December  17,  1903.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
563 
Notes  on  Hardy  Plants. 
Primula  frondosa. 
Some  time  a<fo  I  drew  attention  to  the  tine  Primula  rosea,  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  of  our  hardy  Primulas.  The  one  I  desire  now  to 
notice  is  very  different  in  its  attractions,  inasmuch  as  it  is  not  what 
we  can  call  a  showy  flower,  but  one  which  has  yet  many  points  of 
beauty  to  commend  it.  It  is,  how’ever,  mentioned  as  being  linked 
to  P.  rosea,  not  closely  botanically,  but  by  reason  of  its  doing  well 
under  almost  similar  conditions.  Ndt  that  it  requires  so  much 
moisture,  for  it  is  more  accommodating,  and  will  thrive  and  flower- 
well  in  a  drier  position,  especially  if  shaded. 
I  find,  however,  that  it  is  more  vigorous,  increases  more  freely, 
and  flowers  better  when  in  a  place  where  its  roots  are  constantly  wet, 
such  as  the  margin  of  a  pond  or  stream,  where  the  moisture  is  always 
in  contact  with  its  roots.  My  attention  was  first  drawn  to  its  likings 
in  this  respect  by  seeing  a  group  in  the  rock  garden  at  the  Edinburgh 
Royal  Botanical  Gardens,  where  the  plants  which  were  most  shaded 
from  the  sun  were  the  most  vigorous.  A  desire,  also,  to  test  an 
impression  growing  in  my  mind,  that  the  farinose  Primulas  preferred 
more  moisture  than  the  others,  led  to  testing  this  pretty  little 
Balkan  Primrose  in  a  sunny  position  on  the  margin  of  one  of  my 
Water  Lily  pools.  The  result  has  been  very  satisfactory,  the  large 
plant  now  there  being  finer  than  one  in  a  shaded  border  which  is 
comparatively  well  drained  arwi  free  from  standing  moisture.  One 
desires,  however,  to  state  that  the  experiments  with  the  farinose 
Primulas  are  not  yet  exhaustive  enough  to  confirm  or  refute  the  idea 
that  all  like  so  much  moisture,  although  P.  frondosa  certainly  does. 
Primula  frondosa  is,  as  one  would  think,  very  properly  included 
in  the  section  Farinosie  by  Dr.  Ferdinand  Pax,  in  his  exhaustive 
monograph  of  the  genus  Primula,  of  which  a  good  English  transla¬ 
tion  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  English-speaking  admirers  and 
students  of  the  genus.  It  is  thus  classed  along  with  the  following 
species — involucrata,  sibirica,  pumilio,  egalliccensis,  Olgse,  longiflora, 
scotica,  stricta,  and  farinosa.  It  is  very  liberally  supplied  with  a 
white  farina,  which  not  only  covers  with  a  beautiful  silvery  whiteness 
the  under  part  of 
the  leaves,  but 
generally  extends, 
though  less  plenti¬ 
fully,  over  the 
petioles,  a  portion 
of  the  upper  sur¬ 
face  and  the  mid¬ 
rib.  The  stems 
and  pedicels  of  the 
flowers  are  also 
covered  with  this 
flour-like  farina. 
The  flowers 
themselves  are  in¬ 
dividually  small, 
but  are  fairly  nu¬ 
merous.  They  are 
called  blue,  I  ob¬ 
serve,  in  one  work, 
but  one  cannot  say 
that  they  are  any¬ 
thing  but  purple 
or  purple-rose. 
The  leaves,  which 
are,  as  the  specific 
name  of  frondosa 
would  indicate, 
numerous,  are 
narrowed  to  the 
petioles,  and  ob¬ 
long  or  lanceolate. 
The  plant,  as 
grown  in  Edin- 
biu'gh  and  that  in 
my  own  garden, 
agree  with  the 
work  of  Dr.  Pax, 
already  referred 
to,  and  also  with 
Widner’s  Die  Eu- 
ropaischen  Arten 
der  Gatlung  Primula,  a  very  complete  account  of  the  European 
Primulas,  but  differing  in  the  names  of  its  classes  from  Dr.  Pax’s, 
P.  frondosa  and  others  being  classed  under  the  section  Aleuritia. 
This  season  P.  frondosa  has  come  earlier  into  bloom  than  usual, 
but  its  flowers  generally  open  here  during  the  month  of  April.  It  is 
a  pleasing  little  Primrose,  peculiar  to  the  Balkan  Peninsula,  and 
perfectly  hardy  with  us. 
Veronica  virginica. 
Veronicas  are  notoriously  difficult  to  name  with  any  certainty, 
and  the  herbaceous  section  presents  fully  as  many  difficulties  as  any 
other,  especially  seeing  that  these  plants  vary  much  from  seeds  and 
hybridise  freely.  In  the  case  of  Veronica  virginica,  we  liave,  how¬ 
ever,  one  which  is  very  distinct  and  easily  identilied  by  those  wh.o 
have  seen  it  once  or  twice.  It  has,  indeed,  been  separated  by  some 
botanists  from  the  genus  Veronica,  and  has  shared  with  another 
A'eronica  the  jiossession  of  that  called  Leptandra.  NuUall  being  the 
authority  for  the  distinction.  The  great  “  Index  Kewensis  ’  follow.s 
Linnaeus  in  calling  it  Veronica  virginica,  but  we  find  that  Britton  and 
Brown  in  their  valuable  “Illustrated  Flora  of  the  Northern  United 
States  and  Canada,’’  follow  Nuttall  and  describe  it  as  Leptandra 
virginica.  AVhatcver  the  ultimate  decision  of  botanists,  we  may 
well  for  garden  purposes  content  ourselves  with  the  old  and  fainili.ar 
name,  for  it  is  a  Veronica  to  all  intents  and  pmrposes,  and  so  easily 
identified  that  there  is  no  gain  by  giving  it  generic  rank. 
Veronica  virginica  is  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  the  herba¬ 
ceous  species,  and  is  a  really  handsome  plant  w-hen  occupiying  an 
isolated  position  in  the  border  or  associated  with  dwarfer  pfiants,  so 
that  its  handsome  p^ropjortions  and  its  fine  verticillate  foliage  can  be 
fully  displayed.  Even  before  it  flowers  it  is  admired  for  its  habit, 
and  when  the  tall  stems,  decorated  wdth  their  fine  serrulated  leaves, 
are  surmounted  by  the  fine  spikes  of  flowers,  the  whole  effect  is 
striking  in  the  extreme,  especially  when  the  pilant  is  a  well  grown 
one,  and  reaches  a  height  of  G,  7,  or  even  8  feet  in  height. 
The  colour  of  the  typ:)e  is  often  described  as  white,  but  it  is 
frequently  bluish  in  its  native  habitats,  which  are  in  meadow’s,  moist 
woods,  and  thickets  throughout  a  great  part  of  Eastern  Canada  and 
the  Eastern  United  States.  Some  nice  varieties  have  been  raised, 
and  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  ornamental  I  have  seen  was  raised 
or  selected  by  Rev.  0.  Wolley-Dod  at  Edge.  I  have  practically  dis¬ 
carded  the  others  in  favour  of  this  one,  which  has  fine  spiikes  of  lilac- 
blue  flow’ers. 
One  advantage  of  this  Veronica  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  is  so 
easily  cultivated  as  to  grow  in  almost  any  soil,  though,  of  course,  it 
attains  more  impressive  stature  when  growing  in  a  strong  and  moist 
one.  In  the  ordinary  border  it  is  not  always  pDOssible  to  give  it  .as 
much  moisture  as  it  would  like,  but  there  it  ought  to  be  well  manured 
with  farmyard  or  stable  manure,  and  have  also  humic  matter. 
For  wild  gar¬ 
dening  it  is  well 
adapted,  but  the 
timely  staking  it 
may  require  in 
exposed  places  is  . 
not  alw’ays  in¬ 
formal  enough  in 
appearance  for 
this  form  of  gar¬ 
dening  in  its 
highest  phases. 
There  is  no  diffi¬ 
culty  in  the  pro¬ 
pagation  of  Ve¬ 
ronica  virginica, 
as  it  is  easily 
raised  from  seeds 
or  increased  by 
division  of  the 
roots  in  spring  or 
autumn.  The 
beet  forms  should 
be  propagated  by 
the  latter  method, 
but  cuttings  of 
young  grow’ths  in 
spring  and  sum¬ 
mer  can  also  be 
readily  struck, 
especially  if  a 
gentle  heat  is  at 
command.  Like 
many  other  plants 
this  Veronica  has 
its  ‘‘popular” 
names.  One  of 
these  is  “  Culver’s 
Root,’’  but  it  has 
also  been  known 
as  “  Black  Root,” 
and  as  Culver’s 
Physic. — S.  Aknott.  [A  short  notice  on  other  of  the  herbaceous 
Veronicas  appeared  in  our  issue  of  last  week,  page  "riti.] 
Plant  Perfumes. 
The  perfumes  of  certain  flowers  affect  the  digestion  or  breathing, 
or  cause  dizziness,  and  even  fainting  fits.  V.anilla  is  .troublesome  to 
many,  so  is  the  white  floiver  of  the  Ligustrum  japonieum,  and  the 
Pittosporum.  The  Tuberose,  .Jasmine,  and  lake  are  objectionable  to 
some.  The  Datura  arboreseens  makes  people  drowsy.  'Tins  action  of 
flowers  is  due  to  the  scent,  and  is  distinct  from  the  influence  of  pollen, 
which  produces  hay  fever. 
Violet,  La  France,  in  a  pot.  H  nat.  size). 
