962 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
December 20, 1913. 
The aocompanying illustration of 
Primula pulohella depicts one of the newer 
species which are attracting so much notice 
at the present time. It is one of a num- 
bc'^r of charming novelties which have been 
introduced to our British gardens through 
the enterprise of Messi's. Bees, 
Lim., whose collectors have done 
so much splendid work in China — 
and other parts of the globe. It' ” 
was collected in Yunnan by 
Mr. George Forrest, and intro¬ 
duced in 1908, and only into gar¬ 
dens in 1911, and has, therefore, 
not yet found its way largely 
into cultivation. It belongs to 
an interesting section of the 
Chinese primulas—^that of the 
Nicales—and has, so far, turned 
out to be one of the most easily- 
grown of this group. 
As proved by one of the ablest 
cultivators of these primulas. 
Professor I. Bayley Balfour, of 
Edinburgh, damp is the chief 
enemy of this section, and the 
plants should be kept dry over¬ 
head during the wet months, de¬ 
riving their moisture from be¬ 
neath only. P. pulchella seems to 
be less susceptible to overhead 
wet than its allies, and should 
therefore do well in the drier dis¬ 
tricts of the United Kingdom, 
provided it is moist at the roots. 
It grows from about six to twelve 
inches in height, and has flowers 
of violet, pale purple, or lilac. 
The calyces of the plants in this 
section are usually coloured with 
purole, and a prominent feature 
in P. pulchella and others of 
the same section is the presence 
of farina (golden in P. pulchella) 
as a lining of the long calyx 
segmfbnts. The underside of 
the leaves, which are not at their 
full length until after flowering, 
is also coated with a charming 
golden farina. 
P. pulchella makes a capital || 
plant for growing in pots in a || 
cool or cold house, where it may 
bo planted in learn, peat, or leaf- 
soil or sand. In the open it 
should be grown on a rockery 
in a similar soil, and it is de¬ 
sirable to cover it with glass 
to throw off the rain in winter. 
It is as yet scarce and expensive. 
Ihx)pagation is effected by divi¬ 
sion, or by seeds if these can be 
ripened. P. pulchella flowers 
about the same time as P. sikki- 
mensis, i.e., in early summer. 
Primula sibirica. 
Though our gardens are being 
rapidly enriched by the influx of 
new primulas from the East, we 
find that there are many of the 
•older and longer-known species 
which have not yet found their 
way into places where we i^ould 
expect to find them. Some of 
them are quite easy to cultivate, 
and they have about them a 
beauty and a charm which soon endear 
them to the cultivator. 
Such a species is Primula siberica, which 
is well figured in the accompanying illus¬ 
tration from a photograph. It was intro¬ 
duced as far back as 1818, so that it is 
PRIMULA PULCHELLA. 
One of the newer species, with violet-coloured flowers 
surprising that it has not Wn morelargolv 
^ as it is by no mean's 
so difficult to grow as many primulas which 
are more frequently seen in gardens. ' It 
can be grown on the ordinary rocker\' 
always provided that it has plenty of mois¬ 
ture dunng summer, but it prefers a moist 
rather boggy position, and there will not 
only gi-ow better, but will increase with 
more freedom, and will produce much finer 
flowers. It has been well said that P 
sibefTioa resembles the favourite P. invohi* 
crata, and this is the c^e, both with regard 
to its appearance and its requirements. It 
grows from three to six or eight inches 
high, and has pale green leaves 
without any farina, and rather 
elliptical or ovate leaves, which 
are either entire or are ob¬ 
scurely toothed. The scape or 
flower stem is slender, and bears 
a number of flowers in a loose 
. umbel. They usually open with 
us about May, and are of a light 
lilac or rose colour. 
The plant is rather variable in 
hue, and also in several other re¬ 
spects, and several forms have 
been described by different botan¬ 
ists. The principal variety is 
called P. sibirica, var. integi i- 
folia, which must not, however, 
be confounded with P. integri- 
folia of Linnaeus, quite a different 
plant. The variety known as P. 
sibirica var. Finnmarchiana has 
dark lilac flowers, and has 
longer pedicles and lanceolate 
leaves. Another variety, P. s. 
. aretica, has smaller flowers. P. 
sibirica is very widely spread in 
Nature, and extends through the 
Himalayas to China, where it is 
found in several provinces, and 
the Arctic regions of Europe, 
Asia, and America. It is easily 
raised from seeds or increased by 
division. A soil of loam and peat 
or leaf-mould, with a little sand 
added, will suit this primula well. 
Dumfries. S. Aknott. 
DAHLIAS AT CHRY¬ 
SANTHEMUM SHOWS. 
After twenty-five years experi¬ 
ence on the committees of hqrticw- 
tural societies, I quite realise the 
difficulty of providing classes tha 
will prove an additional attra^ipn 
to cultivators and the public. 
Orchids, carnations, zonal pelargo¬ 
niums, and winter-flowering 
nias find a place in most schedules, 
in addition, of course, to the chry¬ 
santhemums, fruits, and vege¬ 
tables. The last week in October 
and the first week in November arc 
rather late in the season for stag¬ 
ing dahlias, but ‘there have been 
thousands of fine flowers as late 
this autumn, and I feel sure, it 
classes are provided, these flowers 
will be well staged. Cultivators 
will protect their blooms in adverse 
weather. To begin with, socie¬ 
ties might provide an open class 
for a display of dahlias in a 
space. Other open classes migh 
be listed for cactus varieties, 
singles, and pompons, 
as for local classes. I think the 
inclusion of dahlias would prove a 
great attraction and win a lot o 
extra support for our many eh^- 
santhemum shows. Perhaps sopi 
of our expert growers will 
their opinion. 
Geo. Gardneb. 
TWO INTERESTING PRIMULAS. 
