July 21, 1906 



horticulture: 



53 



Hydrangea arborescens alba 

 grandiflora 



("The Snowball Hydrangea") 



This splendid American shrub is undoubtedly the 

 most valuable plant in its class of recent introduction, 

 and it will not be surprising if it takes rank above all 

 others now known to the trade. 



It is perfectly hard}-, a free grower, with beautiful 

 foliage forming a bush of elegant form and appearance; 

 it is extremely free in bloom, a mass of pure white 

 flowers, much the form of hortensia, and coming into 

 bloom just as the last of the spring shrubs are cut of 

 flower, and continuing so that it overlaps the blooming 

 iinie of H. p. grandiflora. 



Plants of several years growth assume a fine size — 

 4 ft. in height and about as large in diameter. 



This grand plant was discovered some years ago grow- 

 ing wild in an Ohio woods, and several specimens are 

 now growing in the gardens of that region. 



Rose House Wisdom 



"I lia\u iiiy phuitiug ail duuu." Su rouuirked a gen- 

 tleman of my acquaintance the other day. "Early 

 planting, I find, if the plants get proper attention, is the 

 best; well developed plants can be attained before 

 winter sets in. Plants of the same size can probably be 

 had later planted, if the buds are merely pinched off, 

 but ij: is bad practice — at least we find it so. Cutting 

 into a good eye of ripened wood gives a good break and 

 a more shapely plant can be had." I don't think there 

 are two rose growers who grow- roses exactly the same 

 way, but with very few exceptions it is the methodical, 

 painstaking man who always has his eyes on his houses 

 and gives those his first attention, who wins. I remem- 

 ber of hearing a story told as true of a certain foreman 

 having his roses w-atered by lantern light, the men hold- 

 ing the hose in one hand and the light in the other, but 

 very few instances of this can be quoted and it would be 

 good for the man and good for the roses if there were 

 less, but we all have to learn, and experience is a great 

 teacher, especialy when the cost pinches pretty hard. 



"But gently scan your brother man, 



Still gentler sister woman — 

 Though they may gang a kenimin wrang 



To step aside is human." 



Horticulture editorially remarked some time ago 

 that the retail florist five years hence would be carrying 

 a greater variety of roses. I hope that prophecy will be 

 fulfilled for all concerned, but we have had so many 

 black eyes when new roses 'came — some stayed one year 

 and were never heard of again — others lingered a little 

 longer and had the same fate. I will only mention a 

 few. When Her Majesty came here first the trouble was 

 that it went all to wood, but by bending, it flowered 

 and the flower was certainly a grand hybrid. The 

 Puritan was a stately rose for green house use. I re- 

 memlier seeing a house of it when it first came out; 

 it was magnificent, but it had a bad fault of showing a 

 green centre. 



To come down to the present day who knows but some 

 of those roses grown under different conditions would 

 have been successful. Take Liberty, for instance. What 

 howls, kicks, and cuffs the promoters of that rose got ! 

 I think myself — and it is and was the opinion of many 

 others, that it was a case of -overpropagating. The 

 Liberty of today certainly holds her own. A few weeks 

 ago a contemporary referred in its local notes to Eich- 

 mond as being weaknecked. I do not know whether it is 

 so or not. as we didn't grow it last winter, but I saw a 

 house of it in the winter and early spring and no defect 

 of that nature was apparent. The growing may have 

 had something to do with it. It would lie a good idea 

 when a new rose is raised to have the originator send to 

 some responsible men in different parts of the country 

 one year before it is disseminated, a few plants to be 

 grown by these parties, who will give them the best of 

 their personal attention, giving in each instance a writ- 

 ten statement of just how the rose acted. The climatic 

 conditions would have to be taken into consideration but 

 allow for that in the reports. The rose grower- have 

 been bitten so often that they fight shy, and when a 

 good thing does come out it is often looked upon with 

 distrust. Hitherto it has been like a lottery — "pay 

 your money and take your chance." 



<^/.fe. 



