67 



blossoms is impossible. Of Viscountess Folkestone, so splended 

 at home, I have no experience, but I cannot pass over its name 

 without mention, and most people know and are fond of Kaiserin 

 Augusta Victoria. 



We now come to the Tea and Noisette section. These are the 

 roses for Jamaica, and there are only a few that do not thrive. 

 The third name in the alphabetical list in the catalogue under my 

 eye happens to be one of the failures. This is Aimee Vibert, and 

 I much regret it, for it is wonderfully beautiful. Alister Stella 

 Gray, on the other hand, is admirable. Not only does it supply 

 the place of the Yellow Banksia, which does not thrive, but it has 

 the additional merit of being always in flower. Others to be 

 greatly recommended are Anna Olivier, Beaute Inconstante, Cathe- 

 rine Mermet, Cloth of Gold, Gilbert Nabonnand — one of the very 

 best with its loose, shell-like petals, — Hon. Edith Gifford, which 

 is perhaps the most flowery of all, Madame Chedane Guinoisseau, 

 Madame Falcot, Madame Hoste, Marie Van Houtte (the strongest 

 bush-rose in the whole garden), Reve d'Or = America (the strongest 

 of the climbers). Sunset, The Bride, White Maman Cochet, and 

 William Allen Richardson. 



Billiard-and-Barre is an exquisite rose in this class, but the 

 leaves are poor, and the same may be said of the, otherwise fine. 

 Climbing Perle des Jardins. Celine Forestier is a very ugly rose 

 here as far as its growth is concerned, but it is worth growing in 

 out-of-the-way places for the sake, of the beautiful form of the 

 flower when three-quarters expanded. Comtesse de Nadaillac, 

 much prized in England, is a comparative failure ; the flowers 

 burn in the sun, as do those of Souvenir d'un Ami and Etoile de 

 Lyon. No rose that is subject to sunburn is worth keeping. De- 

 voniensis, always lovely in bud, has an awkward straggly growth. 

 I leave the one old plant, but make no new ones. L'Ideal is not 

 the success that I hoped, and sometimes the colour is suspect. 

 Ma Capucine, in spite of its pretty coppery buds, is hardly worth 

 growing : it bleaches too much, and Sunset, which is something 

 in the same style, is an improvement upon it. Madame Carnot is 

 a thoroughly bad rose here, ill-formed and poor in every way, 

 Madame Lambard had, most unexpectedly, to be condemned for 

 its bad colour ; occasionally it is beautiful — as beautiful as Cathe- 

 rine Mermet, — but nine out ot ten of its flowers have that blue 

 tinge which is so disagreeable. Marechal Niel is a complete dis- 

 appointment and is done away with. The flowers burn or damp 

 off, and it is not worth keeping for the sake of an occasional good 

 flower, although all must be sensible of its beauty and enamoured 

 of its delicious tea scent. 



Souvenir de J. B. Guillot was an experiment that failed. The 

 catalogue describe it as "coppery orange red, base of petals 

 metallic yellow.'' As a rule I avoid all reds unless certified good 

 by an expert in colour, but here I thought I was safe. Alas for 

 fond hopes ! In bud it was all that the catalogue promised, but, 



