de the succeeding rings or tiers
extend and hide them. The very smallest in the centre of the head remain
covered with the farina-like substance, and form a beautiful contrast to
the deep violet-blue of the opened, and the lavender-blue of the
unopened pips. One head of bloom will last fully four weeks. The
denseness and form of the head, combined with the fine colour of the
bloom, are the chief points which go to make this Primula very distinct.
The leaves, which are arranged in rosette form, are otherwise very
pretty, having a mealy covering on the under side, sometimes of a golden
hue; they are also finely wrinkled and toothed, giving the appearance,
in small plants, of a rosette of green feathers. Sometimes the leaves
are as large as a full-grown polyanthus leaf, whilst other plants, which
have flowered equally well, have not produced foliage larger than that
of primroses, when having their earliest flowers.

It makes a fine pot subject, but will not endure a heated greenhouse. It
should be kept in a cold frame, with plenty of air. It may be planted on
rockwork where it will not get the mid-day sun. I hear that it grows like
grass with a correspondent whose garden soil is stiff loam; there it
seeds and increases rapidly. My first experience with it was
troublesome; when dying down in the winter, the leaves, which are
persistent, seemed to collect moisture at the collar and cause it to
rot. I tried planting not quite so deeply, and I imagine that it has
proved a remedy. So choice a garden subject should not be passed by
because it cannot be dibbled in and grown as easily as a cabbage. Old
plants produce offsets which, as soon as the April showers come, may be
transplanted in loamy soil and a shady situation. Propagation may also
be carried on by seed when well ripened, but that has not been my
experience of it hitherto.

Flowering period, April to June.

Primula Cashmerianum.

CASHMERE PRIMROSE; _Nat Ord._ PRIMULACEAE.

This belongs to the large-leaved and herbaceous section, and though it
comes (as its name specifies) from a much warmer climate than ours, its
habitat was found at a great altitude, and it has been proved to be
perfectly hardy in North Britain. This species is comparatively new to
English gardens, but it has already obtained great favour and is much
grown (see Fig. 76). No collection of _Primulae_ can well be without it;
its boldness, even in its young state, is the first characteristic t