The Gardening World., May 30, 1908. 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“ He that would reap well must sow 
well."— Pr. 
CONTENTS. 
Amateur's Letter to Amateurs . 359 
Asters ./. 3^3 
Auricula, The Florists’ . 361 
Birds and Seed Sowing . 365 
Bulbs, Barr and Sons’ . 374 
Cloches and Their Uses (illus.) „.... 366 
Competition Awards . 360 
Competition, Prize Letter . 362 
Enquire Within . 369 
Euphorbia (Poinsettia) pulcherrima 360 
Figwort, The Cape (illus.) . 361 
Flower Garden, The (illus.) . 367 
Fruit Garden, The (illus.) .. 367 
Gloxinias, The Culture of . 365 
Grafting as a Means of Variation ... 373 
Greenhouse, The Amateur’s ..-. 367 
Kitchen Garden, The (iilus.) . 367 
Lettuces. The Cultivation of Summer 360 
Lily, A Flesh-coloured Water (illus.) 365 
Orchids for Amateurs . 368 
Tomatos, Outdoor . 373 
Cerbena, A Trailing (illus.) . 363 
iVork of the Week (illus.) . 367 
Luccas . 364 
-- 
bluebells. 
•Jnder the Beeches’ ample shade 
Dne hardly sees the sky, 
Let here have thronging Bluebells made 
"hemselves into a firmament 
Vhose ether is the fragrance spent 
jJpon this lonely glade. 
n Lilac-time the wandering wind 
ireathes with its faintest sigh, 
-ilacs that might be out of mind 
"hey are so out of sight, even so 
lere hardly the mid-branches know 
•o close the tops are twined. 
f heaven be gold and blue, or grey 
Vith ragged rainclouds nigh, 
or in their sapphirine array 
"he Bluebells imitate the sky 
o frankly that the dumb might cry 
or joy to see such joy in May. 
Nora Chesson. 
In “One and All Gardening.” 
CXLV. 
Now that Polyanthuses are in their full 
beauty, it is worth while taking close note 
of their good points and marking any¬ 
thing that particularly takes our fancy 
for seed. A radiant colour, a peculiarly 
good proportion of crimson to the orange 
centre (if such be the colouring), the man¬ 
ner the flowers are borne upon their stems 
(some seem to show their pips better than 
others), are points to consider. I never 
advise the indiscriminate saving of home¬ 
grown seeds, but where anything especially 
striking and good is at hand, it is well 
worth while. 
Primulas from Seed. 
The blue Primrose is by no means a 
common plant 1 so far, but it is a good 
addition to the spring garden, and I think 
I am right in saying that where planted 
in rather a sunless aspect, the colouring 
is richer and more lasting than in a very 
w’arm, sunny spot. It is quite easy to rear 
this plant from seed, and the present time 
is 4 s good as any for the purpose. Do 
not attempt to grow it in a hotbed, or, 
indeed, with any artificial heat, though 
a cool place in an unheated house is ex¬ 
cellent where the seed is sown in pots. 
Most of the hardy Primulas are impatient 
of bottom heat; and it is far better to rear 
the seed without it. It is exceedingly in¬ 
teresting t.o rear a really good collection 
of hardy Primulas, for it is a wonderfully 
beautiful family, of easy cultivation, and 
covers a long period of flowering. It in¬ 
cludes, of course, the Auriculas — perhaps 
the choicest of- all our spring flowers, 
where well grown and of good strains and 
colourings. For a cool, moist border I 
have seen a grand effect produced by a 
generous use of P. japonica. This is a 
iate flowering variety, with singularly de¬ 
corative foliage, and bearing sturdy 
flowering stems considerably over a foot 
in height. There is also a white form ; 
and another, white with a crimson eye. 
Of other varieties that may be raised from 
seed, sown at the present time. I should- 
like to call particular attention to P. 
denticulata. This is indeed an early 
variety, and though it comes to us from 
India (the Himalayas), is into flower in 
March. The colour, too, is charming. 
We all know the tint of the old-fashioned, 
double mauve Primrose. Well, it is 
just that, but the single flowers are borne 
in a compact, round head. The white 
form is also good, and there is a larger 
form, also with a white variety, in P. 
denticulata cashmeriana. 
Hardy Primulas for the Unheated 
House. 
One of the daintiest and most charm¬ 
ing of all varieties is P. marginata, and I 
may add that this is a delightful plant 
for the unheated house. In fact, a col¬ 
lection of hardy Primulas for this use is 
really and truly a beautiful sight, and 
would of course include many of the fine 
P. Sieboldi, known also as Japanese 
Primulas. A packet of seed of P. Sieboldi 
hybrid a would yield most charming spoil, 
either for the open border or under glass. 
Such varieties as P. rosea grandiflora, I 
find for some reason or another, I can 
always grow best as a pot plant, though 
I turn it out and plant under a north wall 
for the summer, and sometimes allow it to 
remain there until the following spring 
has seen the formation of the flower buds. 
P. viscosa, P. spectabilis, P. Parryi capi- 
tata are all effective, and any amateur 
may grow them to perfection. Of course 
where the plants are to be grown under 
glass, there is that fine section of P. Auri¬ 
cula known as show or stage Auriculas — 
green edged, grey edged, and white edged 
and seifs — which are not suited to the 
open border as are the beautiful alpine 
species. 
Double Coloured Primroses. 
In the open, the present time, or as 
they cease to flower, is a good time to 
lift the double coloured Primroses if the 
space they occupy is needed for summer 
plants, and remove them to cool, moist 
quarters for the summer; and if necessary' 
at the same time the plants can be divided, 
and each division should make a good 
plant by the autumn planting. The col¬ 
ours are double white, crimson, purple- 
mauve, double yellow, and also a paler 
tint that might be, and in fact is, known 
as double sulphur. 
Seasonable Thoughts and Suggestions. 
Where we desire it, there is no reason 
why we should not introduce a certain 
proportion of tender-bedding plants for 
the summer and autumn seasons, but it 
seems to me to make for terrible mono¬ 
tony to apportion all our beds to masses 
of this or that tender thing for a few 
months. We are struck with the fine 
colour effect of a bed of Zonal Pelargo¬ 
niums, but all the plants are alike; we 
shall have no change beyond an increase 
of size throughout the summer and 
autumn. If that satisfies, well and good. 
But there is one thing I should like to 
plead against, and that is the introduc¬ 
tion of these tender-bedding plants into 
a mixed border of hardy perennials. It 
strikes a false note. 
It is a good thing, I think, one year to 
take up some particular plant, or family 
of plants, for especial cultivation, obser¬ 
vation, and general attention, and then 
another. It is well to make a real experi¬ 
ment with it, so far a_s our conditions 
allow—that is to say, in various aspects 
and soils, in a raised, sharply-drained 
position, if we have it, and it accords with 
the knowledge of the plant's require¬ 
ments, or in cooler, moister conditions. 
Then, too, we may often vary our plants 
bv growing one range of colouring one 
vear, and another the next: thus, the 
Dahlia, one vear it mav be glowing reds, 
and colours that associate with it, another 
year it may be the lilac, and pinkish col¬ 
ourings that in some of the newer varie¬ 
ties are so wonderfully beautiful, but can 
