautiful 
pearly sheen with age, which aptly justifies the 
name. See the illustration on the preceding page 
and further description will be unnecessary. We 
are indebted to Messrs. Sutton for this opportunity 
of reproducing it. Brilliant Ruby is dwarf, flori¬ 
ferous, and very bright, with the flowers just sur¬ 
mounting the foliage. It, in fact, surpasses Ruby 
King in the brilliancy of the flowers. ,The more we 
see of Gipsy Queen the more we admire it for the 
unique character of its metallic-looking foliage, con¬ 
trasting with pure white flowers occasionally slightly 
flaked with pink. It is of the Fern-leaved type. 
Purity,on the other hand, has the largest flowers of the 
Fern-leaved white sorts and is very choice. Sutton’s 
Royal White (plain-leaved) is notable for its very 
large, pure white flowers, red petioles, and vigorous 
growth. The foliage of Carmine marks a new 
development in the character of the incisions and 
serratures, which are more numerous,-sharper, and 
altogether distinct from those of the other varieties. 
The flowers are large and carmine with an orange 
eye. One of the earliest to bloom in this class is a 
seedling with brilliant crimson flowers having a 
maroon zone round the eye. There is no shade of 
magenta whatever in it. In a word, it is the darkest 
and most brilliant acquisition that has yet been 
raised. Unfortunately for cultivators it has not yet 
been put into commerce. 
Double Varieties. 
The numerous varieties coming under this heading 
are all and severally raised from seed with as great 
facility as the singles, and carry with them the 
quality of greater duration when used for cut flower 
purposes or otherwise. Colours of wonderful 
intensity have also been infused into them as well as 
the equally useful lighter hues. The quantity of all 
the leading kinds grown bears ample testimony to 
this fact. Double Pink (plain-leaved) is very flori¬ 
ferous, and it would indeed be difficult to say which 
of them was not so. Great size of flower and rich¬ 
ness of colour are characteristics of Double Blue. 
Conical masses of pure white flowers are produced 
by Double White, and the foliage is entirely of a 
light green. A batch of 108 plants of Double 
Heliotrope, as seen here, would be an crnament lo 
any conservatory, it originated as a cross between 
Double Blue and Carnation-flaked. The latter 
forms a large and notable batch on the opposite side 
of the pathway, and has white flowers, mottled, and 
finely flaked with rose or purple in different 
individuals. The flowers are also produced in 
lavish abundance. Double White (Fern-leaved) is 
another very choice sort well described by the name. 
The same may be said of Double Carmine, one of 
the earliest of this section to bloom. Equally early 
is Double Scarlet, which has glowing scarlet flowers 
produced well above the foliage. Quite a novelty is 
a seedling with very rich crimson flowers. It was 
obtained by crossing Double Scarlet with the pollen 
of Single Crimson. 
A batch of doubles, sold in mixture only, contains 
varieties with rose, white, and blush flowers of 
several shades, all very useful in their way for 
general decorative purposes. The Double Alba 
Magnifica is worthy of cultivation for the sake of its 
beautifully wavy or undulated light green leaves and 
white flowers. The Double Moss-curled section 
includes varieties with white, lilac, and other shades 
of colour. The distinctive character here is the 
curled, crisped, and gophered leaves, which are 
sometimes of quite a bronzy hue and either plain or 
Fern-leaved. 
Miscellaneous Sorts. 
Sutton’s Star Primulas are remarkably distinct from 
any of the above-mentioned. The plants when fully 
developed vary from 15 in. to 25 in. in height, and 
are slender and most graceful in character. The 
flowers are about % in. in diameter and white, or 
flaked or pink, and are borne in the greatest 
profusion in tiers, one above another. They 
would make graceful ornaments to a conservatory 
and the cut flowers last a month in water. • This 
race is supposed to represent the earliest introduced 
forms of the Chinese Primulas, for the oldest of 
living gardeners remember seeing them in their 
youthful days. Yet we are constrained to describe 
them as unique novelties. Some two-year-old plants 
of modern types have their flowers in whorls, yet 
how different in size ! 
One entire house and some frames are occupied 
with 160 to 200 trials of Chinese Primulas from all 
sources, and mostly under different names. There 
are fifteen scarlet, seven pink, six blue, four white 
Fern-leaved, and five dark-flowered Fern-leaved sorts, 
and so on in proportion. Each trial consists of 
twelve to twenty-four plants, so that the magnitude 
of the whole experiment maybe guessed. Messrs 
Sutton are thus in a position to know all the best 
sorts in cultivation. Those of our readers who have 
the opportunity should not miss seeing the Primulas 
at Reading, for many lessons can be learnt from a 
close inspection of them. 
--5--— 
BEGONIA VEITCHII. 
In your last issue, p. 341, B. L. states he will accept 
my date until something better turns up for his 
edification. The following particulars may convince 
him that I am not far wrong :—Begonia boliviensis 
was the first sent home by the late Richard Pearce, 
and was found at Jeukaman, Bolivia. He next found 
B. Pearcei and B. Veitchii at La Paz, and sent these 
last two home in November, 1865. B. Pearcei was 
the first to find its way into commerce, followed by 
B. boliviensis and Veitchii, the former in the spring 
of 1868, the latter in the autumn of the same year. 
With these last two, came home the lovely Hippe- 
astrum pardinum and H. Leopoldii. He also 
states, adverting to my abstract, that I exclude from 
the list, Aralia Veitchii. I was fully justified in so 
doing, for this plant was not offered for sale till after 
1868, or I certainly should have mentioned this 
charming foliage plant in my list .—Alfred Oittram. 
[It was introduced from New Caledonia in 1867, 
but the difficulties attending its propagation prevented 
stock from being got up till the discovery that it 
could be successfully grafted on Aralia reticulata. 
The Index Kewensis quotes the Florist and Pomologist 
for 1874, as the first instance of a published descrip¬ 
tion of the plant. This would indicate that it was 
still reckoned new at that date.—E d.] 
-- 
Young Bamboo stems, says a French doctor, make 
an excellent vegetable if served with the same sauce 
as is usually employed with Asparagusi 
