162 
THE GARDENING 
WORLD. 
February 21, 1903. 
Round the Nurseries. 
Messrs. Carter & Co. 
Last week we paid a visit to the Forest Hill Nurseries of 
Messrs. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn, London, for the purpose 
of seeing their Chinese Primulas, which usually come into bloom 
at this period of the year. They are grown in 48-size pots 
for the purpose of seed saving, and are in as good form as ever 
we have seen them. Five houses, each 80 ft. long, are devoted 
to them, and, the plants; being very floriferous, they make a 
beautiful display, well worthy of inspection. Eight double 
varieties are grown, twenty-one single and several of the Stellata 
strain. Several other uncommon things may be seen in the 
collection. 
Double Primulas. 
Double scarlet- is a dwarf-habited variety, with bright crim¬ 
son-red or scarlet flowers, and is equally good as the best of 
its class. Lilac Queen may be described as lilac-purple, and 
very free flowering. The flower stalks are sufficiently long to 
enable it to be utilised for cut flower purposes, and for decora,- 
tion in this way it is considered superior to- Double Blue. 
Princess of Wales is- equally free flowering, but- the custom of 
the plant- is to produce red streaks on the- corolla- These 
markings- are small and insignificant, however, so- that at a, little 
distance the flowers- a-ppear pure white. Yeiy bold and hand¬ 
some a variety is that named Prince of Wales, which has rosy- 
salmon flowers;, produced in great abundance on stems of 
sufficient- length to carry the flowers clear of the foliage. Some 
take exception to the colour, but, on the whole, we think it 
verv handsome, and certainly effective. A pale pink and free- 
flowering variety is that named Aurora. The leaf-stalk and 
stems are entirely of a- pale green. Vivid is a- carmine-rose 
variety of dwarf habit and very pretty. Snowflake is an old 
and standard variety, but scarcely so white as the name would 
suggest. The flowers are really blush-white, but are valued for 
then' earliness, as a sowing of the variety will give flowers 
considerably in advance of the rest. All the parts of the plant 
are of a pale green. Carmine Empress has deep carmine 
flowers with red leaf-stalks. It is the brightest and darkest of 
all the double varieties; and is of excellent habit, and blooms 
profusely. 
The above so-called doubles are really only semi-double, and 
are readily raised from seed. Their chief value lies in the fact 
that their flowers are more durable in a cut. sta-te than the 
single ones ; and even if the small petals in the centre should 
partly obscure the brightness of the flowers, their durability 
compensates for this little defect- Their cultivation is also as 
easy as that of the-.singles. 
Single Varieties. 
As above- stated, the single varieties- number a score of well- 
defined colours, either in respect of leaf or flower. Holborn 
Queen is a pale green Fern-leaved variety with very large 
blush-wliite flowers. Ruby is also a Fern-leaved variety, and 
the large flowers are of a beautiful crimson-rose. Fern-leaved 
Elaine has red petioles and white flowers, and, being very 
vigorous, is- a valuable and useful variety for general decorative 
purposes- That- named Rose has- very large flowers ; it is also 
a Fern-leaved form, and the combination of these characters- 
gives the variety a considerable value. Venus Fern-leaved has; 
white flowers, mottled with purple, and red leaf-stalks. The 
markings are numerous and well defined, but blend so that at 
a short distance the flowers appear white. A vigorous- growing- 
variety is that named Salmon, and the large flowers are pro¬ 
duced in great abundance. 
A very delica.tefy-coloured variety is that named Rose 
Queen, the flowers being large and of a soft blush hue. The 
leaves, petioles, and scapes are green ; and when such is the- 
case, it is usually considered that the variety is delicate, but 
several varieties in the collection, possessed of the same 
peculiarities, seem to be quite as vigorous as those with darker’ 
foliage. The flowers of Vermilion are of an intense and brilliant 
colour, but the depth of the tone is acquired as the flower 
attains full development. The flowers of the plain-leaved Venus 
are white, flaked and mottled with rosy-purple. Those who 
like parti-coloured flowers will find in this one the feature as 
well developed as in any other. 
The flowers of Carmine may be described as carmine-rose, 
and while distinct and showy the plant is of dwarf habit. 
The old Elaine is a free-flowering, tail-habited plant, with 
white flowers-. Several variations have been developed upon 
it, including Elaine Improved, which is a veiy fine varietv 
witli white flowers, which are larger and finer than in the 
original. There is also what is termed a white-stemmed Elaine, 
in which the leaf-stalks and flower-scapes are of pale green, 
whereas those of the original Elaine are red. Holborn Scarlet 
is of dwarf habit, very free flowering, and might be described 
as bright scarlet- The leaves are sharply cut at the edges, 
giving them a distinct appearance from those of most other 
varieties. 
Holborn Blue still maintains its reputation as a good variety 
of dwarf habit, with large tiusses- of blue flowers. A strong- 
growing variety is Holborn Magenta, the flowers of which might 
be described as dee-p magenta. The rosy pink flowers of Hol¬ 
born Pink are- also- very freely produced. Edward VII. is a 
new variety of great merit, with large white flowers, fimbriated 
and imbricated; it has a, well-marked orange eye tinted with 
green. The leaves are short, with a broad lamina, so that in 
every respect it is a distinct variety. Very handsome also is 
Crimson King, with brilliant crimson flowers and a maroon 
zone- round the eye. Five green markings on the eye suggest 
tartan in the peculiar pattern which it assumes. By some 
cultivators Princess May is considered as the queen of all 
varieties cultivated here. The flowers are of a soft pink, but 
they are also of large size and grand substance, quite distinct 
from those of any other in the collection. 
Bouquet- is well named, for it- resembles a buttonhole ready 
made. This is due to the fact- that the segments of the calyx 
are so- enlarged as to resemble five green leaves. This comes 
true from seed, but varies- from year to year in the exact 
character of the leaves which it- pr oduces around the flowers ; 
but in any case it may be regarded as a very singular freak 
amongst Chinese Primulas. A variegated Chinese Primula 
also deserves t-o be noted, for the leaves- are marbled with 
creamy white ; and sometimes half or nearly the whole of the 
leaf will be creamy. This also is obtained from seed, though 
the character may not yet be very strongly fixed. 
Star Primulas. 
The- old Primula Stellata. is white, with brown petioles. Not 
only do-e-s this give satisfaction from one year’s growth, but old 
plants, when repotted and grown on again, furnish specimens 
of large size, with a greater quantity of bloom to each plant. 
This fact is well worth considering, whether sowing early or re¬ 
potting old plants would be the best to procure the largest 
and finest specimens. Mont- Blanc is a tall-growing variety, 
with white flowers, produced in tiers one above the other. The 
leaf-stalks are dark and of the Fern-leaved type. Lady Dyke 
is a Lilac variety with dark petiole®. Messrs. Carter have also 
crossed Stellata with Ela-ine, and the result is satisfactory just- 
in proportion to- the point of view from which it- may be re¬ 
garded. The flowers are much larger than in the old Stellata, 
and very fine indeed, but it seems to us to be a step too much 
in the way of the ordinary types- to be readily classed with 
the Stellata section. One thing about it, however, is that the 
habit is taller and more graceful than that of any of the forms 
of Elaine. 
In passing through the houses we noted large batches of 
Cinerarias of various types, including large-flowering florist 
varieties and the Stellata types. All of these give great- promise 
of making fine plants- in the course of a month or two. The 
Calceolarias are also making very satisfactory progress, the 24- 
size pots, in the case of the large plants, being well covered 
with large and healthy foliage. 
