For December, 1922 



339 



THE PERFECT ROSE. 



While very ffw will be luuiid to disagree with the dictum 

 that in the rose we have developed a wonderfully perfect variety 

 of flowers, there remains the extraordinary tact that among 

 the hundreds of varieties in cultivation we have achieved a 

 standard of perfection only in a curiously small number. 



It is possible to say that under critical judgment no rose at all 

 answers the tests which would be applied to a standard of "100 

 per cent, perfection" if such a standard were devised by rose- 

 growers and rose-show-ers. Let us consider for a moment what 

 such a standard would be. and what requirements the perfect rose 

 must display: The double roses would undoubtedly take first 

 rank; undeniably beautiful though other types are, the true rose 

 of culture is a "double"; and a double of that degree which is full- 

 petaled. But petals are not all : There must be form. Here again 

 there is a catholicity of taste to be catered for ; the exhibition- 

 type of fullness which is a whorl of regularly-disposed petals 

 round a high-pointed centre is loveliness indeed, but this type has 

 not the total claim on "form'' in roses. 



Color brings us to a divergence of opinion again, for one may 

 condone form-faults and petal-shortages to include in a select list 

 those roses whose color may bring a strong appeal to the judge's 

 table. Who would withstand the appeal of a real deep red rose 

 as compared to a pink, for instance? 



Habits of growth then require to be considered — and once more 

 many prime favorites will be ruled out because they are not easily 

 accommodated: The bush-type of Hybrid Teas will win in this 

 selection, as a class ; but the gorgeous flowers of many grand 

 roses of this free-.growing class must fall away because we desire 

 rose-bushes of compact shape and habits. And lastly, we must 

 consider constitution ; and constitution is a test that so many, 

 many more of our rose-queen aspirants will succumb to. There 

 must be vigor, and there must be a definite tendency to with- 

 stand diseases and pests. What grand roses are lost to us, be- 

 cause however great their inaugural triumphs they have "failed to 

 grow." 



So much for "the perfect rose." Shall we find it among the 

 reds, the whites, the yellows, the pinks, or those roses which al- 

 most defy a color-description, the Pernetianas. 



We come next to a class, the Decorative Roses. In the garden- 

 roses, which is another name for what are described as "decora- 

 tives" in Europe, we have a little confusion here, for in this 

 country we can get exhibition results "in the open," which is be- 

 yond the expectation of the Northern rosarians whose garden- 

 flowering roses are not expected to 'bear blooms for the exhibition- 

 box. 



In our sunny land both will grow equally well in the open, 

 therefore we may be excused if we find that S. A. rose-gardeners 

 make revel with the decorative class, which has only the one fault 

 (to the pure exhibition-rose seeker) of "fewer and looser petals." 

 Now for garden-purposes these are no faults at all, and our rose- 

 growing in this country is enriched by a class that is well suited 

 to our climate and when taken as a whole, is profusely floriferous. 



The semi-singles and the singles are roses wdiich to many tastes 

 have an irresistible appeal. Even the ultra-exhibitionist bows his 

 head before the solid intense dull red of the incomparable Red 

 Letter Day — a semi-single which in the half-opened stage is a 

 wonder of coloration. And in singles, consider the color of that 

 Irish prince of roses, Irish Elegance : it is simply marvelous, and 

 in its stron.gly developed color contrasts per petal defies the com- 

 petition of the double roses, on a color basis. 



Ever new roses ! Each year we await the awards of the great 

 shows to see what new beauty the wizards of the rose nurseries 

 have produced for us. 



How are they produced ? By verv precise handling indeed : By 

 cross-fertilizing proven colors or forms from which acceptable 

 hybrids are anticipated. Hand-fertilizing, protection from any 

 further crossing except the one designed ; then the resultant seed- 

 pod, the planting, and finallv a flower at last; after all this trouble 

 surelv a gold medal rose ! By no means ! From hundreds of 

 seedlings perhaps one or two worth carryin.g on with — and their 

 potentialities h.-irdly visible, probably quite invisible to the un- 

 initiated eye. Frcm the whole lot of seedlings in flower a mere 

 dozen put back to carry on with, and hundreds for the fire. And 

 of the selected ones nerhaps not one worth "growing on," but a 

 few maybe which display qualities that the rose-breeder recog- 

 nizes as worth keeping to try and perpetuate into more promising 

 crosses. From such a "potential" are the wonderful roses that 

 come from Fernet Ducher's said to materialize — the "unnamed 



seedling" is the parent of Madame Herriot and all her tribe. — South 

 African Gardening and Country Life. 



CLIMBERS FOR GREENHOUSE WALL 



Given a suitable selection of plants, the wall of a greenhouse 

 may be made as interesting as anv part of the structure. To 

 succeed with wall plants in a greenhouse by far the better plan, 

 as with climbers of all kinds, is to plant them out. In pre- 

 paring a border thorough drainage is necessary. In the case of 

 walls that receive a good amount of light and sunshine, there 

 are many different plants availalile for covering them; but, where 

 heavily shaded and perhaps damp, the choice is very limited. In 

 any selection of plants suitable for greenhouse walls the Helio- 

 trope must have a place, as it will flower profusely nearly 

 throu.ghout the year, and a specimen of it in full bloom is very 

 beautiful, and also extremely useful for cutting. The South 

 .\frican Leadwort {Plumbago capcnsis), with its clusters of 

 porcelain-blue flowers, is also another continuous bloomer very 

 valuable for such a purpose, while we have also seen some of 

 the Abutilons in good condition trained to a w-all. The pure 

 white "Boule de Neige" is one of the oldest and best, while 

 others well adapted for this treatment are A. st-riatuin, yellow 

 veined with crimson, and "Golden Fleece," deep gold. Pelar- 

 gonimns, both of the Zonal and Ivy-leaved sections, will flower 

 well, and we once saw a wall completely covered with them 

 alone. It was in a sunny spot, and the quantity of flowers 

 produced there was enormous, the Ivy-leaved varieties in par- 

 ticular producing a truss of blossom from nearly every joint. 

 Clianthus puniccus, with its peculiar lobster-clawdike blossoms, 

 is a very ornamental wall plant if the foliage can be kept clear 

 of red spider, which is not always the case; still,, a good deal 

 can be done towards keeping it dowai by a liberal use of the 

 .syringe. 



The various forms of Habrollianintis may all be employed as 

 wall plants, but they are better adapted for pillars than for back 

 walls. Many climbing plants, the Lapagerias, for instance, will 

 do well in such a position, but in a general way they are hardly 

 seen at their best so treated. Camellias are perhaps the finest 

 of all permanent wall shrubs for the greenhouse. They also 

 possess the merit of being almost hardy, so that a low tem- 

 perature in the Winter has far less efTect on them than on many 

 greenhouse plants. The glossy foliage, too, can, with the syringe, 

 be kept bright and clean at all seasons. The sweet-scented 

 Uaflinc indica will succeed under much the same conditions as 

 the Camellias, but it is rarely seen grown in this way. 



In the case of a damp wall or one that is too heavily shaded 

 for the above-mentioned plants to thrive, the better plan is to 

 clothe it with either the sinall creeping Ficus rcpcns or its still 

 smaller form minima, both of which w'ill grow freely in such a 

 spot, be it stove or greenhouse. But little preparation for plant- 

 ing them is needed, and if the wall is fairly moist suflicient roots 

 will be produced from various parts of the stems to support the 

 plants. — Gardening Illnstrated. 



Tail Bearded Iris, by Walter Stager. Published by the author: 

 for sale by Madison Cooper, Calcium, X. Y. 



In view of the present great and rapidly increasing popularity 

 of the Iris a new and authoritative work on the subject is bound 

 to meet with ready acceptance, particularly because the excel- 

 lent little book of Dyke's is not only out of date but even out df 

 print, while the sumptuous The Genus Iris, in addition to its lac'ic 

 in matters of practice, is to most persons inaccessible on account 

 of its price. But now the lovers of "The Flower of Song," "The 

 Poor Man's Orchid," and "The Orchid of the North," have avail- 

 able, at low price, thanks to the devotion of the author, a treat- 

 ment from the hand of an American, thoroughly satisfactory in 

 point of appreciation, of matters historical and literary, and of 

 management of this plant, which, though usually most tractable, 

 sometimes almost baffles the -most proficient gardener. 



The book is a revision and enlargement of a monograph of similar 

 title distributed gratis several years ago by the author, who. after 

 findin.g for many years relief from the strain of professional duties, 

 like Joseph Jacobs among his narcissi and tulips and W. Wilks 

 among his poppies, has become like them an authority of the first 

 rank in his secondary field. This new edition displays, among 

 other admirable qualities, a careful judicial temperament fostered 

 by Ics'al studies and practices carried well beyond the ripe old 

 'age of above four score. — F. B. M. 



