Mjlbch 8, 1913. 
THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 
175 
greenhouse primulas. 
St) much has been said and written about 
greenhouse primulas tliat anything new con¬ 
cerning them would appear to be out of the 
question. But every year sees some advance 
made in the plants and flowers, or in culti¬ 
vation. or in the uses to which the plants 
are put. Primulas for greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory decoration belong to a very few 
species, but, as in the case of P. sinensis and 
P. obconica, the varietal range is consider¬ 
able. Besides these two there are P. flori- 
bunda, P. verticillata, P. Kewensis, a hybrid 
between the two latter; and P. malacoides. 
r. Forbesi is a charming little species, but 
P. malacoides has practically put it out of 
court as a greenhouse plant. 
All these can be raised from seeds, and 
all are available, more or less, for the deco¬ 
ration of homes and glasshouses during the 
winter season. Of course, P. sinensis still 
holds the foremost position, but it has a 
1 strong rival for public favour in P. obconica. 
Thi.s latter blooms over a longer period, per- 
' haps, and possesses a bolder beauty, but it 
inirers every year, and the star form of Lord 
Roberts, with salmon-pink flowers, provides 
a warm tint very acceptable in winter time. 
Ruby Star is probably the best form for dis¬ 
play under artificial light. 
A little idea of the progress made at Read¬ 
ing with Chinese primulas, including, of 
course, the Star section, may be obtained 
from the fact that in 1893 Messrs. Sutton 
and Sons offeied twenty varieties; in 1898, 
thirty varieties; in 1903, forty varieties; in 
1908, fifty varieties; and in the present year 
they offer fifty-five varieties. The offer of 
fifty-five varieties does not mean merely 
growing that number of batches of plants 
for seeds. By no means. Selection and cross- 
fertilisation is conducted every season and 
on a large scale, in the hope that some variety 
may be improved, or superseded, by a better, 
or that some quite new one may be evolved! 
In 1893 the number of batches of plants from 
which seeds were saved separately, either 
for sale or selection, was 154; in 1898 it was 
167; in 1903 it had reached 256; and went 
on to 431 in 1908, but fell to 340 in 1913. 
Does the smaller number of seed stocks and 
A new race now being offered is peculiar 
because the flowers are eyeless. No doubt 
the few varieties. Snow Queen, Silver King, 
and Silver Star, will take on ’’ with those 
who love novelty. We have become so used 
to the yellow or orange eye in primulas that 
its absence suggests that the Messrs. Sutton 
are not quite playing the game. Hitherto they 
have added colour, si2ie, floriferousness, 
fringing, differently coloured foliage, and 
leaves of fern-like elegance; but now they 
have taken away something, and we are not 
yet ucsed to the “ naked look of eyeless pri¬ 
mulas. Now, if the Reading firm had gone 
on with their addition and given us a 
greatly enlarged yellow or orange eye—in 
fact, a flower all eye instead of eyeless, there 
would have been jubilation among primula 
lovers. 
A few combinations of varieties of pri¬ 
mulas may prove useful. The following are 
not mere suggestions, but combinations of 
proved beauty carried out by Mr. Townsend, 
gardener to Mr. Leonard Sutton, at Hill¬ 
side, Reading, with plants of his own grow- 
A CHARMING ARRANGEMENT OF PRIMULAS IN THE CONSERVATORY, 
At Hillside, Reading, the residence of Leonard Sutton, Esq. 
varieties 
grown however, and 
amateurs with sr 
“ ."rwith t all its po 
conica sinensis, so with P 
*fed.s strains come verv tni^^ 
are TORnrs'‘fin rose, ■. 
^ «<‘ading strains ^^P^^sented in 
pawers and wond..rf* ilH P’a“ts are 6tr< 
red wd^hTf "“y. flowering. I 
y^ains to ^ d'n7 wo?k s 
4**®ost scarlet W t ^ bright red thal 
a white with produced, and th 
in.®afl more^n^**^] all quest: 
|®1a« become ° urff^P«lar do the Star , 
|2«,continue’iu“f T P«P"la 
Is?'habit the pre« 
or eolout Si® > 
|»^/an see the needed ; 
selections in 1913 indicate a decline in 
Chinese primulas? Nob at all; the figures 
simply point to the fact that the applica¬ 
tion of Mendelian principles has rendered it 
unnecessary to grow so many of the smaller 
batches, b^ause the ultimate result of cer¬ 
tain crosses is now perfectly well known. 
It is hardly necessary to name many varie¬ 
ties of the giant and older races of florists’ 
primulas, but the giants are such a distinct 
race, so large-flowered, and yet so refined, 
that the litQe extra attention they need is 
amply repaid; there are pink, white, crim¬ 
son, and sa-lmon shades of this splendid sec¬ 
tion. Turning to the older type. The 
Duchess stands out prominently, its rosy- 
carmine zone round a yellow eye invariably 
attracting attention and exciting admira¬ 
tion. The Czar, violet-purple; Coral Pink, 
a happy variety that always suggests spring¬ 
time to the writer; Crimson King and Read¬ 
ing Scarlet, with brilliant colouring; Snow¬ 
drift and Royal White, whites; and Reading 
Pink, soft pint, fringed flowers, form a 
good selection, though Reading Blue must 
be added for those who like its shade. 
ing, not those under Mr. Macdonald’s care 
at the nursery: Dark Blue Star and the 
golden P. Kewensis, or Ruby Star mixed 
with P. Kewensis. Giant White Star (Bou¬ 
quet habit), with a few plants of the mauve 
P. malacoides. Reading Blue, Royal White, 
and Pearl, mixed with a few plants of Coral 
Pink. Reading Blue goes well with The 
Czar, if only a few of the latter are used 
among the former; arranged thus the two 
blue shades are more effective than when 
separated. Coral Pink and Crimson King in¬ 
termixed provide a very beautiful combina¬ 
tion. Giant Pink and Giant White make an 
obviously good display together. In the 
illustration a conservatory group is shown 
at Hillside, Reading. In the foreground is 
Coral Pink, followed by the Duchess, Ruby 
Star, Giant White Star, Pink Star, and 
Giant White Star again, with Dark Blue 
Star and P. Kewensis grouped together at 
the highest point. This scene wa<^ so novel in 
it« colouring and arrangement, and so widely 
different from the methods usually employed 
in staging primulas in the conservatory, that 
We have reproduced it. 
