July  10,  1902. 
31 
JOURNAL 
OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
CO  TTA  GE  GA  RDENER. 
Primula  obconica  as  a  Bedding  Plant. 
Though  by  some  much  decried,  if  not  actually  abolished  since 
the  discovery  of  poison  in  the  leaves  of  this  Primula,  there  are, 
nevertheless,  some  who  are  sufficiently  fearless  and  unconcerned 
as  to  cultivate  them  for  decorative  purposes  in  pots,  and  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  they  do  possess  a  very  great  and  accom¬ 
modating  merit  as  a  decorative  plant.  The  poisonous  properties 
possessed  in  the  leaves  affect  not  every  one  alike.  Some  there 
are  who  feel  no  possible  inconvenience,  while  others  must,  so 
to  speak,  keep  them  at  arm’s  length.  As  a  bedding  plant  I  have 
not  grown  them,  but  since  I  have  seen  them  applied  to  this 
purpose  so  effectively  at  Forde  Abbey,  a  desire  is  raised  to  do 
so  elsewhere.  So  many  plants  are  nowadays  applied  to  bedding 
purposes  that  the  novelty  of  former  days  at  the  advent  of  some 
innovation  in  the  character  of  bedding  plants  is  now  not  so 
keenly  acknowledged.  That  the  hardy  P.  obconica  is  used  in 
many  flower  garden  arrangements  may  be  taken  for  granted, 
yet,  while  this  is  time,  there  are  many  flower  gardens  yet  without 
the  acquaintance  of  these  plants  in  summer  and  autumn.  The 
floriferous  nature  of  these  Primulas  needs  no  new  praise,  because 
they  are'  so  well  known  to  everyone;  it  is,  however,  the  know¬ 
ledge  of  this  fact  that  so  readily  admits  them  into  a  sphere 
hitherto  unoccupied  by  them.  To  those  who  grow  a  quantity  in 
pots  for  conservatory  and  house  decoration,  it  need  only  that  these 
be  hardened  off  preparatory  to  their  occupancy  of  beds  or  borders 
outdoors.  Where  they  are  not  so  freely  grown,  and  a  desire 
exists  to  apply  them  to  this  summer  purpose,  preparation  need 
be  made  for  doing  so  at  some  previous  date.  It  is  known  to 
many  that  in  spring  sowing  there  is  often  much  fickleness  dis¬ 
played  m  raising  these  Primulas,  and  more  often  than  not  a 
partial  success  only  is  obtained.  To  overcome  this  difficulty  new 
seeds  are  recommended,  which  means  autumn  sowing  instead  of 
waiting  until  spring,  or,  rather,  the  early  months  of  the  year,  to 
do  so.  This  would  be  necessary  for  getting  strong  plants  ready 
for  summer  bedding  where  none,  or  an  insufficient  stock,  of  pot 
plants  were  available,  because  in  their  early  stages  they  are  very 
slow  in  their  progress.  Since  Mr.  Crook  has  discovered  their 
high  merit  for  bedding  uses,  a  large  stock  is  kept  up  for  the 
dual  purpose — indoor  and  out.  July  and  August  would  be  a 
suitable  period  for  sowing  for  the  summer  of  1903. — W.  S. 
Groups  at  Holland  Park  Show. 
The  following  are  notes  on  some  of  the  groups  at  the  recent  show 
at.  Holland  Park:  Messrs.  Hill  and  Son’s  (Barrowfield  Nurseries, 
Lower  Edmonton,  London,  N.)  group  was  arranged  with  excellent 
judgment,  and  including  the  following  distinctive  and  handsome  Ferns 
and  plants :  Gymnogramma  Alstoni,  G.  grandiceps  superba,  Adiantum 
tinetum  (finely  coloured  red).  A.  peruvianum,  A.  pedatum  (the  Bird’s- 
foot  Fern),  A.  rhodophy llum  (also  coloured),  A.  macrophyllum  (tinted 
purplish),  A.  Farleyense  (a  soft,  feathery  mass),  and  A.  Veitchi.  The 
beautiful  little  Pellea  rotundifolia  was  nicely  shown,  together  with 
Pteris  tricolor,  which  was  brilliantly  distinctive,  P.  longifolia  Mariesi, 
P.  seaberula,  and  P.  Smithiana.  ;  Other  genera  exhibited  were  Davallia 
tenuifolia  Veitchi,  Polypodium  vaccinifolium,  with  long,  hispid  shoots, 
which  hang  ;  the  tall  Blechnum  brasiliense,  arid  the  twining  Lygodium 
japonicum.  Platycerium  grande  was  also  bold  and  characteristic. 
Hymencdium  crinitum  is  a  nice  thing,  and  Lomaria  attenuata  is  well 
known.  Polypodium  appendic.ulatum  and  Lygodium  dichotomum  with 
Leucostegia  immersa  were  others  of  those  shown.  Ficus  repens 
variegata  and  Saxifraga  umbrosa  variegata  were  displayed  in  front. 
Cork-bark  and  moss  were  largely  employed,  and  many  of  the  Ferns 
were  on  tall  pedestals. 
In  Charles  Turner’s  (Slough)  group  of  Roses,  the  standard 
Wiehuriana  crosses  formed  a  very  conspicuous  feature ;  budded  as 
they  were  on  stocks  3ft.  or  more  in  height,  the  slender  branehlets 
drooped  shower-like  on  all  sides  in  the  umbrella  pattern.  A  number 
of  different  varieties,  though  all  from  the  same  cross,  were  seen,  the 
best  being  Auguste  Barbier  (pink),  Alberic  Barbier  (white),  Paul 
Transon,  and  Reine  AndrA  The  more  popular  H.T.’s  and  decorative 
Roses  were  arranged  along  the  front  in  vases,  while  large  masses  of 
Crimson  Rambler,  Queen  Alexandra  Rambler,  Aglaia,  and  Psyche 
gave  the  group  a  rich  effect. 
Messrs.  Frank  Cant  and  Co.,  Braiswick  Nurseries,  Colchester,  were 
first  in  class  14  for  a  collection  of  thirty-six  bunches  of  garden  Roses, 
the  names  of  which  we  took,  but,  unfortunately,  they  have  gone  astray. 
A  similar  group  was  shown  by  the  same  firm  last  week  at  the  Temple, 
when  the  va¬ 
rieties  noted 
were  Gustave 
Regis,  Aglaia, 
Reine  Olga  de 
W  urtemburg, 
Ma  Capucine, 
Madame  Louis 
Poueet,  Crested 
Moss,  Madame 
Cochet,  Rain¬ 
bow,  Thalia, 
Camoens,  Ma- 
crantha,  Sou¬ 
venir  de  J.  B. 
Guillot,  Claire 
Jacquier, 
Leuchstern, 
F  el  1  e  n  berg, 
Papillon,  Mme. 
Pernet  Ducher, 
Rubin,  Anna 
Maria  de  Mont¬ 
ravel.  Gloire 
de  Polyantha, 
Annie  of  Gier- 
stein,  W.  A. 
Richar  d  so  n , 
Rosa  Mundi, 
Alister  Stella 
Gray,  and 
Blanche  Dou¬ 
ble  de  Coubert. 
Each  of  these 
has  a  telling 
effect  when 
planted  and  al¬ 
lowed  to  grow 
in  great  masses 
with  little  pru¬ 
ning  in  the  gar¬ 
den  or  grounds. 
On  page  31  we 
figure  Messrs. 
F.  Cant’s  group. 
Holland  Park  Show — Hill’s  Group  of  Exotic  Ferns. 
