May 2, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
561 
ANEMONE JAPONICA LADY ARDILAUN 
In this variety we have a beautiful addition to the 
list of hardy autumn-flowering plants. The various 
forms of Anemone japonica are admittedly handsome 
and useful for outdoor display throughout the extent 
of the British Isles. The white variety (A. j. alba) 
is held in highest esteem, as white flowers are none 
too plentiful for the prevailing demand at a season of 
the year when yellow is so predominant. In the 
northern part of the island the plants are much 
later in coming into bloom as all other kinds of 
vegetation are. For those reasons the new variety 
Lady Ardilaun should meet with universal approval, 
for the pure waxy-white flowers are semi-double. 
The inner and supernumerary sepals overlap one 
another and also the primary ones, which they 
closely resemble, except that they are slightly 
shorter. There is no evi¬ 
dent reason why we should 
not have a great amount 
of variety in this useful 
class of plants, differing in 
shape, size, colour, and 
possibly other qualifica¬ 
tions. The variety under 
notice may be looked upon 
as the first stage to¬ 
wards a double Japanese 
Anemone. Another form 
recorded by us some time 
ago furnished evidence of 
the pliability c f the species 
under the fostering care 
of the raiser. The ac¬ 
companying illustration, 
supplied us by Mr. T. S. 
Ware, Tottenham, gives a 
good idea of the general 
aspect of the flower. That 
of A. j. alba has only five 
sepals. 
-. 1 — - 
PRIMROSES AT 
FALKLAND PARK. 
By a strange coincidence I 
found myself with a friend 
at Falkland Park, South 
Norwood Hill, the unique 
and commanding resi¬ 
dence of T. McMeekin, 
Esq , on the fifteenth anni¬ 
versary of “ Primrose 
Day.” 
Whether the great man 
himself had, or had not, 
a penchant for the Prim¬ 
rose it is hardly worth our 
while tc enquire ; but it is 
quite certain that he was 
a lover of nature, al though 
possibly he preferred a 
peacock to a Primrose. 
However, that may be, 
there is a passage in 
"Venetia” which shows 
that he—Lord Beacons- 
field—was not a stranger 
to it, for he writes on a 
particular occasion that— 
" It was a bright and soft 
spring morning. . . . 
The air was scented with 
the Violet, tufts of Daffo¬ 
dils were scattered al 1 about, and though the Snow¬ 
drop had vanished, and the Primroses were fast dis¬ 
appearing, their wild and shaggy leaves still looked 
picturesque and glad.” 
This description, with the exception of the 
condition of the Primroses, would do very well just 
now for this beautiful garden, where both wild and 
cultivated flowers receive a meed of praise. But on 
April 19th one cannot get away from Primroses — 
everybody talks of them, even if they do not wear 
them. Our visit, however, had no reference what¬ 
ever to the day in question, neither did it possess, in 
any degree, the slightest political complexion. We 
were there not to admire the poet’s or the politician's 
flower (Primula vulgaris), sweet and lovely though it 
be, but to chat about, and take notes concerning the 
modern developments of that most beautiful spring 
bedding plant. 
The wonderful advance which has been made in 
the size and colour of these hybrid Primroses marks 
them out par excellence as the poor as well as the rich 
man’s friend, for they may be grown in any soil or 
situation—clay or sand, park or garden — and may be 
relied on to produce an effective display in their 
proper season. But they will not submit to unsuit¬ 
able treatment all the year round ; hence, if they be 
not raised annually from seed, they must be duly 
divided and transplanted on a northern border where 
the direct rays of the summer’s sun will never reach 
them. For spring bedding, however, this is of no 
consequence, as instanced here, where the plants are 
exposed to all the winds that blow and all the sun 
that shines. The elevation, too, is considerable; but 
that tends rather than otherwise to enhance the 
colours which vary from pure white and run through 
Whatever the answer may be, the varieties of both 
" species,” as we understand them, are admirably 
adapted to produce a fragrant and interesting 
display at this time of year. Mr. Wright’s Prim¬ 
roses bloom over a long period and set their seeds 
freely, so that there is a differentiation between these 
beautiful varieties and the vulgar species which 
Shakespeare says 
” Die unmarried, ere they can behold 
Bright Phoebus in his strength.” 
Mr. Wright is a lover of the genus Primula, hence 
other species and varieties obtain. Several beds 
were devoted to the Auricula, some of which were 
very fine; while by the lake P. japonica, P. rosea, 
P. Sieboldi, etc., and brightly-coloured forms of P. 
veris excited our attention. In the houses a fine 
batch of P. sinensis was ripening its seeds, while P. 
obconica, in various 
shades, demanded notice 
on account of the size of 
its flowers and the free¬ 
dom with which they were 
produced. 
Falkland Park is always 
interesting, but if I prefer 
one season to another, 
it is when the Primroses 
are in bloom.— C. B. G., 
Acton, W. 
Anemone japonica Lady Ardilaun. 
numerous shades to lavender-blue. The plants are 
dwarf, sturdy, and free; and resemble Alpine flowers, 
inasmuch as the blooms are large in proportion to 
the size of the leaves. 
It is, moreover, quite refreshing to find Mr. A. 
Wright, the able superintendent, as enthusiastic over 
the hardy section of the garden as one would expect 
to find him in connection with Orchids, of which he 
has a large and valuable collection. But Mr. 
Wright’s Primroses are not .always constant — they 
sometimes develop into Polyanthuses. As to where 
one begins and the other ends is a moot point, and I 
am inclined to go with Dr. Withering, who writes 
that ” Primula elatior is supposed, without much 
reason, to be a hybrid between the Primrose and the 
Cowslip. It is more likely a variety of the former.” 
Is, then, the Polyanthus an evolutionary Primrose, 
or is the Primrose a degenerative Polyanthus ? 
MESSRS. LAINGS’ 
CALADIUMS. 
Messrs. John Laing & 
Sons, Forest Hill,are justly 
noted for their unique col¬ 
lection of Caladiumswhich 
they have cultivated to 
great perfection for many 
years past. They have, in 
fact, been the champions 
of this beautiful race of 
stove fine-foliaged plants 
for many years past. 
Large as their collection 
has been for a long time it 
continues to increase in 
bulk and interest. New 
varieties are added from 
time to time, so as to keep 
abreast of the times, for 
there seems no limit to 
variation of a most attrac¬ 
tive and novel character. 
The public is again begin¬ 
ning to recognise the value 
of these gorgeous subjects 
for various decorative pur¬ 
poses. The plants are now 
in fine condition and will 
continue so for some 
months to come. 
Very beautiful and dwarf 
is Comte de Germiny, hav¬ 
ing large soft red leaves 
spotted with pink. For gen¬ 
eral decorative purposes 
it is useful where larger 
subjects would be inad¬ 
missible. Mons. d’Halloy 
is white with carmine 
veins. Charlemagne is 
well 'Suited for exhibition 
purposes, on account of its 
large rosy-red leaves and much darker veins. Those 
of Triomphe de Comte are olive-green, varying to old 
gold and marked with numerous bright carmine 
veins. Viuva Sant AnnaNery, in spite of its foreign 
name, is a handsome sort with creamy-white leaves 
finely netted with pale green. Very pretty also is 
Wm. Marshall, which is rosy-red margined with 
green. The soft white groundwork of Baras de 
Marmore is handsomely netted with green, and the 
principal nerves are rich velvety-crimson. The green 
margin running round the leaf of Bicolor sericeum 
serves to show off the bright reddish-crimson char¬ 
acteristic of the variety. The rosy-pink of AssuDguy 
is beautifully chequered with dark green veins ; the 
lighter colour is sub-transparent. Chactas is deep 
red, margined with green. The large leaf of Salvator 
Rosa is scarlet-red tinted with rosy-violet, and this 
is bounded by a broad rich green margin. A bsau- 
