THE ROSE BOOK. ROS PRP RD OAL Le Pee, (Globular form.) THE ROSE BOOK A PRACTICAL TREATISE on THE CULTURE OF THE ROSE. COMPRISING THE FORMATION OF THE ROSARIUM, THE CHARACTERS OF SPECIES AND VARIETIES, MODES OF PROPAGATING, PLANTING, PRUNING, TRAINING AND PREPARING FOR EXHIBITION, AND THE MANAGEMENT OF ROSES IN ALL SEASONS. BY SHIRLEY HIBBERD, F.R.H.5., AUTHOR OF “RUSTIC ADORNMENTS,” “‘ PROFITABLE GALDENING,” ‘‘ BOOK OF THE aQUaRIUM,” BIC., ETC. KRU a ce "Ung KLIBRARY* OO LAPT STATION LONDON: GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS, MDCCCLXIV. MANN SB U4 \| HeA R6 [eee PREFACE. —+—- Amone the myriads of books that have been written on the subject of the present volume, the “Rose Amateur’s Guide,” by Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, and the “ Rose Garden,” by Mr. W. Paul, of Waltham Cross, have each had so extensive a circulation, and have exercised so great an influence on rose culture in this country, that on a first consideration of the matter, the addition of another work to the list may appear superfluous. But as different minds take different views of the same subject, I here offer to the lovers of the rose the views of an amateur cul- tivator, not as opposed to, but as differing from, the views taken by the distinguished professional cultivators whose works have just been named. ‘ The book to which I have principally referred in the preparation of this work is the Book of Nature, and the best index to that book in my possession is my own garden, viii PREFACE. wherein I have acquired such experiences as are here related in detail, in the hope that they may interest amateur culti- vators of the rose. If “ The Rose Book” should meet with as kind a reception as all my other books have done, I shall enjoy my own roses the more, that, after nearly twenty years’ devotion to them, I have at last, by their help, been rendered useful to many kindred spirits. 8. H. CONTENTS. ——_e——_. CHAPTER I. Tue Fawinies of Witp Roszs . Botanical Groups CHAPTER II. Tar Famitres or Curtrvatep Roszs Summer Rosrs— Bee Ark wWONDH OD ON Aah wD LY = NI . Provence or Cabbage . The Moss Rose . The Damask Rose . The French Rose . The White Rose . The Hybrid China Rose . Hybrid Bourbon Roses. . Austrian Brier Roses . Scotch Roses . Ayrshire, Roses . Multifiora Roses . Evergreen Roses . Boursault Roses . Banksian Roses . Hybrid Climbing Roses . Damask Perpetual Roses . Hybrid Perpetual Roses PAGE 12 14 16 17 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 35 x CONTENTS. Summer Roses—continued. PAGE 18. Bourbon Roses ‘ ‘ - . 45 19. China Roses . . : Z . 49 20. Miniature China Roses : - . 51 21. Tea-scented Roses . : : . 82 22. Noisette Roses ‘ ‘ : . 58 23. The Musk Rose 3 3 . 60 24. Macartney Roses. ‘ ‘i . 63 CHAPTER IT. Formine THE Rosarium . i: : . 65 CHAPTER IV. CuLtuRE oF Rosrs IN THE Oren GROUND ‘ » Autumn Planting . : : : - 7 Spring Planted Roses : : . 81 A Caution for Beginners. 84 Pruning, Disbudding, and Seasonal Mata oaneue 86 CHAPTER V. Croeine Rosss . 3 ; - 2 . 93 Arches and Trellises ‘ . 99 Chains and low Trellises and eadiag seid - 100 Banks, Trees, and Wildernesses . , - 101 Wall Roses . 3 3 s ‘ - 103 CHAPTER VI. Pittan Roszs. 3 a 3 . 108 Planting Pillar ee 4 i . . 113 Pruning Pillar Roses . : . . is CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. YELLOW Rosss Austrian Briers Yellow Noisetites Yellow Teas . CHAPTER VIII. Rosgs ry Pots Rose and Cherry Colour Roses Crimson Roses Pot Roses for Exhibition A few Choice Roses for Exhibition i in Pots A Note on Forcing . CHAPTER IX. Roses mn Beps Carpets of Rose Blossoms . The Rose Mount at the Crystal Pane CHAPTER X. Rosrs In GREAT Towns - Summer Roses for Town Gardens . Autumnal Roses for Town Gardens The Pilot Rose ‘ CHAPTER XI. -Tza Roses in Towns CHAPTER XII. Various Mopzs oF PropacaTInG Budded Briers Brier Stocks for Budding Entering the Buds . Xi PAGE 127 1382 135 143 147 152 153 153 160 161 163 172 174 177 193 194 198 201 215 217 217 222 xil CONTENTS. PAGE A Hint for Beginners : 235 A’ Dozen Perpetuals for aginere to Work on Briers eo - 236 Two Dozen most Desivable Vitis to ee to ‘Follow the Foregoing . : : . 236 Treatment after Budding . , i . 237 Gun-Barrel Budding : a . . 245 Manetti Roses : ‘ : . . 248 Other Stocks for Roses a - . 249 Roses on their own Roots from Guntiiad a‘ . 250 How to Strike them from Buds. : . 258 Propagation by Cuttings in Autumn ‘ - 255 Cuttings Struck in Spring . . ‘ . 2657 Circumposition : 259 A Notch for Amateurs. satay 6 Make fier Propagate Themselves. : . . 261 Grafting Brier Standards . . 264 Grafted Dwarfs on Manetti and tae Stakes . 269 Setect List or Rosrs— lJ. A Selection of One Hundred of the Finest ‘Varieties of Roses for Exhibition . 273 2..A Selection of Twenty-four of the Finest Hybrid Perpetuals : 275 3. A’ Selection of the Hardiest toe ea the Coldest Localities in England and Scotland . 275 ReminDers oF Montuity Work In tae Rost Garpen . 278 InpEx . . 5 : . : . 287 44 Chapter 4. The Families of Wild Roses. THE ROSE BOOK. —_q+— THE FAMILIES OF WILD ROSES. S it is better to do one thing well than two indifferently, I shall be quite content if I succeed in explaining to the satisfac- @ tion of all lovers of the rose, how to grow the flower to perfection. But whether I succeed or not in that attempt, I shall cer- tainly not endeavour to treat of the botany of the rose, or of its history as a cultivated flower, in any except a most superficial and general way. And for a good reason. AI that is known of the botany of the rose may be found in the books by those who need the infor- mation; and if there are differences of opinion as to the limitations of species and their several relationships, the better reason for avoiding the subject here, for we might soon exhaust the space needed for disquisitions on rose-culture, and the book would be not only dry but useless. As to the history of the rose, that has never yet been written, but some adventurous A THE ROSE BOOK. spirit will, some day, seize upon the subject, and out of it evoke some new enchantments for the reading public. It is, indeed, a theme which might tempt any lover of roses given to literary adventures, but is too vast to permit of condensa- tion into any introductory chapter of a work mainly devoted to a quite different purpose. I shall therefore only bring forward here such few botani- cal and historical matters as appear to be properly introductory to the chapters which follow on the cultivation of the rose, and I trust my brevity will be considered as evidence of prudence, and not of flippancy ; or rather, will be accepted by the reader as a proof that I abhor the repetition of facts already elsewhere stated, because I have a story of another kind, and of my own, to tell. To treat intelligibly and practically of the rose, is for the present enough for my ambition, and I feel that—in this book at least—I can afford to treat both botany and history with comparative indifference. The order Rosaczm is one of the most important in the vegetable kingdom, and in its economic adap- tations ranks parallel with Graminee ; for, from the roses we obtain the majority of edible fruits, and from the grasses most kinds of bread stuffs and food for cattle. Compare a wild rose with the flower of a strawberry, raspberry, apple, pear, or plum, and the general family likeness will be evident. Any good botanical work will give the characters of THE FAMILIES OF WILD ROSES. 5 this great order, and show how our various hardy fruits are related to the rose. Of the group of true roses, which has a place in the third sub-order, under the head of Rosz, there appear to be ten distinct sections: these, and a few of their species, we shall enumerate. BOTANICAL GROUPS. 1. Rosa ferow is the type of a series known as Feroces, and so called on account of their fierce as- pect when divested of their leaves, when they are seen to bristle from head to foot with a formidable array of spines. They are mostly Asiatic in origin, produce red flowers, and are deciduous. None of these are grown in our gardens. 2. R. bracteata (the parent of the Macartney rose) is the type of a group called Bracteate. These roses are evergreen, the branches and fruit covered with woolly hairs; the leaves glossy. This is an interesting family to the florist, as it has furnished our gardens with some useful autumnal roses. R. microphylla, the ‘ small-leaved rose,” properly belongs to the section of Bracteatce, and will be con- sidered in connection with it when we come to the floral groups. 3. RB. cinnamomea is the type of a large, but not important section of English and American roses, to which it gives its name. 2. Carolina and R. Lindleyi are in this section, which consists of species tolerably well known, but rarely cultivated. 6 THE ROSE BOOK. 4, R. Alpina, the origin of the Boursault roses, introduces us to an important section, called the Pimpinellifolie. In this section we have, besides the Boursaults, R. sulphurea, the double yellow, one of the most celebrated of the roses which are difficult to bring into perfect bloom; also, RB. lutescens, a Sibe- rian rose, which produces pale yellow flowers and black hips. In this section occur also many British roses; as, for example, R. Wilson, Sabini, and Spino- sissima, from the last of which has originated the group of garden varieties called Scotch roses. 5. BR. Damascena, R. Gallica, and R. centifolia, constitute together the section of Centifolium, or, hundred-leaved roses ; and this is the most impor- tant to the florist of all the botanical sections. From R. Damascena, the Damask rose, have proceeded by hybridization with other species and their varie- ties, the Hybrid Perpetual, Bourbon Perpetual, Damask, and Four Seasons roses. R&R. Gallica has had an important share in the parentage of Hybrid French, Hybrid Chinese, and Hybrid Bourbon roses ; and from Ht. centifolia, the Provence and Moss roses have sprang. This is an important section, con- sidered economically, for R. Gallica supplies the red rose-leaves of the shops. From R. Damascena and R. centifolia otto of roses is distilled, and the petals of R. centifolia are largely used in medicine, 6. BR. villosa, a British rose, represents a section to which it gives its name. They are all formid- THE FAMILIES OF WILD ROSES. 7 ably armed, and amongst them are some very in- teresting species. Here, for instance, we find R. alba, the type of a small group of garden roses, which produce handsome flowers, varying in colour from white to blush. 7. R. rubiginosa, the sweet-brier rose, is the type of an interesting section, called Rubiginose, in which are many European and British species of wild roses. Conspicuous among them is R. lutea, the varieties of which are known as Austrian briers, and greatly esteemed as free-blooming yellow roses. 8. £. canina, the dog rose, which abounds in the hedgerows of Britain,is the type of a section called Canine, the species of which are in no respect less important than those of Centifolia and Damascena. The dog rose, though valueless, if considered in respect of its flowers, plays a grand part in the rosery, in furnishing the roots and stems on which thousands of the choicest roses are nourished and displayed. All'the Chinese, tea scented, fairy, and true Bourbon roses belong to this section, having descended from B. indica, the common China rose, and R. semperflorens, the ever-flowering rose. The Noisettes owe their parentage in part also to varieties of R. indica and R. semperflorens. 9. R. Systyla, a British species, is the type of the Systyle, a section of sub-evergreen roses, which differ from R. canina in the coherence of the styles into the elongated column. In this section we find 8 THE ROSE BOOK. the Ayrshire roses, R. arvensis, the evergreen roses, R. sempervirens, the multiflora, and the Prairie roses; the last being varieties of R. rubifolia. 10. B. Banksie is the type of a restricted but highly interesting section of climbing roses, natives of China; known in gardens as Banksian roses. They produce immense numbers of small flowers arranged in corymbs. } aw () Ehapiter 22. The Families of Oultivated Roses. THE FAMILIES OF CULTIVATED ROSES. —+— VERY writer on the rose has his own pecu- liar views as to the proper classification of s the named varieties, and the trade are not all agreed as to the classes to which many varieties should be assigned. As to classes, professors, amateurs, and nurserymen all take different views of their limitations and character- istics, and it cannot be helped; for where certain classes blend and mix on their boundaries, there is room for any diversities of opinion, however decisive may be the characteristics of the class as a whole. Thus, if we compare Souvenir d’Elise with Ophirie, we see in an instant the striking distinctions which may be established between Teas and Noisettes ; but if, on the other hand, we place Jaune Desprez and Gloire de Dijon side by side, the striking dis- tinctions instantly vanish, and it becomes an easy matter to understand how in some catalogues they are separated, and how in others they are either both classed as Teas or both as Noisettes. Never- theless, with many such difficulties to contend with, roses may be classed with tolerable definiteness for 12 THE ROSE BOOK. the convenience of the cultivator according to their peculiarities of growth and appearance, season of bloom, and floral and physiological affinities, and the classification is worth attempting, both to furnish the rosarian with an intelligible key to the cata- logues, and with a few fundamental ideas respecting the uses and the management of the several classes of cultivated roses. In placing before the rose cultivator a classification differing slightly from others that have been recently published, the ex- planation may be needed that it has been one of my chief objects to make the classification correspond as nearly as might be consistent with the principles followed with the best rose catalogues, for as the cultivator is of necessity frequently referrmg to those, a system which requires him to make but few allowances, and disturbs the order of reference the least possible, is certainly to be preferred, provided it serves the all-important purpose of indicating distinctions, relationships, and affinities with tole- rable accuracy. SUMMER ROSES. 1. Provence orn CaBBAGE. L. Rosa centifolia. F. Rosier cent fewilles —The common Cabbage is one of the loveliest roses we possess, whether considered as to form, colour, or fragrance. Itis supposed to have been introduced PROVENCE OR CABBAGE. 13 - in 1596, and has certainly been a favourite in this country for more than three centuries. All the varieties are hardy, free-flowering, and deliciously sweet. Among the best varieties may be named Reine de Provence, with fine globular, glossy lilac- rose coloured flowers; this makes a fine standard. Unique is of the purest white; the form cupped, rather uneven, but scarcely surpassed by any other white rose. Among the hybrids are Blanchefleur, with pale flesh flowers, changing to pure white, which forms a good standard ; Princesse Clementine, paper white, very large and pure, but thin petals, forms afine half standard; Comte Plater, cream tinted with buff, finely formed, very free to bloom, hardy, and good for either standard or dwarf; and Comtesse de Ségur, pale flesh, makes a fine half-standard. De Meauz or Pompon is one of our oldest and most beautiful garden roses, with small, rosy-pink and lilac flowers, much used for edging. The common Dutch Provence is one of the best roses to force. Although a few have been named above as suit- able for standards, they all do remarkably well as dwarfs on their own roots. On light sandy soils, they should always be grown on their own roots, and the soil should be abundantly manured for them. On stiff clays they may be either on their own roots or on short brier stocks. In any case they must be very hard pruned, every shoot being cut in to within four or five buds of the base. 14 THE ROSE BOOK. 2. THz Moss Rost. L. Rosa centifolia muscosa. F'. Rosier cent feuilles Mousseuse—This charming rose appears to have been introduced from Holland in 1596. It is com- monly described in books and catalogues as still unsurpassed, but if that were the case, we might cancel all the charming hybrids, and be content with the original. It is very certain that the Moss rose is a sport of the common Provence, as not only does the Provence appear in its most typical forms among its seedlings, but the variety itself will occasionally produce shoots destitute of moss, but with genuine Provence flowers. Among the gems of this group are several that bloom in autumn, and Mr. W. Paul, in his “ Rose Garden,” separates them, so that the summer-blooming varieties occur in group VII., and the autumnals in group XX. This might be justifiable if the autumnal- blooming Moss were really perpetual in their habit, but the fact is, after the first bloom in summer, they give but a few occasional blossoms, and as they are only in their prime at the same season as all others of the same race, there are insufficient grounds for a separation. Among the best of the summer blooming varieties, the following are strongly recommended :—Alice Leroy, rosy pink, makes a fine standard ; Baronne de Wassenaér, rich rose, forms a fine standard; Gloire des Mousseuses, clear pale rose, large and handsome, does well as a THE MOSS ROSE. 15 standard ; Iawembourg, purplish crimson, most vigo- rous in habit, and will make either standard or pillar ; Unique, pure white; White Bath, a grand white, makes a fine standard; Cristata, the well- known crested Provence; Celina, purplish crimson, very dwarf in habit; Clemence Beaugrand, delicate pink, large, not full; Lasteti, lively rose, most beautiful, both in bud and expanded. Of autumnal- blooming Moss roses, the following are the best :— Madame Edouard Ory, rich rose, globular, beauti- fully formed, a very constant autumn bloomer and the best of this section ; Salet, bright pink, changing to rose; Alfred de Dalmas, rosy flesh, blooming in clusters, makes a fine standard or pillar; General Drouot, purplish crimson, very dark and dull, but a fine rose; this must be worked on Manetti, or Bour- sault, not on brier. All the Moss roses require a comparatively pure air and a rich soil. Those named for standards and pillars’ grow freely if worked on the brier, but the others among the summer-blooming varieties had best be on their own roots or on Manetti. The de- licate growers require a light rich soil, such as would suit Tea roses, and all of them need to be liberally treated. Seven years ago, all the varieties of Moss roses did well at Stoke Newington, but buildings have increased so rapidly that now such varieties as Madame Ory, General Drouot, and Unique refuse to grow at all, and some others bloom but sparely ; 16 THE ROSE BOOK. nevertheless, common Moss and other of the hardier kinds still continue to bloom superbly, and as a rule the summer-blooming kinds suffer less from smoke than the autumnals. Respecting the autumnals, it is best not to have them on briers at all, except in clay countries, for after a few years they are apt to die out, but on Manetti they do well. They all require close pruning. 8. Tue Damask Rose. L. Rosa Damascena. F. Rosier Damas.—This rose is supposed to have been introduced from Syria in 1578. Thetrue Damask roses are by no means so bean- tiful as they have been generally supposed by those who know more of the varieties than the originals. But the varieties raised of late years are generally superb, and we have an immense number of exhibi- tion roses of the highest excellence, in which dis- tinct features of the Damask rose may be traced. This group is easily distinguished by its pale green far-apart pubescent leaves. There are two distinct sections, namely, the Damask and the Perpetual Damask, and they differ so greatly that it will be proper to keep them apart in this classification, as their union under one head could serve no useful purpose. One of the oldest varieties of Damask rose is the Red and White Monthly, now rarely seen, but worth remembering, as from it have originated many of our best autumn-blooming roses. THE FRENCH ROSE. 17 La Ville de Bruselles is a charming variety of this series, the colour lively lilac-rose, exquisitely deep- ening towards the closely crumpled centre. This makes a fine pillar or standard, and is a valuable town rose. Madame Hardy is pure white, some- times with a green centre, but a first-rate rose, being of luxuriant habit and its flowers finely shaped. Madame Zoutman (or Séetmans) is of a pale flesh colour, tinted with fawn, one of the most beautiful of all light roses. Semiramis, salmon-rose, is very distinct and handsome. All these grow well worked on briers, and form handsome standards; they also do well on their own roots, and if the soil is gravelly or chalky, they may be grown on Manetti. They require abundant manuring and moderate pruning. 4, Tae Frence Ross. L. Rosa Gallica. F. Rosier de Provins.—This has been one of the most famous sections, having occupied the leading place in English gardens pre- vious to the introduction of the Hybrid Perpetuals. The French rose was introduced to this country very early from France or Italy. The date 1596 is usually given as that of its introduction, but that too suspiciously agrees with the date given for the introduction of several other roses. These roses usually grow in a very upright and compact manner. They are mostly very double and well formed, and in fact there are among the Gallicas many varieties that c 18 THE ROSE BOOK. produce flowers that are literally without parallel in other groups, for purity of colour, perfect form, and exquisite fragrance. It is worth the exhibitor’s while to remember that, besides their high exhi- bition qualities, these roses bear carriage better than any others. There is a strong family likeness among them, and hence, though the varieties are numerous, a moderate number selected will serve very well to represent the whole. The finest of the high-coloured varieties of this section are Grandi- dissima, brilliant crimson, shaded with purple ; Boula de Nanteuil, crimson-purple, superb; Kean, crimson, almost scarlet ; Latour d’ Auvergne, mottled rose, finely shaped; Of, velvety crimson ; Gloire de Colmar, deep crimson, shaded with velvety crimson ; Duchess of Buccleuch, mottled crimson. The best of those in shades of rose are Letitia, Transon Gou- bault, Bizarre Marbrée, rose-mottled. There are some good light and variegated roses in this section. Gillet Parfait is a hybrid between the French and the Damask, the flowers are blush, with rosy-crimson stripes ; it is the best of all striped roses, and bears a close resemblance to a carnation. (Hillet Flam- mand, white, striped with rose and lilac; Triomphe de Rennes, rose, marbled with slate; Adéle Prévost, silvery-blush ; Perle des Panachées, pure white, with red stripes; and Tricolor de Flandres, are all worthy of a place among the most recherché roses. The varieties of Rosa Gallica are mostly very THE WHITE ROSE. 19 hardy, so that they may be grown in the most northerly parts of Britain with the least risk. They are not very particular about soil, though of course, as they are worth good culture, so their blossoms are more freely produced and of a much higher quality when they are grown in a good soil and abundantly manured. They may be grown in any form, either as standards on the brier, or as dwarf bushes on brier, Manetti, or their own roots; when grown as tall standards their appearance is most ungraceful. To grow these for exhibition, the trees should be’ severely disbudded early in June, and supplied with plenty of liquid manure until the bloom is over. They require moderately close pruning; all the small wiry wood should be cut clean out, and the strong shoots should be cut back to within eight or nine buds of their base, and the weak shoots to within two buds of their base. 5. Tae Ware Rose. L. Rosa alba. F. Rosier blanc.—This is a small and interesting section, the original species of which was introduced in 1597. These roses have green shoots, light glaucous and glossy foliage, and the flowers are all of light colours. La Remarquable, Madame Legras, and Princesse de Lamballe are the best whites of the series, and the last of the three is the purest of this section. Madame Audét is beautifully shaped, the colour pale pink or flesh ; Sophie de Baviere, deep 20 THE ROSE BOOK. rosy-pink, is a fine show rose. JF élicité Parmentie? is formed like a ranunculus, the colour delicate blush, deepening to pink at the centre. La Sédui- sante, rosy-blush, is a fine show rose, large and full. There are a few others scarcely at all inferior to those named. These roses may be grown in any form and on any stock; they require to be pruned in the same way as French roses. They grow freely and bloom abundantly, and are invaluable to form groups on lawns, and to relieve high colours in the _ rosarium. 6. Taz Hysrip Curna Rosr. L. Rosa indica hybrida. FF. Rosier hybride de Bengale.—These vary among themselves consider- ably, being the result of crosses with Chinas, Noi- settes, French, Provence, and Bourbon; but a Chinese element may be readily traced in the general habit, leafage, and style of flowering. Some of the best varieties in this section have been ob- tained accidentally, others by careful fertilization of — Tea and other China roses with the pollen of some hardy summer rose. They have ample, luxurious, glossy, smooth foliage, a free and graceful habit of growth, the branches long and sub-evergreen. Among them are many show roses of the highest quality, and many vigorous-habited varieties that make fine pillar and weeping standards. The best of this section, with flowers: highly coloured, are THE HYBRID CHINA ROSE, 21 Chénédolé, brilliant crimson; Brennus, deep car- mine ; Fulgens, scarlet-crimson, exquisite in colour ; Triomphe d’ Angers, bright carmine, large and double. Rivers’s George IV. is superb, the colour deep violet- crimson, large and full, and the plant one of the most robust growers of its class. Pawl’s Vivid, scarlet-crimson, will never disappoint if allowed abundance of food. Others not so highly coloured, but equally grand in their way, are the following :— Blairit No. 2, a superb rosy-blush, with magnificent foliage: this makes a fine weeping standard. Blairit No.1 is not so good, but, by its extravagant pro- fusion of bloom, makes a very attractive picture when grown as a full-headed standard. Comtesse de Lacépéde, silvery-blush, is a very distinct and finely-formed rose; this makes a grand pillar. Double-margined Hip, creamy-white, edged with pink, is extremely pretty. General Allard, deep rose; Leopold de Bauffremont, rosy-pink, exquisitely ormed; Madame Plantier, pure white ; Triomphe de Bayeux, creamy-white, very full and finely formed, one of the grandest known for a pillar or tall standard, and requires to be very slightly and cautiously pruned. These roses are, generally speaking, too vigorous to form dwarf bushes, and they are not well adapted for pot culture ; nevertheless, a few may be selected for both these purposes. But for poles, pillars, large standards, and weeping trees, they cannot be sur- 22 THE ROSE BOOK. passed, though there are a few Noisettes that come into close competition with them. There is no stock so good as the brier for these roses, but when grown for pillars and bushes they.may be worked on Manetti. They require an abundance of manure, not only in the autumn, but again in the spring, to keep the ground moist about their roots all the summer, and afford extra nourishment by the wash- ing down of its fertilizing properties by rain and watering. During dry weather, all the spring and summer, they should have abundance of water, In pruning, great care must be taken not to cut back the strong shoots indiscriminately, These roses do not like the knife, and, if cut about severely, will never bloom. All the strong shoots may be shortened moderately, say to leave at least fifteen buds remaining, or let the shoots be eighteen inches or two feet in length, and all misplaced and crowded shoots should be cut clean out. By this process, there will be a tolerably good bloom, and a good growth to follow. When grown as weeping stan- dards, or on pillars, thin out the shoots in Novem- ber, so as to remove all superfluous and crowded growth, and leave all the rest its full length, merely removing the tips of the longest shoots. ‘These will bloom most profusely, and must be well fed to sus- tain them in the production of blossoms that will weigh down the branches to the ground. As soon as the bloom is over, shorten in all the shoots that HYBRID BOURBON ROSES. 23 bloomed to within four or five buds of their base. They will immediately throw out vigorous shoots ; of these select a certain number, and train them out to form a handsome tree, and remove the rest by a clean cut to their base. The shoots left their whole length will bloom magnificently the following season. 7. Hysrip Bourson Rosss. L, Rosa Bourboniana hybrida. F. Rosier hy- bride de V’Ile BourbonThese bear many close resemblances to the sixth group of Hybrid Chinas, having thick, large, handsome, glossy leaves, a vigorous habit of growth, and in the splendour of their flowers. The gem of the family is Coup d’ Hebe, large, double, and most beautifully formed, the petals arranged with exquisite symmetry 3 colour, delicate wax-like rosy flesh; this forms a grand pillar. Charles Lawson, a great favourite for exhibition, having handsome foliage, and large bright pink and perfectly symmetrical flowers. Paul Ricaut is another very popular show rose, and one of the most perfect in form ; the colour is brilliant carmine, sometimes shaded with velvety purple. Paul Perras, pale rose, large and full, is a robust grower, and makes a superb pillar, or large standard. Frederick IL, large deep crimson, also of robust growth. Juno, pale rose, globular, very large, makes a noble pillar or large standard. President Pierce and Lord John Russell are two more fine roses of this race ; 24 THE ROSE BOOK. the last-named a very moderate grower—the flowers small, bright, pik, and pretty. The varieties of this group require the same general treatment as the Hybrid Chinas, and must be equally well fed; but they bear pruning closer, and require it. Those which grow most vigorously, and in the style of the Hybrid China, should be less severely pruned ; but such as Paul Ricaut, President Pierce, and Lord John Russell, being moderate growers, may be shortened to within five or six buds of the base, and at the same time all the spurs which have produced bloom must be removed entirely. Where an early bloom is required, prune in November, and for a late bloom at the end of April. When required to bloom in their natural season, prune about the middle of February. 8. Austrian Brier Roszs. L. Kosa lutea. F. Rosier capuctne—This small family of roses enjoys quite an aristocratic reputation, and in their way rank with white ele- phants, and other rarities that are spoken of in whispers. The original species is reported to be common on the hills of North Italy, and has been known in English gardens since 1596. They consti- tute a very distinct group, the species producing single yellow and copper-coloured flowers of great beauty, and the varieties superb double yellow flowers, which are greatly and deservedly prized, SCOTCH ROSES. 25 both for their intrinsic loveliness and the difficulty of producing them. The Single Yellow is the finest in respect of colour of all yellow roses. This and the Austrian Copper will succeed best on their own roots. Harrisonii is a fine double yellow rose of American origin; and Persian Yellow, introduced from Persia in 1838, is also an exquisitely beautiful rose, which, if properly managed, blooms most pro- fusely. Both these do well as standards on the brier; Harrisonii may also be grown dwarf for beds, or trained to cover a pillar. All these roses require a pure air and a warm, moist, rich soil. With these aids they grow freely ; and, to ensure a good bloom,it is only necessary to be careful in pruning to slightly shorten the strong shoots, and leave all the twiggy side shoots untouched. 9. Scorcu Rossgs. L. Rosa spinosissima. F. Rosier Pimprenelle.— These hardy, free-growing, and sweet-scented roses are only fit for the roughest purposes, such as form- ing hedges and covering banks, and for the margins of wilderness walks. They will grow in any toler- ably good soil, and they bloom very early in spring, before any other roses are to be seen out of doors. Their blossoms are very pretty, but have, as yet, all the characteristics of wild roses, and, therefore, are unworthy of a place in the rosartum., There are many varieties, which differ but slightly from each 26 THE ROSE BOOK. other. The best are Loch Ness, pale rose; Flora, deep rose; Plato, lilac rose; Snowball, white; Arthur’s Seat, blush; Townsend, blush; William IV., pure white; Venus, dark red, Stanwell Perpe- tual, with pink flowers, blooms freely in the autumn, and is the only one of this class that does so. If introduced to gardens, the best way to use them is on their own roots, as dwarf bushes to form clumps and beds, which will be very gay in May with a profusion of flowers. The yellow roses in this sec- tion are chiefly interesting, because of the prospect they afford of obtaining from them some good varie- ties by the fertilization of their flowers with the pollen of some of the yellow roses that are most prized. All the Scotch roses bear seed abundantly, so those who like to engage in raising seedlings have at present a wide field before them; but, as the varieties acquire more doubleness, seed will be less plentifully produced, and the sphere of operations will be more contracted. 10. Ayrsurre Roszs. L, Rosa arvensis.—The Ayrshire roses’ have no merit as exhibition flowers, but there are no climb- ing roses to surpass them for hardiness, profusion of bloom, and ready.adaptability to almost any pur- pose where a rampant growth is one of the first requisites. Hence they answer admirably to clothe dead trees, form festoons and archways, cover banks, MULTIFLORA ROSES, 27 and crown the roofs of rustic buildings with mountains of wild growth and charming flowers. When worked on tall briers they form the most graceful of all weeping trees, and require no prun- ing beyond occasional thinning, either to reduce their size when necessary, or to allow of the admis- sion of air and light to the centre of the tree. In selecting climbing roses it should be remembered that the Ayrshires are less beautiful than the varieties of Sempervirens, but they are much hardier ; they will grow where no other rose will, for all they really require is a little light, and they bloom a fortnight earlier than the Sempervirens, The best are Splendens, Ruya, Queen of the Belgians, and Miller’s Climber, 11. Mutrirtora Rosss. Rosa multiflora—tThe type of this group is a native of China and Japan, introduced here in 1804. They differ greatly from all other roses; one of the finest is Grevillei, or the Seven Sisters’ rose, a climber which grows with tremendous vigour, and blooms so profusely that a fine plant will show thousands of blooms of several distinct shades of colour, all expanding at the same time. All these roses are tender, and unfortunately have a habit of growing very early in spring, so that their first shoots are frequently cut off by frost. They require a very dry, warm position, a rich, deep, well-drained 28 THE ROSE BOOK. soil, and to be scarcely at all pruned, the strong ripe shoots being left nearly their full length. Where the climate suits them, as in some sheltered spots in the south and west of England, they may be trained to pillars, or grown as weeping stan- dards, for either of which purposes they are ad- mirably adapted in- habit of growth and bloom. Standards planted in places where they would be likely to suffer in winter might be taken up in autumn, their roots packed in moss, and be kept in a warm shed or dry cellar, and be planted again in spring. There are few amateurs, however, who will consider them worth so much trouble when, after all, they are still subject to many risks of injury, by sudden changes of weather, when making their first growth. 12. Evercreen Rosus. L. Rosa sempervirens.—The original of this sec- tion is a free-growing and very beautiful wild rose of Italy. The varieties are not numerous, but they are very pretty, and are much prized as climbers. They are furnished with an ample, handsome, dark green foliage, which is retained great part of the winter, but never the whole winter through. Their flowers are small, and are produced in clusters; they are mostly pale in colour, and very fragrant. Princesse Marie has the most colour of any, being of a bright rosy-pink ; Myrianthes is very beautiful ; BOURSAULT ROSES. 29 so are Banksiejlora, Donna Maria, Jaunatre, and Princess Louise. The most vigorous grower is Rampante, which has pure white flowers; and the most tender is Triomphe de Bolwyller, the blooms of which in colour and fragrance much resemble those of Noisette Lamarque. With the exception of the last, however, which is a hybrid between a Semper- virens and a Tea rose, all these roses are very hardy, and not at all particular about soil or situation. They make grand weeping standards, and when used as climbers may be treated in every respect as recommended for Ayrshires. Félicité Perpétué, one of this group, makes an admirable stock to work free-growing roses on for culture as dwarfs, or for pillars and pyramids. 13. Bovursavutt Rosszs. DL. Rosa alpina.—The Boursault roses are very distinct in character, and though not such rampant growers as Ayrshires and Sempervirens, they are in- valuable for walls, pillars, and arches, and other positions where only a moderate growth is required, but where also there must be a blaze of colour. The first of the group was that now entered in the catalogues as the Old Red Boursault, which was the first double variety of Rosa alpina, raised by a Parisian rose amateur named M. Boursault. With the exception of Gracilis, which has thorns, all the members of this group have smooth reddish 380 THE ROSE BOOK. branches, an ample and handsome leafage, and they flower most profusely when quite established. The finest of the group is Amadis, with semi-double brilliant purplish-crimson flowers, which change to purplish-lilac. This throws out long flexible pendu- lous branches, and makes a most graceful and glow- ing pillar or weeping standard. The Blush Bour- sault has large double blush flowers, and is a fine tree for a wall or a weeping standard. Inermis has large double bright pink flowers, which change to pale rose; it is distinct and good, and a most vigorous grower. Gracilis is the most graceful of all in growth, and is to be preferred for any purpose where a weeping habit is required. It throws out long pendulous shoots, covered with a luxurious foliage, and the flowers are of a brilliant rose colour, and very neatly formed. These roses reqhire a rich deep soil, and the less they are pruned the more graceful will be their habit and the more abundant their flowers. The only pruning allowable is such as may be required to prevent crowding, and to keep the long shoots within reasonable bounds. 14. Banxsian Roszs. D. Rosa Banksice.—This is a small but very choice group of climbing roses, by some believed to have been derived from Rosa sinica (syn. levigata), by others supposed to be quite distinct, though closely related by botanical affinities. Rosa sinica, the BANKSIAN ROSES. 31 three-leaved China rose, has the same habit of growth as the Banksians, but the flowers are large, white, and solitary, and are succeeded by elliptic orange-red muricate fruit. The Banksians produce their flowers in corymbs, and the fruit is a small globose black berry. These are differences suffi- ciently striking, perhaps, to indicate that the Bank- sian roses are not the produce of R. sinica. All the true Banksian roses are sub-evergreen climbing shrubs of very rambling and disorderly habit, vigorous in growth, with small glossy leaves, and producing a profusion of clusters of small, pretty flowers, which, in some varieties, are very brilliant. They are tender in constitution, and bloom so early that they frequently suffer from spring frosts, even in sheltered places. The Double White Banksian was introduced in 1807, and was so named in honour of Lady Banks. It is a beautiful rose, the flowers being very double, pure white, and emitting a perfume resembling that of violets. The Yellow Banksian was introduced in 1827; the flowers are bright buff-yellow, small, double, abun- dantly produced, and though always described as scentless, they emit a very agreeable perfume early in the morning, or late at night, when wet with dew. Jaune Serin has larger flowers than the Yellow, their colour is a more pure yellow, and the tree grows more vigorously. Jaune Vif is a very pretty yellow, with small flowers. Fortuniana, in- 32 THE ROSE BOOK. troduced by Mr. Fortune in 1850, produces large white flowers, which are very fragrant; this is truly beautiful, and a good companion to Jaune Serin. The Banksians should always be grown on south walls; they are too tender for any exposed position. They require a warm, dry soil, and must be allowed to grow pretty much as they please. The time to prune is immediately the bloom is over, some time in June; then all gross shoots should be cut out, but none of the twiggy branches should be shortened, for it is on these the flowers are produced. If these twiggy branches get crowded, some may be removed, but as a rule the cultivator should encourage their production; and it the branches are shortened indiscriminately, the trees will produce a number. of strong shoots, and little or no flowering wood at all. In districts too bleak for Banksian roses on open walls, they may be grown to perfection on the back wall of a lean- to greenhouse, and have a most charming appear- ance when in bloom. 15. Hysprip Cumetne Ross. There are three good climbing roses that do not admit of being placed in either of the preced- ing groups, but which, nevertheless, merit a place here, because of their intrinsic excellence. Madame @ Arblay, or Wells’s White, raised by Mr. Wells, of Redleaf, produces its flowers in immense clusters, DAMASK PERPETUAL ROSES. 33 and they are thoroughly double and very pretty. This is a rose of the most vigorous growth, and in a deep strong soil will surpass almost every other rose known in the rapidity and extent of its production of strong flowering shoots. The Garland, also raised by Mr. Wells, has lilac and blush flowers, fading to- white ; it is less vigorous than the preceding. Sir John Sebright, a hybrid musk rose, was raised by Mr. Rivers. It produces its flowers in large clus- ters; they are of a bright crimson scarlet, and very fragrant. This is invaluable for its colour, a quality in which climbing roses are generally deficient. 16. Damask Perretuat Rosss. Unlike the Perpetual Moss, which are not per- petual, these lovely roses really do bloom in autumn, and would be among the most popular—as they were in times gone by—except that the Hybrid Perpe- tuals so completely eclipse them that in a very short time hence their day will be over, and their race will be run. One of the happiest touches of Mr. Rivers’s lively pen is that passage in the “ Rose Amateur’s Guide,” in which he sighs at the thought of their approaching extinction, and writes down their history for the information of the New Zealander of a.p. 2500. While they last, all true rosarians will appreciate the delicious perfume of these roses, and have something to say in their vindication on their compact habit of growth, and abundant bloom during summer and D 84 THE ROSE BOOK. winter. They are indeed fine roses for beds and clumps, and Mr. Rivers says,and with no exaggeration, of their excellence, “Every gentleman’s garden ought to have a bed of Crimson Perpetual roses, to furnish bouquets during August, September, and October ;: their fragrance is so delightful, their colour so rich, and their form so perfect.’ Orimson Superb, also known as Mogador, is one of the finest of this fine group. The flowers are brilliant crimson, shaded with purple. This grows with great vigour on the Manetti, but not freely on the brier; it is also a good rose on its own roots. Orimson Perpetual, or Rose du Rot, is a superb crimson rose, very fragrant, and a true perpetual. Bernard, one of its sports, is a perfect gem, the flowers smaller than the average, and their colour a delicate pink tinged with salmon, and very fragrant. This is a dwarf grower, and does best on Manetti, or its own roots. Julie de Kridner- has pale blush flowers, rather small, very pretty, and very sweet. Madame Thélier is of medium size, the colour pink, and the habit of the plant delicate, but not tender. Lawrence de Montmorency, deep rosy-pink, tinted with lilac, cupped, very double, and every way good, though less of a Damask than any of the group. Manowry is large and handsome, the colour deep rose with purplish-slate tint, the habit robust and very free to bloom. Celina Dubois, a blush white, isa capital rose for a clump, the flowers being abundant and lasting, and very sweet. . HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. 35 This is a sport from Crimson Perpetual. All these do well on Manetti or their own roots, and all except Crimson Superb make nice standards on the brier. They all require a rich soil, and to be annually refreshed with good manure; and in dry seasons they need liberal watering during the summer, in order to bloom finely in the autumn. They require to be rather closely pruned. They are quite hardy, and do tolerably well in the vicinity of towns. 17. Hysrip Prerrrrvat Roszs. F. Rosier hybride Remontante-—~This group is the rosarian’s stronghold. Whatever his peculiar pre- dilections for Teas, Damasks, or what else, he must grow these in quantity, and rely principally upon them for display, as he must also for all the various purposes to which roses are applied in garden and conservatory decoration. Here are the best roses for bleak hills, smoky towns, and soils of question- able character. Here are also the best for training to pillars and trellises, for growing in pots, for forming rich masses in the flower garden, for forc- ing, and for exhibition. Though the most popular, because the most useful of all, the Hybrid Perpetuals are but of recent creation, the first really noted variety, Princesse Héléne, dating back to 1837; and, as remarked by Mr. Paul in his “‘ Rose Garden,” there were not many beyond a score entered in the catalogues in 1840. At the present day there are 36 THE ROSE BOOK. not less than a thousand named varieties of this section, and of these probably one-half would be: worth cultivating, though of course among so many there would be a large number too nearly alike to be really needed for a fair representation of the group. It would be much more easy, however, to select the ‘most characteristic members of this family than to define its typical characters, for though the term “Hybrid Perpetual” conveys to the mind of the experienced rosarian some very distinct ideas, there is perhaps not a single variety in the series that could be justly selected as a type of the whole. All the families that have been concerned in the produc- tion of this class appear variously amongst them by their most distinctive features. Some Hybrid Per- petuals exhibit the characters of the hybrid Chinese more strongly than any others; some show their affinities with the Bourbons; others with the per- petual Damasks; and in very many we have a foliage strongly resembling one section, and flowers which ‘bear a likeness to another. They are in fact, gene- rally speaking, not the results of first or second crosses, but of an infinity of seminal removes from specific or strikingly characteristic types; and their excellent qualities are in plain truth the result of “ artificial selection,’ and the most remarkable tri- umph anywhere and anyhow effected in the amalga- mation of breeds and races. The group being large, and presenting many HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. 37 relationships, there have been many attempts made to classify them according to their affinities—all I think in vain, for no sooner is the classification de- termined on than we find it impossible to refer the most important roses to their proper places in it, so completely in some cases have the family relation- ships been extinguished or merged in characteristics common only to the subjects it is desired to classify. I think Mr. W. Paul has only laid the foundation for a series of contentions—whenever rosarians shall think it worth while to contend—in the classification of these roses in his “‘ Rose Garden.” He casts them in three groups, according as he finds them more or less related to Chinese and Damask, Bour- bon Perpetuals, and Rose de Rosoméne. I think I shall much better consult the interests of the rosa- rian if I enumerate a few of the most distinct and useful varieties in their several colours and qualities, without reference to their real or supposed origin, for this is really traceable in very few cases indeed. Wauirrt.—There are no really superb whites in this group. The best for many years past was Dr. Henon, which is a nice rose at times, but usually grows weakly, and is shy of blooming. Louise Dar- zins, recently introduced, has quite superseded Dr. Henon, and yet is not equal in quality to many of the coloured roses. It is a mof€ferate grower, and produces small, neatly-formed, thoroughly double, pure white flowers. Princesse Imperiale Clotilde is a 38 THE ROSE BOOK. most beautiful glossy white, a good grower, and blooms freely. Mademoiselle Bonnaire is a white which has occasionally a rose tint; it is truly a fine rose, and, when well grown, large and full. Joan of Arc is a charming variety, white, with a delicate rose centre, and finely formed. Imperatrice Eugenie is almost a blush; it may be described as a white tinted with rose; it is really good. Virginal is pure white, but rather thin, and the plant weak in growth and shy to bloom. Lieut Rosz anp Biusu.—Here we find several of the most exquisitely formed and. proportioned of any roses known. Madame Vidot is as near perfec- tion in form as it is possible to conceive, the colour a delicate transparent rosy-flesh. Madame Rivers, clear flesh, is a charming flower, large and full, and as régular as if modelled by machinery. Madame Knorr, when full grown, scarcely admits of descrip- tion, so exquisitely is it folded in the bud ; a match- less rose when half-blown. Queen of Denmark, Mademoiselle Hugenie Verdier, Alex. Belfroy, Caroline de Sansal, and Paul’s Queen Victoria, are all gems in their way. Rose and Cazrry Cotours.—Among the rose- coloured varieties, Jules Margottin, a descendant of Brenuus, is the finest rose we possess for refined beauty, vigour of@growth, and abundant bloom. Comtesse Cecile de Chabrillant, bright carmine-rose, elegantly cupped, is a charming flower when well HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. 39 grown, but when only half-fed, comes thin and single. Baronne Prevost, Belle de Bourg-la-Reine, Lelia, Louise Peyronny, William Griffith, Victor Ver- dier, and Madame Boll cannot be surpassed for beauty of form and purity of colour, and they are all free in growth and bloom. Madame Domage has immense flowers, finely shaped, and perhaps the most fragrant of any in the group. But in this sec- tion Anna Alexief’ is more truly a Perpetual than any, and the most profuse in bloom of any rose in the whole catalogue of Perpetuals, and a most beau- tifully-formed rose when grown liberally. General Brea, Madame Furtado, and Thomas Rivers are three more of the most desirable varieties, of colours approaching more or less to true rose. Souvenir de la Reine d’Angleterre is one of the largest roses known — colour, clear bright rose; this requires good culture, or it does not open fully. At Stoke Newington, in 1860, the huge buds fell off without expanding, and sometimes rotted and expanded at the same time. It is remarkably free and robust when liberally dealt with. Professor Koch, rosy- cerise, and Mademoiselle Betsy Haiman, lively cerise, are two of the gems of this section. Crimson anp Rep.—The most brilliantly coloured rose among the Hybrid Perpetuals is Triomphe de Caen, which approaches very near to true scarlet. Senateur Vaisse, a finely-shaped rose of a light crim- son colour, is alike remarkable for its brilliant fiery 40 ; THE ROSE BOOK. glow, and the abundance of its blossoms. Giloire de Santenay surpasses all crimson roses in colour and form, but is, unfortunately, not free; and only under very favourable circumstances can it be de- pended on to bloom in autumn. That marvel of roses, General Jacqueminot, has enjoyed until quite recently an immense fame as the most richly coloured .of all crimson roses; but it is quite surpassed, and must take second rank in its class. However, all who have once made a pet of this splendid variety -will keep it, for there is a peculiar individuality in its broad, fleshy, Camellia-like petals, and it has the good quality of blooming in the autumn till actually stopped by the frost, and after very hard frosts it will sometimes open a few buds, and light up the dulness of December with a glow of colour that warms as well as illuminates the scene so favoured. Prince Leon is a fine companion to Madame Vidot in form and qualities, the colour carmine-cherry, and the shape literally perfect. Lord Raglan, Maurice Ber- nardin, Lord Macaulay, and Eugene Appert are rivals of General Jacqueminot in depth and intensity of colour; and.if the last-named of the three had but a better form of petal and greater fulness, it would be the most remarkable rose known, and worth a pilgrimage of five hundred miles for a sight of it, With all its faults, it is, like the General, one of those roses that a lover of colour and character in flowers never forgets. Wilhelm Pyitzer, brilliant red, HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. Al rather variable, and Lord Palmerston, fresh cherry- red, are worthy of a place in the choicest collection. Darx.—The darkest rose known is Alexandre Dumas. Some that approach it in colour are, how- ever, better in quality. Christian Putner, purple, shaded with crimson, is a fine rose ; so is Lowis XIV., though some of the folks who write the random, superficial, and hap-hazard sketches that appear in the journals, pronounce this rose to be worthless. It may be to those who cannot grow it, but when handled with skill it is one of the loveliest, and will always bloom twice in the season, and with tole- rable freedom. Victor Trouillard and Cardinal Pa- trizzi make a nice pair of blackish-crimson varieties of similar habit, and wonderfully rich in colouring. Lord Clyde is one of the grandest of dark roses ; and scarcely inferior to it is Margottin’s Comte Ca- vour, a deep purplish-crimson, shading to nearly black. Vulcain, deep purple, is thin and loose, but a fine rose, considering its colour. Thus we have enumerated fifty of the finest Hybrid Perpetuals, ‘and yet have scarcely touched them as a whole, for there are dozens of varieties equal to those enume- rated, or which for some special reasons are as fully entitled to be specified, but which it is impossible for us to mention at all. It cannot be helped; the nursery catalogues must supply the needful information to those who want complete descriptions .of all the roses in this vast group, and to those 42 THE ROSE BOOK. ‘trustworthy sources of information I must refer readers who wish to know further on this interest- ing subject. Though these roses are called “ Perpetuals,” they are more strictly Twice-Blooming roses, except in some few instances of varieties that scarcely pause in the production of blossoms from June to Decem- ber. Generally speaking, they bloom magnificently in June and July, and then go out of bloom till Sep- tember, when they are again gorgeously attired, and continue so more or less till stopped by frost. But as Twice-Blooming roses, they are for the most part invaluable. They vary in habit from varieties suffi- ciently vigorous to make the best of pillar and wall roses, to varieties adapted for edging the large com- partments in the rosary. The treatment of them will have to be regulated by the circumstances under which they have been produced and planted. Gene- rally speaking, they do well either upon the brier or Manetti stock, and it is important for the rosarian to bear in mind that all the free-growing varieties do well upon any stock. Ihave some charming little half-standards of Jules Margottin and General Jac- queminot worked on stout stems of the common Cabbage rose and Maiden’s Blush, and thrifty dwarfs of Géant, August Mie, and others worked on Féli- cité Perpetué, so indifferent are many of the most free varieties, provided they have roots of some sort, and plenty of fibres to gather food for their support. HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. 43 But according to the stock, or rather according to the nature of the roots, must be the treatment. When worked on briers, a moist, deep, rich clay soil will be the best possible; briers will do well on heavily-manured loam, but very badly on chalk and gravel. If worked on Manetti, it matters not what the soil is, but the better the soil the finer the flowers. Those who live on poor gravel, sand, or chalk soil should grow only Manetti roses; and these, if liberally manured, will be better than brier roses, or roses on their own roots. The Manetti is the only stock which may be made available for the growth of roses on ungenial soils, and for that pur- pose there is no limit to its use; it is, in fact, a good feeder to the rose it carries under any and every circumstance. But roses worked on Feélicité, Cabbage, and other stocks, and also when on their own roots, require a deep, well-worked, and well- manured loam, and above all things there is a need for complete and efficient drainage. The rosarian will not need to be told that, as these roses give at least two crops of blossom, and in some instances scarcely cease to bloom from June to January, they require abundant feeding from the surface. A top-dressing of guano and wood-ashes, or of half-rotten dung in July, will greatly assist the autumn bloom. A plentiful supply of water during the summer is another great help, as will be also, if convenient, the covering of the ground with any 44, THE ROSE BOOK. material likely to prevent evaporation, such as flints, moss, etc. As for the pruning of these roses, cut back to a good plump bud, so as to remove all the light spray which has produced flowers, and cut the moderate growers closer and more severely than those that grow vigorously. When shoots as thick as a carpenter’s pencil are produced, six to ten buds may be allowed upon an average to each shoot ; if these are always cut back to buds placed outwards, the growth will always be of a nature to keep the head open, and.for this purpose all shoots that crowd the centre should be removed by a clean cut to the base. To make the most of these roses, they should be freely but carefully pruned during summer. In the first place, they generally produce for a first crop more blossom-buds ‘than they can fairly open, ‘and these must be thinned as soon as they are large enough to be distinguished. As a rule, at least one-half the buds may be removed with advantage to those that remain, and the removal should be by a clean cut to within three or four buds of the base of the shoots on which they are produced. ‘These shoots will push, and produce autumnal flowers. In the case of wanting a few extra-fine single flowers, remove, without using the knife at all, all the buds except those at the tops of strong shoots. These two or three will open in a style that will astonish folks who are unaccustomed to growing flowers for exhi- bition. As soon as the first bloom is over, cut back BOURBON ROSES. 45 all the shoots moderately, so as to get an autumn bloom from well-placed buds on the stout hard wood. Never allow seed to swell and ripen; to allow dead flowers is an injury, to say nothing of its slovenly appearance. 18. Bourson Roszs. L. Rosa Bourboniana. F. Rosier de ?Ile Bourbon. —This superb section of autumnal roses deserves the fullest attention and most generous favour of the amateur, for it comprises a vast number of varieties that stand quite alone in the splendour of their qua- lities, and the whole of the section possesses the property of blooming abundantly both early and late—very many only attaining perfection when the cool, moist autumnal weather has set in. It appears that the Bourbon race originated in the Isle of Bourbon, in the form of a characteristic seedling, in the garden of M. Perichon. In 1822 M. Breon, who was then curator of the Botanic Garden there, sent seeds and plants of the original to Monsieur Jacques, gardener at the Chateau de Neuilly, near Paris, and by him it was distributed to the Parisian amateurs. The roses now reputed to owe their parentage to the original ‘‘ Rose de l’Ile de Bourbon,” are of very various characters, but they generally agree in pro- ducing large, dark, leathery, shining leaves, and finely-formed, stout, full, and richly-coloured flowers, sthich, however, are not very fragrant. The prin- 46 THE ROSE BOOK. cipal differences observed amongst them are in their respective degrees of robustness and habits of growth, some being well adapted to form: grand pillar roses and large-headed standards, while others are of almost diminutive habit, and must be grown as dwarf bushes. Among the many fine show roses of this section, the following are gems of the first water :-— Licut.—The finest of all delicately-coloured roses is Souvenir de la Malmaison, which when happily circumstanced will produce nearly as many flowers ° as leaves, and it has tremendous vigour of growth when encouraged; the colour is a clear flesh, deep- ening to delicate pink in the centre, most beautifully . folded in the bud, and with a very handsome dark green foliage. It has the bad habit of not opening freely in poor soils, and in cold climates and smoky atmospheres. It being one of my favourites, I can only grow it under glass in my London garden, and there planted out in a broad rich border, and aided by manure-water, it blooms almost without inter- mission the whole year round, and opens its flowers sufficiently to show their exquisite perfection, for when full opened they are spoiled. Acidalie is another fine light rose, being sometimes white and at other times a delicate blush, and usually in perfec- tion during autumn. Queen of the Bourbons is a remarkable rose; aS soon as you have seen one bloom you may know that it will not cease to pro- BOURBON ROSES. AT duce a succession, until the frost literally melts the flowers in the bud, and then it must cease blooming. The colour of this variety is delicate fawn and rose ; there is something delicious in its appearance, and it well deserves the name of Queen. Madame Ange- lina, with cream-coloured flowers of medium size, is very distinct and good, but unequal to the foregoing in the profuse production of its charming flowers. Mademoiselle Hmain, pale flesh, changing to white, is an exquisite variety, the flowers being so pure, so chaste in the bud, and opening so full and perfect ; it is, moreover, very free to bloom. Comtesse Bar- bantanne, a large blush rose, finely formed, must be included in any list intended to comprise the best. Rosz anp Pinx.—Avpolline, a vigorous grower, will make a fine pillar rose. Baron Gonella, bright cerise, with thick petals, and the flower extra large and finely formed, is a first-class show rose. Ba- ronne de Noirmont, rosy-pink, with the odour of violets, is another charming variety. Justine, lively pink, is a good autumn rose, but has a loose habit, and a dingy foliage. Louise Margottin, satin rose, cannot be beaten in its colour. Louise Odier, Modele de Perfection, Sir Joseph Paxton, Souvenir de Dumont @ Urville, and Pierre de St. Cyr are the cream of the rose-coloured. Bourbons. CarMINE AnD Crimson.—La Quintinie is one of the finest crimson roses, but too dwarf in habit. Aurore du Guide is quite superb at times, but not 48 THE ROSE BOOK. certain, and it is of straggling habit. Bouquet de Flore is beautifully coloured, but not quite full. Ca- therine Guillot, the same colour as the last, and with most elegantly-formed petals, arranged with perfect symmetry, is a gem of the first water. Dr. Leprestre is a grand crimson; Dupetit Thouars equally so ; George Peabody, lovely, but a poor grower. Paul Joseph, Souchet, and Gloire de Rosomenes, which, with all its glory of colour is but semi-double, make up the list of the best of the high-coloured Bourbons. Darx.—Reveil, an almost black-purple, is one of those few roses that defy description, and make a deep and lasting impression on the mind of the enthusiastic amateur. It is a marvel when well grown. Victor Emmanuel is a fine companion to H. P. Louis XIV., the colour a rich deep velvety plum, large, finely formed, petals very smooth and stout, a glorious dark rose. Prince Albert, violet-crimson ;: Souvenir de ? Arquebuse, purple and crimson; Doc- teur Berthet, deep reddish-purple ; Camille de Ché- teaubourg, violet; and Oomice de Seine et Marne, violet-crimson, are all superb varieties that may be depended on to do their duty. The Bourbons require the same treatment as Hybrid Perpetuals, to which, indeed, they are closely related. All except the diminutive growers make fine brier standards; the vigorous growers are well adapted for pillars when worked on Manetti; and whether on Celine, Manetti, or their own roots, they CHINA ROSES. 49 make nice compact bushes for beds and borders of the flower garden. As to pruning, it is scarcely possible to prune them out of bloom; nevertheless itis best not to cut these too severely, but in any case the twiggy branches on which last year’s flowers were borne must be cut away to well-placed buds equidistant all round, and at lengths propor- tionate to the character of the tree and the robust- ness of the variety. The more moderate the growth, the closer may they be pruned. It is most import- ant to feed Bourbons liberally; their abundant bloom exhausts their vigour, and this must be compen- sated by heavy manuring at planting time, and top. dressings in February and June. If dung spread over the ground in summer is objectionable to the eyesight, cover it with a thin sprinkling of earth or moss, or carefully prick it in between the rows, using a very small fork in the operation; then tread the ground firm, and remove the footmarks by a light touch with the rake. 19. Cuma Roszs. L. Rosa Indica. F. Rosier Bengale.—These roses would probably by this time have been almost for- gotten had not Cramoisie supérieure, one of the most brilliant and ever-blooming, been selected to fill the Deodara circles and other beds at the Crystal Palace, where its constant fiery glow of colour causes an incessant inquiry at the nurseries for the “ Crystal E 50 THE ROSE BOOK. Palace Rose,” the result of which is that thousands are sold annually, and the attention of rosarians is occasionally recalled to a section which comprises a few varieties eminently adapted for bedding. Mr. Rivers gives the year 1718 as that of the introduc- tion of this rose to our gardens; Mr. Cranston says it was introduced in 1789. There is a strong family likeness among the varieties of this group, and we may well believe that there has been but a small incorporation of foreign blood, if any at all, in the extension of the family to its present dimensions, which are not gigantic. These roses agree in being rather tender, of delicate habit of growth; only a few are fit for standards, though they all make nice heads if budded on stocks of six to eighteen inches high. They are wiry in their growth, and usually make long joimts. They flower most abundantly ; there are no roses like them in that respect, but the blossoms are only semi-double, or absolutely single, and quite destitute of fragrance. They are, there- fore, not show roses, but invaluable for beds and clumps and marginal lines. In preparing the soil for them, leaf-mould should be used liberally, with thoroughly rotten dung, and as a rule it is best to have them on their own roots. Cramoisie supérieure has rich glowing crimson flowers, and is the most perfect bedding rose we have; it is also good for pot culture, especially to give warmth to a collection of Yellow Teas. Fabvier is of the same colour and MINIATURE CHINA ROSES. 51 nature as Cramoisie, but only semi-double, and less effective in amass. Madame Bréon is a nice rose for pot culture, the colour carmine-rose, the flower well formed. Marjolin, dark crimson, grows suffi- ciently robust for a standard, and is always in bloom. Mrs. Bosanquet is in reality the gem of this series, though not a high-coloured rose. It is a counter- part of Souvenir de Malmaison, but in a weaker habit, though for its class it is a good grower, and will make a standard. The colour is pale flesh, waxy in appearance, most elegantly formed, and every way beautiful. The common White is a first- rate China rose for bedding; and the common China, or Blush, is one of the liveliest roses we possess, though quite destitute of qualities, and equal in merit only to the commonest border flower. 20. Miniature Cura Roszs. Rosa Lawrenceana.—No one can doubt that whether the Fairy Rose be a distinct species or not, it is at least sufficiently distinct from all others to require separate classification. All the roses of this group are adapted only for pot culture, though they have been used out of doors with success in some few favoured localities. ‘They are of most elegant habit, forming small dense shrubs, smothered with lovely flowers of the smallest size, and the brightest crimson and rose colours. Though the flowers are without fragrance the foliage emits a sweet odour, 52 THE ROSE BOOK. and the pruning and propagating of these pretty little shrubs are in consequence most agreeable operations. , 21. Tra-scenteD Roszs. L. Rosa Indica odorata. FF. Rosier Thé.—This is not the most showy, but the most choice and refined of all the families of roses. The Teas are par ex- cellence the aristocracy of the race, and however the rosarian may neglect other groups, and disdain summer roses because of the profusion and excel- lence of perpetuals, it will be at his peril to refuse homage to these princely personages, or to exclude the most popular and effective of them from his garden list. Let the amateur gardener grow what he pleases, and take his fair share of garden plea- sures, but let him not be too bold in making pre- tensions to enthusiasm in rose culture until he has got so far in the practice as to thoroughly appre- ciate the beauties of the Teas, and show himself capable of growing them in perfection. When you meet a collector of old china you at once ask him what he possesses of Palissy, Worcester, Wedge- wood, Liverpool, and so forth—when you meet a collector of shells, you ask him if he possesses a king specimen of Cedo Nulli—when you discuss a chop and a bottle of ’45 with a member of the Smithfield Club, of course you ask him what pro- gress he has made in Devons, Shorthorns, and TEA-SCENTED ROSES. 53 Longwools; and when a man proclaims himself a lover of roses you ask him which are his favourite Teas, and what is the extent of his collection of those beauties. To grow Tea roses is, indeed, an object worthy the ambition of the most abandoned horticulturist ; and the task recommends itself to the enthusiast, because it is surrounded with diffi- culties. The mere booby who thinks to accomplish wonders without first going through a patient course of preparative practice, will only proclaim his sorry case to all beholders when he puts forth his clumsy hands among these lovely but coy and capricious flowers. They seem to have been designed by nature to furnish the highest test of skill and devo- tion in rose culture, and as a standing proof to all would-be rosarians that the cultivation of roses does not merely consist in first buying the plants and then sticking them in the ground. The first of the Tea roses known in England was the Blush, introduced in 1810. In 1824, Mr. Parkes introduced the Yellow Tea-scented (which is still entered in the catalogues), a very beautiful semi-double and slightly scented rose. These two became the parents of the numerous varieties now in cultivation, and hence the distinctness of cha- racter perceptible throughout the whole group, much as they differ in degrees of robustness and other qualities. The characteristics of the group are an ample, glossy, deep-green foliage, and 54 THE ROSE BOOK. generally a free, robust growth, though there are many weak growers among them; flower-buds coni- cal; flowers varying in colour from white and, yellow to rose and pink, but never crimson or pur- ple, and emitting a delicious odour, which is usually compared to that of tea newly opened in the chest. They are all comparatively tender, and when grown without proper care they are pretty certain to be reduced in number by severe winters, cold springs, and mildew and drought in summer. A certain few of the number seem capable of withstanding any combination of adverse circumstances, but of the rest it must be said they should be well grown or not grown at all. The first requisite to success is a nourishing, well-drained, warm soil, and shelter from east winds. A south wall is a capital place on which to train the most vigorous growers of the family, but these should never be expected to go higher than ten feet, though a growth of twenty feet may be obtained where the circum- stances are very favourable. If they must be grown in exposed situations, some plan of pro- tection should be adopted, or the trees should be lifted in autumn, and planted in dry earth in a shed or under a south wall till spring, and then be re- turned ta their former position. If this is done with care, standard Teas may be kept for many years, and will be well worth the little trouble occasioned ; but when an extra severe winter occurs, all Tea TEA-SCENTED ROSES. 55 roses not under glass are sure to suffer, and the cultivator must take his risk of losses. All the free-growing varieties do remarkably well on briers, and make charming standards; and all of them— free, shy, and otherwise—do well on their own roots, and; make beautiful beds. When so grown, the most delicate are easily protected by covering the _ beds with moss or litter all winter, for though the frost may kill their tender shoots, the protected roots will escape, and throw up a new growth during the summer, which will bloom abundantly in autumn. But if on Manetti stocks, a severe winter usually kills them outright; for this stock begins to grow very early in the season, and if the shoots are killed back as low as the junction of rose and stock, there is nothing left but Manetti roots, and the roses are lost entirely. Just as there are risks attendant on the culture of Teas in the open ground, there are no risks at all in growing them under glass. The difference in their behaviour is mar- vellous, and we have but to plant them out in a conservatory border, and keep them freely ventilated and frequently syringed, and they will bloom with such profusion as literally to astonish the novice who has taken the proper means to ensure success. When grown on briers, the soil should be a stiff loam abundantly manured; when on their own roots, a light soil consisting of peat, rotted turf from a loamy pasture, and decayed stable dung, 56 THE ROSE BOOK, equal parts, will suit them to perfection. Tea roses on their own roots should never be planted in the stuff known as “ common garden soil.” The yellow roses of this family are certainly its gems, and of those there are full particulars in the chapter on yellow roses. The most superb of the whole series is Gloire de Dijon, which is so hardy that it thrives at Aberdeen; and at the Temple Gardens, in the city of London, it blooms as freely as Géant des Batailles. This is one of the robust growers, with fine bold foliage, the flowers very large and double, the colour a charming combination of pale cinnamon, buff, and yellow. The following are the hardiest and most vigorous growers of this family :—Adam, flesh, with salmon centre, superb. Abricote, pale fawn, with deeper centre. Comte de Paris, pale flesh, large and full. Devoniensis, creamy white, most elegantly folded in the bud, rarely suffers from frost, and is one of the loveliest roses known. Frageoletta, pale rose, rather loose and thin, but valuable for its free habit and hardiness. Gloire de Dijon, excellent for standard, wall, or pillar. Leveson Gower, rosy-salmon, large and full. Maréchal Bugeaud, bright rose, large and full. La Sylphide, cream, tinted with carmine, very hardy. Pactolus, lemon with pale yellow centre, one of the few reliable hardy yellows. Sa- Jrano, bright apricot, most beautiful in the bud, foliage quite grand. David Pradel, rose, tinted with TEA-SCENTED ROSES. 57 lavender, a curious colour. The flowers occasionally acquire an enormous size, especially if only the top buds are allowed to expand. Barbot, cream-tinted rose, will make a good pillar. Narcisse, pale yellow, and with much of the Noisette character, makes a charming half-standard. Niphetos, pale straw, the buds long and pointed, flower fine when expanded, makes a nice standard, but requires dry weather to bloom in perfection. Sombreuil, pale straw, a strong grower, makes a fine standard. Among the choicest of the tender roses of this series, Souvenir d’un Ami should certainly have the first place. In my rose- house, this frequently produces flowers so large that it is impossible to insert one within the mouth of an ordinary sized breakfast cup, the circumference when fairly expanded and in full prime being eleven to twelve inches. These large flowers are obtained by removing, as soon as they appear, all except the top buds of strong shoots. It matters not how large these roses are grown, they neverbecome coarse, and it is worth while therefore to disbud for the chance of something extra. Souvenir d’ Elise, which is a curious mixture of cream and salmon, is another magnificent variety, the petals thick and most sym- metrically arranged, and the flower having a grand individuality which it is impossible to describe. This needs the assistance of copious waterings, alternat- ing with liquid manure, from the time the buds become visible till they begin to expand. If it has 58 THE ROSE BOOK. not this help, it is apt to show a hard green centre. It is quite unfit for out-door purposes. Vicomtesse de Cazes is a fine yellow rose, wanting in substance and symmetry, yet free blooming, and a beautiful object when at its best. This is very tender, and needs the greenhouse. Julie Mamsas, creamy- white, a lovely rose for growing under glass. Duc de Magenta, pale flesh, tinted with fawn, is one of the grandest. Madame Falcot, orange-yellow, fine thick petals, but the flower scarcely full enough. Madame Willermoz, creamy-white, tinted with fawn, thick petals, superb. Sowvenir de David, rosy- salmon, is the last we shall name here. It is deli- ciously fragrant, and a fine rose for conservatory culture. 22. Norserte Roszs. L. Rosa Noisettiana. SF. Rosier Noisette—This group is very much mixed, so that many of its mem- bers differ greatly in character, and appear to have little or no affinity with each other. The original Noisette was first grown in America by M. Phillipe Noisette, and sent thence to his brother, M. Louis Noisette, of Paris, in the year 1817. This rose, called ‘‘ Noisette’s Blush,”’ attracted the admiration of the Parisian amateurs, and became thenceforward the type of a new race. The majority of this group are the results of crosses of the Musk with the Tea- scented China. Hence many of them are rather tender, and only adapted for walls and other posi- NOISETTE ROSES. 59 tions, in which they will enjoy some amount of shelter. A considerable proportion of the Noisettes entered in the trade lists are literally worthless, but on the other hand there are some that will continue in favour as long as the rose itself shall continue to be the subject of human solicitude, and a ministrant to human pleasures. Aimée Vibert is the most popular of all, and deservedly.so. It is a moderate grower, and naturally throws out its shoots obliquely, so as to form a diffuse spreading head when grown as a standard.. Its small glossy rich green leaves, and its myriads of small snow-white flowers, render it a general favourite, and that is a miserable collec- tion indeed in which Aimée has no place. Miss Glegg only differs from the preceding in having a slight tint of rose. Jeanne d’Arc is an exquisitely- formed rose with a decided Tea character, pure white, and very vigorous in habit, makes a fine pillar. La, Biche, white, with flesh centre, is a fine rose for stan- dard or wall. Among the bright colours, Fellenberg must take precedence. This is a peculiarly lively rose. It is the very emblem of cheerfulness, and the sight of a fair-sized plant covered with little rosy-crimson blossoms would soften the temper of the most obdurate of all human bears. It is not a vigorous grower, but very hardy, remarkably prolific of bloom, and produces its branches obliquely, so as to form an almost decumbent bush on its own roots, and a spreading head as a standard. Beauté de 60 THE ROSE BOOK. Grennemont is much like Fellenberg, and as good. Euphrosyne, Eclair de Jupiter, and Woodland Mar- garet are nicely coloured in shades of rose and crim- son, but of inferior character. Vicomiesse d’ Avesne has pretty flowers, of a mauvy-rose tint, but its stiff habit and ragged appearance renders it unworthy of a good place, though well worth growing to supply cut flowers. Triomphe de la Duchere is a vigorous grower, with lovely rose-coloured flowers ; it is, how- ever, rather shy, and certainly far from being first- rate in character. Caroline Marniesse is an execrable white, with a tinge of pink in the centre. Ophirie is one of the most beautiful for a standard or arch- way, producing myriads of small’ copper-coloured flowers in dense corymbs. The remaining members of this group—that is to say, worthy of notice—are among the finest of yellow roses, and are treated of at length in the chapter on yellow roses. 23. Tue Musk Ross. L. Rosa moschata. F. Rosier muscate—When- ever the literary history of the rose shall be written, the Musk rose will furnish the subject for many entertaining chapters on Feasts of Roses, oriental fables of the companionship of the Rose and the Nightingale, and the sober precepts of morality and religion that have been propounded by the sages of the Hast. Probably many.species and varieties of roses are used in the oriental festivals, but the Musk THE MUSK ROSE. 61 rose is undoubtedly that which gives its characteris- tic hues and odours to the celebrated “ Gul Reazee,”’ or “ scattering,” which forms the subject of many a Persian lay, and is introduced with the most refined taste in the last and lightest and fancifulest of the stories in Moore’s great poem, “Lalla Rookh.” It is impossible, indeed, to make even the slenderest acquaintance with oriental romance without observ- ing that the Musk rose is a truly classical flower ; less famous than the Lotus, because less associated with superstitious rites and transcendental analo- gies; yet in another sense more famous, because more completely associated with the industry and pleasures of the people. It is probably the “ Gul sad berk,” or rose of a hundred leaves (Rosa centi- folia), which furnishes the principal part of the otto, or attar, which is so celebrated in eastern commerce ; but in many districts the Musk rose takes its place, and acquires an equal fame as a source of wealth with that it otherwise enjoys as a source of imagery, allegory, and fanciful satire. According to Forster, the roses of Kashmire are the most celebrated in the East for brilliancy of colour and delicacy of odour, and thence we are wafted by the light-hearted poet to witness the festival of the scatterimg :— * Who has not heard of the Vale of Cashmere, With its roses the brightest the world ever gave ; Its temples, and grottoes, and fountains as clear As the love-lighted eyes that hang over their wave?” Moore's * Light of the Harem.” 62 THE ROSE BOOK. The supposed association of the rose and the bulbul, or nightingale, forms the subject of a thou- sand gay fancies and pictures and dreams.’ Jami says, ‘“ You may place a hundred handfuls of fragrant herbs and flowers before the nightingale, yet he - wishes not in his constant heart for more than the sweet breath of his beloved rose.” In the second part of the “ Veiled Prophet”? occurs that well- known and exquisitely musical and tender lyric— one of Moore’s happiest efforts :— “ There’s a bower of roses by Bendemeer’s stream, And the nightingale sings to it all the day long ; In the time of my childhood ’twas like a sweet dream To sit in the roses, and hear the bird’s song. “ That bower and its music I never forget, But oft when alone, in the bloom of the year, I think, Is the nightingale singing there yet ? Are the roses still bright by the calm Bendemeer ?” Having indulged a spirit of discursiveness so far, let us wind up this part of the subject with a genuine Persian fable, which may any day be used to illus- trate the Scripture text, ‘A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” A traveller, in passing through a country in Persia, chanced to take into his hand a piece of clay which lay by the wayside, and to his surprise he found it to exhale the most delightful fragrance. “Thou art but a poor piece of clay,” said he; “an unsightly, unattractive, poor piece of clay; yet how fragrant art thou! how refreshing ! MACARTNEY ROSES. 63 I admire thee; I love thee; thou shalt be my com- panion ; I will carry thee in my bosom. But whence hast thou this fragrance?” The clay replied, “I have been dwelling with the rose.” The White Musk is one of the famous old English roses, quite uncared for by our amateurs, but much prized in many a cottage and farm-house garden. This is a free-growing rose, the flowers of which exhale a delicious fragrance in the cool of the even- ing, and thus very appropriately adapt themselves to the fancies of the poets, who picture it as the favourite flower of the nightingale. Princesse de Nassau and Rivers’s Musk are vigorous-growing varieties, blooming in clusters, the flowers of a creamy-buff colour. The treatment required by these roses is that recommended for Noisettes, which they closely resemble both in their habit of growth and style of blooming. 24. Macartney Rosss. L. Rosa bracteata and microphylla. L. Rosa microphylla.—In 1795 Lord Macartney brought from China the first specimen of Rosa bracteata, a pretty single rose, with evergreen and glossy foliage. From this a few varieties have been raised, bearing the general designation of Macartney roses. Among the best of these is Rosa berberifolia Hardii, a hybrid between a variety of bracteata and the single yellow Persian. This is a rather tender yellow rose, with 64 THE ROSE BOOK. evergreen foliage, worthy of culture in the green- house or orchard-house. Maria Leonida, with deli- cate blush flowers, is tolerably hardy, and is a pretty rose for a rockery or bank in a sheltered position. Another group, known as Rosa micropHya, the small-leaved rose, introduced from China in 1823, bears such close resemblance to the Macartneys, and is so generally believed to be one of its hybrids, that it may very properly be included in the same group. Of the Microphyllas, Rubra plena, deep red, with prickly calyx, and Rugosa, with fine large crimson- purple flowers, are the only kinds that are worthy of attention. To do justice to these roses—which are in their way truly beautiful—they must, if grown out of doors, have a warm wall and a dry border. They require scarcely any pruning, and grow with vigour, though not to a large size. When grown under glass, their beautiful evergreen foliage is pre- served in all its proper freshness, and adds’ very greatly to their value. To improve this race should be the object of every genuine lover of the rose. Chapter B24, Forming the Rosarium, FORMING THE ROSARIUM. OSES, like Conifers and Rhododendrons, are remarkably well adapted for planting in gar- dens, or portions of ground appropriated to them exclusively. Such an appropriated piece when planted with roses is called a Rosarium, and the form and proportions best adapted to display the beauties of the rose are matters which ib requires considerable experience and taste to de- termine. An open breezy position, if not exposed to keen blasts, is undoubtedly to be preferred to a position shaded by trees, or in close proximity to large buildings. To lay out the ground is then a matter for the ingenious designer of garden scenes, to whom we assign the task, desiring him to bear in mind these few simple and general instructions. The ground must be well drained, and every other kind of earthwork thoroughly well done. All sudden transitions from a general dead level are to be avoided, mounds and banks are allowable and proper, but aJl slopes should be easy and moderate, or the roses in the raised compartments will lose the best effects of the summer rains. The greatest simplicity 68 THE ROSE BOOK. of design should be aimed at, for roses are not at all adapted to fill beds that twist like corkscrews, or that are sprinkled over a piece of turf like the holes in a colander. Fifty roses in a batch may look fine, but ten clumps of five each may have a very paltry appearance unless the rosarium is on so small a scale as to be beyond the reach of criticism. Remember to arrange the beds as much as possible, so that the cultivator can at any time get at any particular plant without having to push through a dense mass of thorny branches, to disfigure the ground with his footsteps, and perhaps break off buds and branches all the way he goes. Generally speaking, beds of five or six feet wide answer best, as when the roses are only four or five rows deep, every flower may be seen to advantage ; if deeper, they are only seen en masse, and the rose is too refined and noble a sub- ject to be admired only in the multitude. In placing arches, bowers, pavilions, etc., take care not to crowd them so that there is any possibility of the view being obstructed. —. HE rose grower must never confound together the idea of a climbing with that of a pillar - rose, for the simple reason that they are o very distinct in their characters, and to a great extent require different treatment. Climbing roses may be grown on pillars, and vice versé ; but a genuine climber is not best adapted for a pillar, nor is a genuine pillar rose best adapted for a trellis or wall. But as the leading principles of their respective cultivation agree in some points, and as for decorative purposes they very closely assimilate, there would be a strict propriety in con- sidering them together, if we could afford room to do so, especially as the treatment needed by one would serve to illustrate and explain that necessary for the other. Asarule, fast-growing roses, of pen- dulous and rambling habit, such as Boursawilt or Rampante for instance, make the best climbers ; but these generally produce inferior flowers, though when seen en masse their appearance when in full bloom is delightful. But for pillars varieties of the highest floral excellence may be chosen, such for 96 THE ROSE BOOK. instance as Jules Margottin, or Mdlle. Haiman and others, which bear inspection individually, and ex- hibit characters consistent with the important and conspicuous places assigned them. Bearing these differences in mind, let us consider now the uses and abuses of climbing roses. The object first sought is to cover the wall, trellis, or arch quickly, but not with such haste as to prejudice the future: well-doing of the tree. For all the better class of climbers the first thing re- quisite is to prepare the soil, so that when planted they will have every help to free growth. No matter what the position or the circumstances in which the roses are to be planted, the soil should be deeply stirred and liberally manured some time before planting takes place. For these roses are hungry, and if starved the shoots get hard in the bark, and are reluctant to make side-shoots;.and instead of making a vigorous growth at one effort there is a succession of spasmodic efforts at growth all through the season, especially after rain, that prevents the formation of flower-buds. But for Ayrshire roses no great preparation is necessary, unless the soil happens to be a poor peat, sand, or chalk, in which case some good loam must be introduced at the stations where they are to be planted. In nearly every case of planting climbing roses, plants on their own roots are to be preferred. If not on their own roots, they should be on short brier stocks. CLIMBING ROSES. 97 Some kinds seem to do as well budded as on their own roots, and for the first year or two grow quicker. I remember once covering a great breadth of wall with one plant of Grevillea in three years, the plant being worked on a brier about six inches from the ground ; and another plant on its own roots, in a similar position close by, had not made more than half that growth in the same period; but after the third year, there was no great difference between them. Like other roses they may be planted at any time between November and March if they have been previously growing out of doors, and as many of them are precocious in their movements in spring, autumn planting is to be preferred. But in any case of planting out of pots, if the plants have been shel- tered or grown for some time under glass, it will be best to wait till April and then turn them out:care- fully, loosening the ball of earth, but not stripping their roots entirely. It will depend entirely on the varieties planted, how they are to be dealt with from the day of plant- ing. Ayrshire and Sempervirens roses require very little pruning at any time, whether in youth or age ; but Boursaults, Rosomenes, Teas, and Noisettes require careful pruning to insure a regular distribu- tion of the flowering wood, and prevent increase of altitude at the expense of growth at the base. Any of these roses left to grow as they please will H 98 THE ROSE BOOK. soon become mere bunches of leaves at the ends of long naked shoots. It is the business of the cul- tivator to prevent this. If the plants are strong when planted in autumn, tie them in sufficient to keép them safe against wind, and so leave them till spring. At the end of February cut them down to within two eyes of the base of each shoot, and on no account begin with more than three shoots to each rose. The object of deferring cutting down till the spring is to prevent the premature starting of the buds at the base, as if there comes a sharp frost after mild weather those buds may be killed back after having grown a few inches, which would be a misfortune. From the three shoots supposed to be cut down there will probably start eight or nine shoots. Retain five of these, and cut or nip out the remainder as soon as you can determine which push the strongest; the weakest are to be removed. Supposing you have but one main shoot to begin with, cut it down to three, four, or five eyes, and from these form the plant. Train in all shoots regularly, never let them hang about, or the growth will be checked and they will flower prema- turely. (When they are established they may be allowed to fall over if the position allows of negli- gent growth, and they will bloom the more freely for it.) At the next season’s pruning, cut back all the shoots at least half their length, no matter what the length may be, and at the same time remove ARCHES AND TRELLISES. 99 any weak, or ill-placed, or imperfectly ripened shoots, leaving a bud at the base if another shoot is wanted in the place from which a poor shoot was removed. The next season cut back to a uniform length, but not severely, all the leading shoots, and shorten in very moderately all the laterals, and thenceforward prune very little, no more in fact than is sufficient to prevent crowding at any one place or the usurpation of the principal vigour of the tree by any one leading shoot. To keep a wall or trellis well clothed, it is needful to have an eye to the strong shoots that occasionally rise from the base. It will be well to allow one of these to rise every year, train it over the shoots that are already nailed in, and at the next pruning remove one of the old main shoots by a clean cut at the base, and let the young shoot replace it. ARCHES AND TRELLISES. Ifthe summits and connecting chains and rods only require to be covered, plant climbing roses worked on tall stems and train their heads over, and only prune sufficient to regulate the growth. For this purpose those of the Sempervirens section are invaluable; and as they retain their leaves till spring, you have the advantage of verdure in winter with roses in summer. When in bloom they are magnificent, the clusters showing from a dozen to forty or fifty roses each. The deepest coloured rose 100 THE ROSE BOOK. of this section is Princess Marie, reddish pink, the flowers nicely cupped, and produced in large clusters. The next brightest coloured is Brunonit, flowers of a lively rose, a brilliant object when full out, the plant less decidedly evergreen than the rest of the family. The purest white of the race is Mélaine de Montjoie, which has rich deep green, glossy foliage. Another good white is Rampante, a tremendous bloomer. The most fragrant is Banksiceflora, with straw centre, very double. But the favourite of the race is Félicité Perpetué, a remarkably rapid grower, with lovely foliage, and myriads of little globular creamy blossoms. There are many others, the best of which are Spectabile, rosy lilac, and Myrianthes, with beautifully formed rosy-blush flowers, most delicate and graceful in all its aspects. CHAINS AND LOW TRELLISES AND DIVIDING SCREENS. When worked roses are planted to run over the summits of arches and temples, the low trellises and chains connecting the principal supports of the arches may be covered with Hybrid Perpetual and Bourbon varieties, or with Rosa de Rosoméne, which is very vividly coloured, and most profuse in bloom, though a poor rose when compared with any of the florists’ varieties. Among the H. P. and B. sec- tions, any of the vigorous growing kinds may be selected, and of Teas, Gloire de Dijon, Amabilis, BANKS, TREES, AND WILDERNESSES. 101 Homere, Adam, Frageoletta, Comte de Paris, Devon- tensis, and Maréchal Bugeaud. Of Noisettes, Jawne Desprez, Ophirie, Triomphe de la Duchere, Aimée Vibert; and of Musk roses, Princesse de Nassau. As the Teas and Noisettes are comparatively tender, the Hybrid Perpetuals and Bourbons will be found most generally useful for this purpose, and are to be preferred on their own roots. Banxs, TREES, AND WILDERNESSES. In wild scenes, and where truly rustic roses are required, the Ayrshires answer admirably, being of rapid wiry growth, and requiring only to be trained —if trained—the first season, after which they will take care of themselves, and festoon dead or living trees, ruins, gateways, and other rough elevations most gracefully and profusely. To start them well give every plant a square yard of prepared soil, con- sisting of good loam and one-third manure, or if the staple is clay, break it up and manure it without introducing loam, and if they have but a moderate share of daylight they will grow in the confusion of a glorious wilderness, and make good hold for them- selves wherever they go. Ayrshire and Sempervirens roses furnish precisely the kind of materials needed for the banks of wilderness walks and for open spots in woodlands, and to clothe mounds and knolls where mere weeds would be obnoxious, and choicer plants out of place. Let the ground be well dug over and \ 102 THE ROSE BOOK. manured, and then plant the varieties in masses of a dozen of one kind together, the plants five feet apart every way, and after that an occasional dress- ing of manure on the surface is all they require, Even that is unnecessary on good clay or leamy soils, Mr. Rivers tells how sixteen years ago he covered a steep bank of hard white clay next the high road at Sawbridgeworth with ‘Ayrshire and other climb. ing roses ; holes were made in the hard soil with a pick two feet over and two feet deep; some manure mixed with the clay, after it had lain exposed to frost to mellow it, and climbing roses planted. This bank is, when the roses are in bloom, a mass of beauty. I have never seen anything in climbing roses to equal it”’ (“ Rose Amateur’s Guide”). The cruel winter of 1860 killed all those roses to the ground, and the bank had to be planted with shrubs. But in the summer of 1868, when I walked over that same bank with Mr. Rivers, the roses were breaking through the turf in all directions, forming distinct patches of crimson and orange foliage, and now they promise to recover the splendour they possessed in bygone years, and, like the leather bottle, which “may fall, but cannot be broken,” so these may show that they have such a vigour of life under- ground that though frost may destroy all it can reach, it is powerless to kill them outright. There are not many varieties of Ayrshire roses. The best for general purposes is Queen of the Belgians, flowers WALL ROSES. 103 pure white, double, plentifully produced. Ayrshire Queen is the only dark one of this race, the colour purplish crimson, the habit less vigorous than the rest in this selection, yet it is not wanting in vigour. Ruga is a splendid rose, the flower large and double, and a delicate pale flesh colour. Dundee Rambler is the most vigorous grower of all, an almost double white, blooming in clusters, and superb in its way when in full bloom, a splendid rose for a ruin or dead tree. Splendens is white, edged with red, and only semi-double, and is desirable only where many varieties are required. Watt Roszs. All the foregoing may be turned to good account on walls, but as walls are good positions, they should be appropriated to the best roses that can be had for them. I shall never forget visiting my excellent friend, J. Brickwell, Hsq., of Tottenham, who had the most perfect byow of a rose garden I have ever seen, and seeing a great breadth of wall on one side of the dwelling house, which is fitted from the eaves to the ground line with a wooden trellis, completely covered with Jaundire and Wistaria sinensis freely intermixed, and one mass of bloom throughout ; such a curious blending of fawn colour and bluish purple as one can only expect to see once in a life- time. But I thought of this because I was about to remark how much better it is to have a wall fitted 104 THE ROSE BOOK. with a trellis, to which the gardener will tie the roses instead of having to nail them; but instead of wood, let it be stout galvanized wire run through eyelet-hole nails. This plan preserves the wall, and is better for the roses than the nails and shreds. The most splendid and certain of all wall roses are the Boursaults. They grow fast, are thoroughly hardy, bloom in immense clusters, and are truly gorgeous in the display they make, but they do not last long. To grow Boursaults well cut them down close at the first start, and after that merely shorten the seasonal growth, and thin out the weak spray and any soft or misplaced shoots, and they will never fail to be beautiful in their season. The Boursaults require a good soil, but the aspect is comparatively of little consequence. The best of these is Gracilis, which is a rapid grower and of pen- dulous habit, with handsome foliage. The flowers are of an intensely brilliant rose colour. Inermis, bright red, is a lively rose, and of most luxuriant habit. Amadis, with purplish crimson flowers, is a favourite about London. At Sydenham it appears to come by spontaneous generation, like an efflor- escence of the brick walls. It is a truly deserving rose, and superb on a pillar. In the Multiflora section we have the finest wall rose known, but which happens to be only fit for a south wall in the south of England, being unfor- tunately very tender. This is Lawre Davoust, a rose, WALL ROSES. 105 which claims admiration for its lovely foliage and large flowers, produced in immense clusters, the colour a curious mixture of hlac and blush. Rus- selliana, rosy lilac, is a trifle more hardy, but needs a south or west wall. Grevillea, or the Seven Sisters rose, is the best known of this class; and a superb rose it is, growing with marvellous rapidity, and if capable of enduring the climate, presenting a mag- nificent spectacle when in bloom, the flowers bemg in great clusters, and exhibiting various shades of rose, and purple, and deep crimson. I had a mag- nificent specimen of this rose worked on a brier stock on the front of my house at Stoke Newington, which the winter of 1860 destroyed completely. It is a troublesome rose to keep or grow, owing chiefly to its habit of beginning to push very early in the season, and its utter unfitness to endure those sharp frosts which invariably occur in this country just at the season when “ hawthorn buds appear.” Banksian roses are of the same delicate consti- tution as the Multifloras, but where they can be grown, they are exquisitely beautiful. Travellers by the South-Eastern Railway may in the season have a feast of these lovely roses by keeping a look out after passing Croydon, as at several of the sta- tions, Carshalton especially, the walls are covered with them, and they grow most luxuriantly, and flower in dense sheets of white and yellow uniformly from head to foot. Banksian roses require a rich, 106 THE ROSE BOOK. dry soil, a warm exposure, safe shelter from east winds, as they bloom in May, when the weather is frequently as cold as in January; and in pruning, any long rods may be cut away, but the small side- shoots must be left their full length, or there will be no bloom. If they produce gross shoots late in the season cut them clean away in September, unless they are wanted to fill up gaps, in which case tie the shoot down to as nearly a horizontal line as possible. This will check the growth, and tend to its more perfect ripening. The next spring, it can be trained into the place where required. The best of this series is undoubtedly Jaune Perin, with yellow flowers of good size, that is for a Banksian ; and Fortuniana, with double snow white flowers, also larger than the ordinary type of a Banksian. But the old white and less old yellow Banksian are beau- tiful in their way; and where Banksian roses can be grown without risk, these should certainly have a place, Lastly, there are some useful hybrid climbing roses, partaking more or less of the characters of the preceding sections, which merit the attention of those who have occasion to use climbers in plenty. Laure Davoust, classed above as a Multifiora, is in reality a hybrid, though showing a predominance of the Multiflora character. Menouw is a very showy crimson rose, which makes a fine covering for an arch or portico, Madame d’Arblay, pure white, WALL ROSES. 107 flowering in immense clusters, is invaluable for its beauty and rapid growth. It is almost a Semper- virens. Wood’s Garland, lilac and blush, sometimes opening white and changing to pink, is a free grow- ing climber, producing fragrant flowers in large clusters, and in habit closely related to the Semper- virens. Prairie roses are of no use at all, The Queen of the Prairies will succeed in a few chosen spots, and is worth growing, though of very poor quality; but as it cannot be recommended for general use, and is quite unfit for the ordinary wear and tear to which roses must submit in this country, we can afford to dismiss it with the rest of its race as unworthy of further notice. It frequently happens that after some years of good service roses on walls become poor and flower- less, and thus ceasing to be subjects of admiration, the few attentions formerly bestowed upon them are discontinued, so that when they most need help they obtain the least, as is often the case with those of our own kith and kin who have bestowed their strength in the service of mankind. The question will often arise how are aged wall roses to be reju- venated, how shall we restore to them their wonted vigour, that they in return may present us with their wonted bloom? Usually the cause of decl ne in these roses is that their rapacious roots have exhausted the soil all around them of its nourish- ment; and they have become decrepit, not by age 108 THE ROSE BOOK. but by starvation. The process of rejuvenating comprises two operations—a dressing of the soil, and a severe pruning. In the month of September open a trench in a semicircle, two feet distant from the stem of the tree, and remove from this the soil to the depth of eighteen inches, and to a breadth of two feet. At the same time remove some of the surface soil for the space of two feet round the stem where the soil has not been dug. Fill up the trench with a mixture of turfy loam two parts, and rotten dung one part, and lay over the roots, which have not been disturbed, six inches of half-rotten ma- nure. In the month of March following cut the rose to within six inches of the ground, and that same summer it will throw up a new set of stems, and flower plentifully the succeeding spring. Ghapter Ma, Pillar Roses, PILLAR ROSKS. ps HE best pillar roses are those that grow from six to twelve feet high, and produce flowers of a quality good enough for exhibition. If 9 climbing roses are used, the flowers will be of poor quality, though there may perchance be plenty of them; and in the majority of cases the pillars will be less uniformly clothed, though they may have a certain picturesqueness, which only true climbing roses can impart to them. Climbing roses are unsuitable, because usually they grow too fast and free. A moderate growth with a superior style of flowers are qualities to be preferred in forming objects that are likely to be closely and frequently inspected, and that under any circum- stances are subjected to closer and more critical scrutiny than roses trained over arches, banks, and the roofs of temples and arbours. The more vigorous growing varieties of Hybrid Perpetuals, Bourbons, Hybrid Bourbons, Moss, Damask, Hybrid China, and a few of the hardiest of the Teas and Noisettes, are those usually selected to form pillar roses. No 112 THE ROSE BOOK. rule can be laid down as to the class of roots to be preferred, for that depends so much on the charac- ter of the rose to be planted; and in the general remarks on the families of roses, numerous hints are given as to the treatment of individual varieties ’ go as to insure the most vigorous growth. If any rule can be hazarded, it is that as only the most vigorous growers are suited for pillars, so there is not much choice between having them on their own roots oron Manetti. If on their own roots, they will not at first grow so vigorously, for all roses capable of growing at all on Manetti grow with remarkable vigour the first year or two; but, on the other hand, Manettis sometimes throw up suckers which escape notice, and these soon tend, by their usurpation of the sap, to destroy the rose altogether, a disadvantage to be balanced against the advantage of a rapid growth at the first start. Perhaps, if the whole case is fairly considered, Manetti will win the day, so immensely does it increase the vigour of the rose it is compelled to nourish. The culture of pillar roses certainly demands some skill; but it isa skill easily acquired by the observant and inquiring cultivator. Let us con- sider all the points in regular order, so as to dismiss all simple matters with a word, and deal with difficulties as they come before us at such length as their relative importance demands. PLANTING PILLAR ROSES, 1138 Pranting Pintar Roszs. In any case the soil must be well drained, libe- rally manured, deeply stirred, and in a sound con- dition. It should be of such quality as to produce good wheat or cauliflowers, or it will never produce pillar roses. A pillar rose will require at least one square yard of soil which must not be occupied with shrubs, or grass, or in fact anything but annuals and other flowering plants of humble growth, all the summer; and every autumn this soil must be en- riched with dressings of half rotten dung. As the pillars need not, and had better not, be fixed till the roses are in their third year, it only remains, after having prepared the soil, to plant firm, and insert one or two ordinary four-feet stakes. If Manetti roses are planted, be sure to place them sufficiently deep to have the point where graft and stock meet two inches below the ground line. Whatever tends to increase the vigour of a rose— such as top-dressings in summer, abundant supplies of water, etc.—must be given to pillar roses ; for it is not only desirable to clothe the pillars, but to do so with stout wood, which can only be accomplished by feeding liberally. Let us suppose the roses planted, they are then to be cut down to within one or two buds of the base, then are to be allowed to grow the first season as they please. 114 THE ROSE BOOK. Pronina Pittar Roszs. The second season they will require pruning. Now, to prune them properly, the rosarian must bear in mind that it is much easier to induce a tree to grow to its full height than to induce it to form regular tiers of flowering wood all the way from its roots to its summit. This is true of apples, pears, plums, vines, and hundreds of other trees. Keep the leading shoot upright, and do not prune it at all, and it will grow with great vigour, so as con- tinually to increase its length till it attains its maxi- mum height ; but in the meantime, the leading bud having monopolized the sap, there will be but few side-branches formed, and consequently there will be little or no flowering wood produced. The sap of a tree always rushes upwards; hence, if the leading shoot be trained out of the perpendicular, the side buds are developed, and these assume a vertical form in the majority of cases. It is true that trees do produce side-branches without the aid of the pruner, and that these often take a horizontal or oblique direction; nevertheless, the general tendency of the sap is upwards, and one of the first consequences of allowing a tree to grow in its own way is to cause the formation of a bare stem for some distance from the ground line; and that tendency is- of itself a sufficient argument for ROSE PILLAR, FURNISHED. PRUNING PILLAR ROSES. 117 pruning pillar roses. In a word, if the pruning is neglected, they soon acquire their full height, but have naked stems; whereas, if properly pruned, these stems will be clothed from head to foot with flowering branches. The pruning in the second year will consist in removing by a clean cut, to within one or two buds of their base, all long, weak shoots, reserving two or three of the strongest shoots, and shortening these about one-third or one-half of their whole length. If in any doubt as to the application of these instructions, let the rose itself furnish a hint. If it has attained to a great height, and is so regularly furnished with side-shoots as to be already very nearly sufficient to cover a pillar, prune all the side-shoots back to about four buds, and the leaders only a fourth or fifth of their whole length. If it has not grown much, cut it back very hard, removing quite half of the entire growth, so as to conform pretty nearly to this rule— the more growth, the less pruning ; the less growth, the more pruning. Having accomplished the pruning, lay the shoots down full length on the ground, and fix them with a few strong pegs, so that the wind may not blow them about. This will cause the buds to break—that is to say, will cause the formation of side-shoots the whole length of the rods; and by the end of April, or the Ist of May at latest, they must be tied up to their poles or pillars. The third season’s pruning must be on the same 118 THE ROSE BOOK. principle as in the preceding year; the cultivator must be more anxious about obtaining plenty of furniture—that is, of hiding the pillar with a plenti- ful side-growth from the ground upwards. He need not think much about getting the rose to the top of the pillar; it will go there in time, and per- haps sooner than will be good for its ultimate beauty ; and if it does not, it is only needful to leave one or two long rods unshortened, and they will soon mount to the summit of their ambition. To begin, then, with the pruning, let us first determine about the furniture of the base of the pillar. Here we find already plenty of weak spray, some well- placed strong shoots, and perhaps a certain pro- portion of wiry twigs that produced blossoms the previous season. All the weak spray should be cut clean out, leaving only the buds at the base to break again; the same with the wood that flowered the previous year. But the strong side-shoots may be cut to six or eight buds from the base. Where the pillar is bare, cut a few shoots very close, so as to get some vigorous growth to fill up the gaps; where crowded, thin away the weakest of the shoots, and leave those that are best placed for flowering. Pro- ceed thus till you arrive at the top, then shorten back the leading shoots according to their length and strength, but not severely, to a plump bud, ta carry the growth upward the next season. After this pruning there ought to be an abun- POLE AND CHAINS FOR PILLAR ROSES. PRUNING PILLAR ROSES. 121 dant bloom ; and from this time forth there must be very little pruning; the cultivator’s principal care will be to keep the tree liberally nourished, and pro- vide for the occasional renewal of the main shoots, for those originally formed will in time get debilitated with excessive production of flowers. It is a good tule with Provence, Perpetuals, and Bourbons to prune in the short ripe side-shoots to from four to six eyes throughout. These shortened shoots will produce flowers plentifully; and as effect is more desirable than the quality of individual flowers, it is best, after fairly pruning, to allow all the flowers that are produced to come to perfection, helping the tree through the flowering season with copious supplies of water and with strong top-dressings. The renewing or repairing of the pillar is ac- complished by means of the strong shoots that rise from the base. As these appear, tie them in loosely, so as to induce a free growth; prune them as re- commended for the first formation of the pillar, and as soon as they reach half way up the pillar, and are tolerably well furnished with side-shoots, remove one of the old leaders, and let the young one take its place. When an abundance of young shoots is produced, some must be cut away entirely to within one bud of their base; from the bud left a flowering shoot will generally be developed next season, or it may be another strong shoot, which may be useful, though not wanted the previous year; in which 122 THE ROSE BOOK, case keep it; if not, either pinch it back, and cause it to form a mass of laterals, or leave it to grow its full length, and then cut it back as before. Two more remarks seem needful to complete these direc- tions. By training the leading shoots straight up the pillars they will grow with more vigour; by training them regularly round and round the pole, the growth will be more moderate and regular, and theré will be an earlier disposition to form flowering wood. I prefer in all cases to allow new shoots to go straight up, and to twist them the next season after pruning. This secures strong wood in the first year, and plenty of laterals in the second. The last remark is, that poles and pillars should not ex- ceed twelve feet; and when it is determined to have them of that height, the most robust-growing pillar roses should be selected. The better kinds of Hy- brid Perpetuals and Bourbons do best on pillars of six to eight feet; if taken higher, it is difficult to keep them furnished at bottom. We may now offer a few remarks as to the poles and pillars themselves. It is best not to insert these till the roses have grown two years, and when inserted, it must be in a way to stand firm during a gale. Larch poles, with short snags, and the bulky portion of the roots attached, make the best of pillars, as when planted they have a firm hold of the soil, and are not easily blown out of the per- pendicular. Old stems of yew are very durable; TRELLIS PAVILION FOR PILLAR ROSES, PRUNING PILLAR ROSES. 125 ash poles require frequent renewal, and being slight, it is best to put two or three close together, and brace them together with copper or galvanized wire, so as to form one stout pillar. In all cases, it is best if the lower parts of the posts can be charred, as this prevents the growth of mycelium, by which so many roses are destroyed, owing to the proximity of decaying wood to their roots. When climbing roses are used conjointly with genuine pillar roses, very beautiful effects may be produced. The climbers may be trained as fast as they will grow, without any pruning, to cover the roof of a temple, and the pillar roses trained to the trellis supports, which by a regular course of prun- ing they may be made to cover completely. To form a simple rose temple is a matter of no great difficulty, as suitable breadths of stout galvanized wire trellis can be obtained at a cheap rate, and the roof might be either of zinc or copper, or left open by continuing the breadth of trellis in a graceful curve to the apex. There can be nothing more suitable for the centre of a rosarium; and, besides its elegance as an architectural object, it serves the useful purpose of displaying varieties that are only seen to advantage when allowed to grow to vast dimensions. Other and more simple methods of training will occur to the ingenious rosarian, as, for instance, the designs annexed, which will explain themselves to consist of tall poles sustained by trel- 126 THE ROSE BOOK. lises, chains, or wire ropes, in the fashion of a flag- staff. The pole may be covered with a climbing rose, or with ivy the dark green of which would show up the roses trained to the chains very effec- tually. Chanter V2, Yellow Roses, YELLOW ROSES. — GOOD yellow rose is certainly a beautiful object, but it is probably held in higher esteem, because somewhat of a rarity, than e -its intrinsic merit entitles it to. There are some yellow roses that for form and fashion- ing, and perfume, take such high rank that even among roses it is not easy to find their equals ; yet, all things considered, yellow roses owe their fame to their scarcity, much more than to their beauty, for there are many other yellow flowers that eclipse them, at least in colour; but first-class crim- son, white, or blush roses can only be compared with one another—their beauty is unique, and the question cannot be raised whether such and such other flowers are better or worse than the roses. But being rare, and requiring in most cases peculiar management, yellow roses possess an interest for the cultivator, differing in many respects from the interest that attaches to roses generally, and roses of all other kinds. We may, therefore devote a chapter to yellow roses, in the hope of rendering a service to those rosarians who have found the culti- K 130 THE ROSE BOOK. vation of this class attended with a few difficulties and occasional disappointments. Yellow roses are to be found in several distinct classes. he Austrian Briers furnish a few; there are two yellow Banksians, several Noisettes, and many yellow Teas. Of these I shall speak more in detail presently, but while I happen to think of them, it is as well to name two others which belong to two distinct classes, and are the only yellows in those classes—namely, Madame Stoltz, a pale straw of the Damask section, and Fortune’s Yellow, which belongs to the Sempervirens. The first general remark which occurs to me upon this subject is, that among many so-called yellow roses there are but few that are really yellow, and some of the few that come nearest to the colour of guinea-gold are, like guinea-gold, very hard to get at—that is to say, very difficult to bloom. Thus, Boule @ Or, a lovely Tea rose, is by no means equal to its name in form or colour; it is not, in fact, a ball of gold, though a fine rose, and one of my favourites. Even Cloth of Gold, which with rose growers takes rank with Birds of Paradise, Palissy Ware, and Queen Anne’s Farthings, is not a true yellow, nor is Lamarque, nor Solfaterre, nor two- thirds of the Teas which are described as yellow in the catalogues. But many of those that have only a predominance of yellow, and which range through yellow shades from primrose to buff and fawn, are YELLOW ROSES. 13] worth any amount of trouble to bloom them well; and so, if yellow roses are worth a chapter to them- selves, these buffs, and fawns, and straw colours must share with the true yellows some part of our anxiety to see them increase and multiply. There is yet another general remark to be made, of much more general importance than the last. The majority of yellow roses belong to families which are, generally speaking, the least hardy among the groups of. roses; they have mostly originated in warmer climates than Britain, and hence are not so thoroughly at home here as the Cabbage, Damask, and others of the truly hardy classes. Hence by their affinities they prove them- selves delicate, and that some principle of their constitution which causes them to produce yellow flowers, the yellow principle, so to say, is one that unfits them for battling with adverse circumstances. As albinos among annuals are invariably debilitated, and etiolated plants have no vigour, so yellow roses, though their colours are natural to themselves, and have no affinity with etiolation, are more delicate than roses of other colours in the same classes to which they themselves belong. This consideration affords the key to the first principle of their successful cultivation. They require a warm climate and a dry soil; if they are not favoured with these essentials they cannot ripen their wood perfectly, and then, par consequence, they 182 THE ROSE BOOK. do not bloom. The yellow Teas and Noisettes are strikingly influenced by varying degrees of tempera- ture and humidity; and, when they fail to bloom, the failure may usually be attributed to the non- ripening of the wood through the influence of exces- sive moisture, and lack of necessary heat. Lastly, as applicable to yellow roses of all kinds, a pure atmosphere is of the first necessity. They will all grow near towns, but it is rarely that any of them flower unless grown under glass, and happily the townsman can indulge’in the luxury of yellow roses to any extent commensurate with his means to provide houses for them: AUsTRIAN Briers. In this section of roses, there are half a dozen good yellows. They are all adapted to grow either as dwarfs or standards, and do best when budded on briers. They require a moist loamy soil, they will grow freely in clay if the situation is not greatly exposed to cold winds, but on chalk and sand they usually make a very poor return. Itis well not to manure the land very liberally, the tendency of manure being to cause too free and rank a growth, which is inimical to a free bloom. But above all things these roses need a pure air, they are literally useless near. London unless grown under glass. The common Austrian Yellow is unfortunately quite a single flower, but it is marvellously pure and bright AUSTRIAN BRIERS. 188 in colour, and indispensable in any collection com- prising representatives of interesting classes. This appears to be least susceptible to the effects of smoke of any of the race, and therefore may be tried in suburban gardens with a fair prospect of success. Persian Yellow is more particular. It must have a pure air and a rich soil, and the warmer the climate the greater the probability of success. Given these essentials the rest depends on the cultivator, who may unwittingly prune away all the bloom every year, and wonder how it is that he gets no flowers. The rule usually given is “do not prune at all,” which is an absurd rule. The simplest method of dealing with it is to cut out any ill-placed shoots, and thin the head where crowded, but to leave the remainder of the shoots their full length. This treatment will ensure bloom for one season, but if continued the trees become unsightly, and the shoots extravagantly long and weak. To render this system perfect it is necessary to have two sets of trees, one set to be pruned in hard, the other set left to bloom; and the next year leave untouched those that were previously pruned, and prune in those that bloomed. . By this plan one half of the trees are flowerless every year, a state of things by no means creditable to the cultivator. The better way, and one that ensures an annual and abundant bloom, is to pinch in all the plump shoots the first week in June, leaving all wiry side shoots un- 134 THE ROSE BOOK. touched. These plump shoots being checked in their growth will presently put out wiry laterals, and by this practice the tree will be filled with blooming wood. As to the winter pruning, it will be necessary to regulate the head so as to prevent crowding ; and at the same time all shoots that have pushed without forming laterals, must be cut back half their length. Harrisoni is a beautiful yellow rose, very hardy, demanding no particular care beyond what has been described as necessary for all the members of this family. Harrisoni does not like a south exposure, so if grown on a wall, choose a west aspect if pos- sible. The next best is east, if there is some shelter from cutting winds. Witlliams’s Double Yellow pro- duces pale yellow double blossoms. The blossoms are small and fade quickly, the growth of the tree less vigorous than other members of the family, and therefore it does not claim a premier place among yellow roses. Austrian Copper or Capucine is a single rose, the inside of the petals fulvous, the outside a dingy yellow, inclining to sulphur. This is the least valuable of the series, though worth growing in a very pure air. Persian Yellow and Harrisoni are the two best hardy yellow roses known; and every rosarian, even if compelled to reside near a town, should endeavour to grow them both in the open air and under glass. YELLOW NOISETTES. 135 YrLtow Nolserres. Among the yellow Noisettes there are a few which will thrive anywhere, and require very little care to ensure an abundant bloom, but these are not the kinds that the rosarian gets excited about. Any- body can grow Ophirie; if never pruned at all it will always grow neatly, and cover itself with flowers. So will Jaune Desprez; give it a warm position, either on a wall, as a standard on the brier, or as a pillar rose on Manetti, and it is sure to bloom abundantly, and charming things its flowers are, and with a delicious fragrance. I had a fine Jaune Desprez on a six feet brier trained on the south side of my house, and which covered a space of about 100 square feet, which was literally dense with roses for three or four months every year. The cruel winter of 1860 destroyed rose and stock together, its age being then about fifteen years. But these are not yellow roses, though sometimes so called in the catalogues. We come nearer to the true yellow in Solfaterre, which was introduced by Mr. Rivers in 1842, and has always been a favourite. The colour is pale sulphur, the flowers are large and very double, and the tree grows with great vigour. Very like it is Lamarque, a most beautiful sulphur-yellow rose, and one of the finest wall roses known. Triomphe de Rennes, a true Noisette, with large canary co- 136 THE ROSE BOOK. loured blossoms, is hardier than the two foregoing, and bears the smoke of towns tolerably well. At Stoke Newington it grows and blooms superbly as a standard, exposed to all the winds of heaven. Celine Forestier is another true Noisette, of vigorous habit, as hardy as the last, and very adaptable to any situation where arose of any kind will grow. The flowers are pale yellow, very pure and bright, large and full, and are very freely produced if the tree is scarcely at all pruned. The best way to manage it is to cut back a few of the longest rods every spring, leaving always about half the shoots to flower, and the other half to grow. Ina good season, the shoots that were pruned will flower in the autumn as well as those left unpruned. It bears smoke well, and appears to be quite at home on Manetti, if I may judge by four fine plants of it, which are doing remarkably well at Stoke Newing- ton. But the best place for it is on a west wall, where the strong shoots can be trained in their full length, or as a standard on a brier; for when grown as a bush it is too straggling unless much pinched in, and that is apt to endanger the flowering, though the stubby side-shoots which follow are sure to flower the next season if left alone. Mdlle. Aris- tide is another vigorous grower with a strong trace of the Tea rose in its constitution, and hence nota true Noisette, and very tender. This requires a warm wall, and grows best when worked on the YELLOW NOISETTES. 137 Banksian. rose, but it will do on the brier. The flowers are pale yellow with salmon centre, and if the tree is well fed, the flowers are large and full. Among the strong growers we have now only three left, and they are the three finest yellow roses known. Cloth of Gold is truly magnificent when brought to perfection ; the colour pure gold yellow, the form globular, very large and double. Isabella Gray differs from it in being a shade deeper in colour towards the centre. When well grown it opens freely, but is rather deficient in form; there is a sort of squareness about it which the experi- enced eye detects at a glance. But very often this rose does not open well, and it is very shy of bloom- ing under all ordinary circumstances. The last of the three is Jane Hardy, flowers deep gold-yellow, small, but pretty; the habit that of a climber, and too tender to be used as a standard; though in a warm climate, as that of Jersey for example, where Cloth of Gold thrives amazingly, it would make superb weeping standards, that would look like tents of gold tissue when in full bloom. Of the yellow roses enumerated above, there are four that call for special consideration as to the best means of securing a plentiful and an annual crop of flowers. These are Cloth of Gold, Solfaterre, Isa- bella Gray, and Jane Hardy. It is a fortunate thing that if we hit upon the right method of ma- naging any one of these, that same method will 138 THE ROSE BOOK. apply to all the rest. For many years the culture of yellow roses has been one of my choicest hobbies, and one that I have pursued with a fixed determina- tion to fix in my memory all that nature taught me ab every stage of disappointment or success; and I think I am now fully qualified to show the amateur how he may make sure of yellow roses, and I hope if the world denies him riches, he will be content with these pretty representations of the precious metal. These delicately-constituted roses require a deep, rich, dry, warm soil. If wall and border could both be moderately heated, without covering with glass, there is no doubt these roses would surpass every- thing, in the way of roses, ever yet seen. To do so would be quite possible, but the majority of culti- vators all prefer to attempt their culture with the heat of the sun alone. It will be understood from these remarks, that to plant any of these roses in a bleak position on undrained soil, or in poor, sour, pasty stuff, would be the height of folly. They might live, but they would neither grow nor bloom. A south wall has been pronounced by a good au- thority, the Rev. F. Radcliffe, as unfit for them ; but this'is a mistake. The fact is, the place cannot be too hot; but as tender plants on south walls are in more danger in winter than plants of the same kind on north walls, the cultivator must make amends by protecting, and there is nothing better for the pur- YELLOW NOISETTES. 139 pose than a stout canvas fixed to a lath above the top line of the trees, and drawn down at night. The use of protection is perhaps of more importance in spring than winter; for, having secured a hot position and a thorough good border, the next step towards success is to promote an early and vigorous growth. Early formation of strong wood allows of its more perfect ripening by summer heat; and if the wood be well ripened, there will be plenty of bloom to a certainty. There are two more points for the cultivator to fix in his memory—namely, to use the knife as little as possible, and to exercise patience, for these roses must be well established, and have had some years of growth, before they acquire a blooming condition. We must now speak of them separately, as to their individual needs and peculiarities. Cloth of Gold will do as well on a brier as any rose known. It will also do well on the Banksian ; and, Mr. Rivers says, the variety Fortuniana is best. It will also do for a time on Celine and Ma- netti stocks, but unless it makes roots of its own, and so becomes independent of the stock, it may perish just as it acquires the proper age to be in perfection. It is very important to bud on esta- blished stocks, as, when the junction has been effected, the rose makes that quick and early growth which is so essential to success ; whereas, if the stock be only half rooted, the first shoots of the rose 140 THE ROSE BOOK. rise weak, and never afterwards acquire their proper vigour. As the shoots rise, train them their full length upright till June, then untie or unnail them, and nail them in again in the form of half circles, or as near that figure as possible thus :— This bending of the shoots will promote the ripen- ing of the wood; and if the season is hot and dry there will be an abundant production the next year of golden trusses on the upper parts of the shoots. As soon as the bloom is over, cut half the shoots back to plump buds at the base, train the shoots from these buds upright, and bend as before. By this treatment the trees will bloom again in autumn. It really does not matter what stock Isabella Gray is worked on; but it must have a warm and dry position. To promote the formation of spurs it is necessary to hasten the growth by giving abundance of water, alternating with liquid manure, early in the spring, from time to time, in fact, that growth commences in the spring, to train in all the wood its full length and cease watering about the middle of July. As soon as these shoots begin to ripen, there YELLOW NOISETTES. 141 will probably appear a second growth of shoots from the base, and these shoots must be suppressed, otherwise the formation of spurs will be prevented. If the season is tolerably dry, and the tree has plenty of sun, it will at’ once throw out spurs and bloom freely. As soon as the side spurs begin to push the critical moment is past, the tree will now devote its energies to the production of flowers instead of new wood, and it may be assisted again with liquid manure. The next spring cut back a portion of these shoots, to induce a strong growth of new wood to go through the same process as the year before, and perchance on the shoots not pruned of a few (or many) blooms in May or June. The first year that Isabella Gray was sent out, and when rose growers had no other subject to talk about, so thoroughly did it engross their attention, I purchased some plants of Messrs. E. G. Hender- son, of St. John’s Wood. They were in five-inch pots, worked on Boursault stocks, and consisted entirely of bloom spurs, the buds having been taken from ripe wood. There were some eight or ten wiry branches upon each, forming very compact little bushes. These little plants bloomed in the greenhouse in May, most beautifully, being com- pletely covered with small but very perfect blossoms, of a rather pale gold colour, two or three shades paler indeed than the flowers usually come out of doors. When the bloom was over, they were cut 142 THE ROSE BOOK. back very close, and the pots were dropped into larger ones and rich soil rammed inbetween. They soon produced shoots which naturally broke into spurs, and bloomed tolerably well in the autumn. After blooming they were shaken out, repotted into seven-inch pots, and slightly shortened. In Feb- ruary they were put ina warm house and again bloomed as before; but the flowers were always pale, though they were always kept near the glass. In the winter of 1860 these plants were in an un- heated structure, the pots were frozen through, and they perished in company with a good collection of Tea roses that shared the same fate. I am quite certain that any rose grower, who has a warm wall and a dry border, may secure two crops of bloom every season from any of the yellow Noisette and Tea roses. Start them early, protect the young growth while spring frosts prevail ; let the unpruned wood produce its flowers, then set it back and get an autumn bloom from the shoots of the season; or treat the spurs as apple and pear spurs which continue fruitful, and instead of cutting out the wood which produced them, shorten in the spurs to one or two buds as soon as the first bloom is over, and so cause them to renew themselves and flower again the same season. The yellow Noisettes of less vigorous habit, should, except in the most favoured localities, be grown under glass. Le Pactole, a fine yellow and YELLOW TEAS. 148 almost a Tea, will do on a warm wall, but it is better adapted for pot culture, and requires no peculiar treatment. The same remark applies to Cornelia Koch, a delicate straw colour, rather thin, but very neat and pretty, and Smith’s yellow, which is lemon-coloured. These two force well and make excellent bushes on their own roots, but require pinching in or training spirally to induce the forma- tion of flower buds in plenty. If worked put them on Celine stocks. Yrttow Tzas. The yellow Teas vary in habit, and merit much more than the yellow Noisettes. Many of them are so free in habit that it scarcely matters how they are grown, provided they are protected from the cutting winds in spring, which nip them so severely when the sap is rising. In my little rose- house all the Teas are on their own roots, planted out and grown as bushes, being simply pruned back to keep them to their proper dimensions, and they bloom superbly. They may be grown on warm dry borders in front of conservatories, and south walls, and are always hardier when on their own roots ; or to speak more correctly, if the frost destroys all the growth above ground, the roots may escape, and if so, will throw up shoots which will soon replace those lost, and bloom abundantly in autumn. To help them through such crises, tiles may be laid over their 144 THE ROSE BOOK. roots in winter, and the buds near the collar, which are a capital reserve in case of accidents to the head, may often be preserved by a light loose sprinkling of straw or fern amongst them. But this is an unsatisfactory way of growing them; their blossoms are’ often destroyed by heavy rains, they are too much at the mercy of the weather, and at their best they make less show as border roses than any others in the catalogue. I advise the lover of yellow roses to choose from among the Teas, first, such as can be grown as standards, and need only a little protection during winter ; next, such as will be better off on a wall, being of vigor- ous habit yet tender in constitution; and lastly, such as are of delicate habit and weak growth, to grow under glass, in pots, or planted out in cool conservatory borders. Let us quickly review the hardiest of them. The finest yellow Tea rose for outdoor growth is Gloire de Dijon, yellow-shaded salmon, good as a standard, a wall rose, a pot rose, or for a pillar under glass. It does best on brier or its own roots. A small plant on its own roots, in August, 1862, was planted out in my span rose-house, and flowered freely, beg in the twiggy condition of the Isa- bellas described above—the result of being pot- bound. The next spring it was cut down to the ground. It threw up three strong shoots, which in August, 1863, were twelve feet in length, and soon YELLOW TEAS. 145 after broke into bloom from top to bottom. It makes a noble standard, and bears smoke admirably. Niphetos is nearly as hardy, and though a truer yellow, is not to be depended on, for the flowers sometimes come pure white. Narcisse, a pale yel- low, is very hardy, and makes a fine standard. Sombreuil, a fine large pale straw rose, is another very hardy member of this race, and adapted for any purpose. Safrano, a lively copper-colour rose, is very hardy, and makes a lovely weeping standard. For the rest of the yellow Teas, the best place for them is the rose-house, and they will do ten times better on their own roots and planted out than by any other way, although they make charming pot plants, and, when in full bloom, contribute a magical grace to the drawing-room table. Canary is one of the loveliest roses in existence, the growth mode- rate, the flowers rather loose when expanded, but perfection when in bud. Eliza Sauvage and Madame William are very much alike, pale yellow with orange centre, and truly beautiful, habit dwarf, not very free, and the most tender of all Tea roses. Enfant de Lyon is a pale yellow, makes a nice dwarf bush or half standard for pot culture. La Boule d’Or does not deserve its name, it lacks colour and compactness, but it blooms most abundantly, and is indispensable. Louise de Savoie, pale yellow, is superb both for form and substance, purity and fra- grance. Madame Falcot is good, but not a pure L 146 THE ROSE BOOK. yellow, it is more like Safrano. Madame Lartay, shaded with salmon, is useful, but not a first-class rose. Mademoiselle Adele Jougant, lemon colour, a good rose to force, will do on a wall, but being vigorous and tender is best under glass, for wall, rafter, or pillar. Reine des Pays Bas, pale sulphur, excellent for a pillar, under glass, or to make a large bush or pyramid. Semele is a bad colour, but a good rose; it is not so distinct: and peculiar as Desprez, Safrano, or Gloire de Dijon, but is well formed, and has enough yellow to claim mention here. It is a poor thing out of doors. Vicomtesse de Cazes makes a grand wind up; it isa tremen- dously free bloomer, and is always good ; the blooms large and double, the colour coppery yellow, shading at the edges to gold yellow. The rose grower who wants @ new sensation should build a Paxton-house, and plant in beds all the yellow roses that can be got, and to train up rafters and form archways over the path. A house of 60 feet by 18 feet wide, with central walk and side-borders, would hold all the varieties and duplicates of all the best. Chaptee MIB. Roses in Pots, ROSES IN POTS. VERY lover of roses should grow a few in pots; it is pretty practice. When well bloomed they are beautiful objects, and may be turned to good account to decorate the entrance hall, drawing-room, dining-room, and conservatory, where it is just impossible to have roses any other way. Some roses are really only adapted for pot culture, as, for instance, Law- rencias, and the more delicate and dwarf-habited of the Teas; and, irrespective of adaptability, it is only by growing certain kinds under glass that they can be had at all in the neighbourhood of towns ; and, generally speaking, space is best eco- nomized by growing them in pots than by planting them out in the beds and borders of a rose house. There is another very important use to which they may be put, and that is to fill (by plunging) import- ant beds and compartments in the most conspicuous positions in the flower garden, where it would be desirable to have an occasional display of roses, but where it would be injudicious to plant them because of their miserable appearance in winter and at all 150 THE ROSE BOOK. other seasons except when they are in bloom. I grow two sets of roses expressly for this purpose, irrespective of those’ grown for their rarity and intrinsic beauty apart altogether from any particu- lar method of displaying them. Let me explain briefly the nature of the scheme in which these two sets of roses play a part. One part of my small garden is kept at all seasons in as bright and perfect a condition as possible ; with this object in view it is in great part always embellished with plants in pots, tubs, or simply planted temporarily in cocoa-nut dust to keep them alive without injury for a season, till they are removed to make room for the next change. In the front of a plantation of trees and evergreen shrubs, beyond which is a boundary of ivy, I have certain flower borders, a jardinette, and other posi- tions requiring to be always gay. Fora short. period —that is, as long. as they last in bloom—those bor- ders and the jardinette were filled with Provence roses, the pots plunged in cocoa-nut dust, and the effect is considerably richer than could be obtained by planting the same roses in the beds; because when brought in from the reserve ground they are packed close together, and the beds are as dense with flowers as if they were gigantic bouquets. This scheme of decorating necessitates a somewhat extravagant supply of ivies, conifers, and other evergreens in pots for winter, early tulips and other bulbs for spring, aubrietias, alyssums, etc., to suc- ROSES IN POTS. 151 ceed the bulbs, roses to follow, then pelargoniums, fuchsias, chrysanthemums, etc., to wind up the routine. The two sets of roses grown for the purpose consist of common Provence and Hybrid Perpetuals, to make two displays, one succeeding the other. They are all grown in eight-inch pots, and by a very simple process. In February they are all turned out of their pots, their roots mode- rately shortened, and their shoots cut back to five or six buds. They are then repotted in a mixture of half turfy loam and half rotten stable dung, the stuff being rammed into the pots with a wooden rammer. They are then packed as close together as possible in a bed of cocoa-nut dust, and so left till the middle of April.