248 



THE FLORAL WORLD AN]) GARDEN GUIDE. 



there is room for, simply because I am so 

 pinched for space, and waut all the good 

 roses before me. The next row is of taller 

 growing kinds, such as Geueral Jacqueminot, 

 Augnste Mie, Caroline de Sansal, Triomphe 

 dc l'Exposition, Souvenir de la Reine, Madame 

 Laffay, Armosa, Anna Alcxieff (one of the 

 grandest roses, lovely rose colour and superb 

 in proportions and outline), Louis Cliaix, 

 Souvenir de Malmaison, etc. In this row 

 evergreens are mixed to give body to the 

 arrangement. Thus we begin with Anna 

 Alcxieff, one on each side where the circle 

 opens right and left. Then, going round one 

 side, we have next Anna, a Kalmia latifolia ; 

 then General Jacqueminot ; then rhododen- 

 dron Blatteum; thenAuguste Mie; next Kal- 

 mia latifolia; next Caroline de Sansal; next 

 rhododendron Hendersoui; next Jacqueminot ; 

 next Kalmia latifolia; next Madame Laffay ; 

 next rhododendron Queen (a splendid claret 

 colour, every one should have it) ; next 

 Jacqueminot ; next Kalmia latifolia ; next 

 Armosa; next rhododendron Atro-rubens 

 purpureum; next Louis Chaix ; next Kalmia 

 latioflia ; next Jacqueminot ; next rhododen- 

 dron Maculatum nigrum ; next Duchess of 

 Sutherland; next Kalmia latifolia; next 

 Jacqueminot; next rhododendron Jacksonii; 

 and we come to the other end of the semi- 

 circle, and turn round and find the other 

 half planted exactly to match. Behind this 

 arrangement, Jules Margottin comes in for 

 repeats, just as the General does before it, 

 with variegated hollies to help out, as the 

 Americaus do in front, with tall standard 

 Noisettes between. Behind these to fill in, 

 Maiden's Blush is the sort repeated, with 

 mixtures, of robust-growing roses, and philly- 

 reas to give the evergreen relief.' At the 

 extreme corners are at one end a pair of 

 Irish yews, and at the other white cedars, to 

 prevent the eye running away into the bee- 

 shed or the rockery just beyond, or taking 

 the line of the privet hedge at the back, 

 which leads to a perspective of espalier apple- 

 trees. The circular bed consists of three 

 circles of standards, with Jacqueminot in 

 " the betweens" inside and Chinas round the 

 margin. To give the names now will make 

 too long a story. Here, then, we have va- 

 riety with uniformity, and something worth 

 seeing all the year round. 



Some such arrangement is what they 

 want at the Crystal Palace. I never saw 

 roses look better than those in the sloping- 

 beds on the mount did at the time of the 

 National Rose Show, and as I spent a fort- 

 night loitering about there, poking anions 

 the trees and shrubs, I took occasion to note 

 down the sorts used in filling the compart- 

 ments. When I hal another turn to see the 



bedders the roses were miserable, and really 

 spoilt the picture as seen from the turf 

 below ; they were like a lot of ragamuffins at 

 a wedding breakfast. A regular mixture of 

 evergreens have helped them out at such times, 

 by taking the eye away from the bloated buds 

 that the rain had soddened ; and the dangling- 

 rays of expended blossoms that were chat- 

 tering among their bleached petals, " all 

 that's bright must fade, the brightest still the 

 fleetest." Deferring till next month a general 

 summary of bedding roses, and advising 

 planters not to plant dwarfs till spring, but 

 to get in standards iustanter, I will here 

 give the arrangement of sorts as I found 

 them in the beds at Sydenham. 



The rose mount is divided into six com- 

 partments, and the sloping beds form six 

 segments of the circle, the walks up to the 

 temple dividing them, and rendering them so 

 far distinct that each separate compartment 

 may be judged on its own merits. There 

 were in the rows a good many gaps, and in 

 some places as many as a dozen roses had 

 disappeared together, leaving very sad blanks 

 in that beautiful assemblage. Then, where 

 blanks of previous seasons had occurred could 

 easily be seen, because sorts had been used 

 to fill up different from those origiually used. 

 But the winter of 1859-60 did less mischief 

 among the roses there than in some of the 

 nurseries. Mr. Rivers says, in his new cata- 

 logue, that " many thousands" of rose-trees 

 and budded stocks were killed at Sawbridge- 

 worth ; and the rose mount at Sydenham is 

 sufficiently exposed to give the roses but a 

 moderate chance in such an arctic winter as 

 the last. But, setting aside gaps and patches, 

 here is the general arrangement in the 

 crescent-shaped beds as planted : — 



Common China. 



Madame Laffay. 



William Jesse. 



Duchess of Sutherland, 



Jacques Lafitte. 



Lady Flora Hastings. 



Common China. 

 Taking this as a sample, and remembering 

 that Common China is used all through as 

 an edging, and the best edging for high- 

 coloured roses. The rest of the beds read 

 thus : — 



Gc'ant de Batailles. 



Baronne Prevost. 



Madame Domage. 



Reine de Bourbons. 



Robin Hood. 

 In this lot Robin Hood made only a middling 

 figure ; it has long ago been beaten as re- 

 gards display, though a charming rose in 

 shape and colour. 



Geant des Bataillts. 



