322 



GARDENING. 



July is, 



ROSfl RUGOSA AND ITS HYBRIDS AT BGAN- 

 DALE. 



It seems singular that a hardy rose like 

 A. rugosa. one so attractive in all its 

 parts and free from disease and insect 

 attacks, should not have found its way 

 into general cultivation much sooner 

 than has been the case. Known to bot- 

 anists and rosarians since 1845, its pos- 

 sibilities remained dormant until a few 

 years ago. Once started into popularity, 

 however, its progress has been rapid. 

 Some forty years after its discovery the 

 plant was found to be extremely valuable 

 for hybridizing purposes, and then France 

 and the United States shared the 

 honor of producing the first meritorious 

 hvbrids and the best varieties in com- 

 merce. 



Simultaneously M. Georges Bruant, of 

 Poitiers, France, and Mr. E. S Carman, 

 of River Edge. N. J., produced the first 

 worthy hybrid of A. rugosa. Owing to 

 some difficulties in propagation experi- 

 enced by Mr. Carman, the French hybrid 

 was placed upon the market first, as the 

 pioneer of a new race. This rose, Mme. 

 G. Bruant, is the result of crossing R. 

 rugosa with one of the hardiest of teas, 

 Sombreuil, a creamy white in color. We 

 are not told whether the white or pink 

 form of the rugosa was used, but are led 

 to believe it was the former, as the flower 

 of Mme. Bruant is distinctly a paper 

 white. It is about three inches in diam- 

 eter, semi-double, with the bunch of its 

 yellow stamens half hidden in the center, 

 and exquisitely fragrant. It follows the 

 rugosa habit of blooming in clusters, and 

 continues flowering more or less all 

 summer. 



It is most attractive when the long, 

 pointed buds are but partially opened. 

 The leaflets are generally seven in num- 

 ber, larger than those of R. rugosa, but 

 not quite so dark a green, and bear evi- 

 dence of its parentage in the veining. 

 While this rose is classed as hardy, it 

 requires protection with me. It mightbe 

 well at this point to call attention to a 

 true form.of R. rugosa from Kamtschatka, 

 named Blanc Double de Coubert, which 

 is extremely hardy and very closely 

 resembles Mme. G. Bruant in bud, flower 

 and perfume; in fact, were it not that it 

 has the true rugosa foliage, it would 

 readily be taken for the French hybrid. 

 As its hardiness is unquestioned, it may 

 be substituted for Mme. G. Bruant where 

 the latter requires protection. Mr. 

 Carman's hybrid, Emily Agnes Carman, 

 is a glowing crimson, or, to quote from 

 his own description, "the size, color and 

 odor of General Jacqueminot," and, 

 strange to relate, Harrison's yellow was 

 the second parent. It makes a good 

 shaped bush some four feet high, and 

 when seen at a distance resembles a huge 

 plant of Pseonia tenuifolia. Its foliage is 

 about the same color as that of Mme. G. 

 Bruant, but larger and coarser veined. 

 M. Bruant has sent out two more, one, 

 Calocarpa, is a cross between R. rugosa 

 and the old Bengal rose. Its chief attrac- 

 tion is found in the fruits, which, while 

 somewhat smaller than those of A rugosa, 

 are brighter in color and more numerous. 

 The flowers are pink, medium sized and 

 fragrant. His Belle Poitevine lias larger 

 and lighter colored foliage than A', rugosa, 

 and not so heavily veined. Were it not 

 for this fact, I would be inclined to con- 

 sider it a variety of the species, as its 

 flowers bear strong resemblance to those 

 of the latter plant. They are large, single 

 and of a deep pink color. At the World's 

 Fair a French exhibit of R. rugosa was 

 made in front of the Woman's building, 

 in which the flowers of the red varieties 



were as large and as brilliant in color as 

 those of Belle Poitevine. The Lovett 

 Company, Little Silver, N. J., has sent 

 out a hybrid of R. rugosa and Caroline 

 de Sansal, the latter a perfectly hardy 

 remontant, bearing full but rather flat 

 flesh colored flowers. The hybrid is a 

 very prolific bloomer, beautiful in bud 

 and flower, which is full, very double and 

 pink in color. 



Handsome and attractive as are these 

 hybrids and varieties, there is still another 

 one which, in my opinion, far surpasses 

 all others in the exquisite tone and bril- 

 liance of its color. This we owe to the 

 skill and patience of Mr. Jackson Daw- 

 son, of the Arnold Arboretum, whose 

 work among roses and other plants has 

 been of inestimable benefit to the gardens 

 of the world. His hybrid rose to which 

 I now refer, so far unnamed and not yet 

 in commerce, is the most brilliant in color 

 of any I have ever seen. It is the result 

 of a cross between R. rugosa and General 

 Jacqueminot. The leaves are as dark in 

 color as those of the species, and in this 

 emerald setting are clusters of flowers 

 three inches in diameter, richest carmine 

 color, fading to a dark crimson. They 

 are darker and more brilliant than Paul's 

 carmine pillar rose, and the nearest to 

 them is found in Cooling's single bedder. 

 At the base of each petal is a crescent 

 shaped, light pink area, and the over- 

 lapping of the petals so covers these cres- 

 cents that only the points a're discernible, 

 and these form a five pointed pink star, 

 crowned in the center with the numerous 

 yellow stamens. 



There is a simple beauty in a single rose 

 that touches the hearts of all of us, and 

 when it is arrayed in the most brilliant 

 of all colors, carmine and crimson, its 

 charm is beyond all praise. Still, in 

 admiring these one cannot forget the 

 immaculate beauty of the single whites, 

 the contemporaneous R. moscbata nivea, 

 Paul's single white, and the new white 

 form of our native A', luckla, or the earlier 

 blooming R. Altaica. There is another 

 unnamed hybrid of Mr. Dawson's raising 

 which I have not grown long enough to 

 speak about fully, but so far it promises 

 to be of unusual value. It is a cross 

 between R, rugosa and R. Wichuraiana, 

 possessing well marked characteristics of 

 both parents. The foliage is intermedi- 

 ate in size between that of its parents, 

 retaining the glossiness of A Wichuraiana. 

 It has the true pink flowers of A. rugosa, 

 single, and some two and a half inches in 

 diameter. The plant is procumbent in 

 habit, and if (as appears likely) it makes 

 as vigorous canes as those of the Memo- 

 rial rose, we shall have a rose that can 

 be treated as an absolutely hardy climber. 

 There are other Dawson hybrids that I 

 may have occasion to mention later on, 

 but in the meantime let us hope that he 

 will give his most worthy products a 

 name and launch them out upon the 

 world that the people in general may 

 enjoy them. Prof. J. L. Budd, of the 

 Iowa Agricultural College, has been work- 

 ing along the same lines, but as the plants 

 I have from him are yet too small to 

 bloom, I must wait another year before 

 mentioning them in detail. 



W. C. Egan. 



exhibited by a fine specimen situated on 

 my daily line of travel to and from Cor- 

 nell University. This individual was one 

 of the deep, almost magenta, colored 

 type, and gave to the passer-by, for more 

 than three weeks, the idea of a flaming 

 gorgeous bouquet on the lawn. Then the 

 brilliant mantle was exchanged for one 

 of delicate shining green. Theredbudisnot 

 very hardy; it will endure a temperature 

 of 25° below zero without much injury to 

 the leaf buds, but will not usually pro- 

 duce flowers under these conditions. Its 

 low growing habit renders it easv of pro- 

 tection, so that one should try it even if 

 situated in a cold and trying locality. 

 Ithaca, N. Y. John Craig. 



GBRGIS CANADENSIS. 



I am pleased to see at page 290 the 

 beautiful illustration of our handsome 

 early spring ornamental shrub, the red- 

 bud. How often really deserving native 

 shrubs are over-looked in the search for 

 exotics. I had an opportunity this spring 

 of observing the varying glow of color 



NOTES ON TREES AND SHRUBS. 



Both Catalpa speciosa and C. bigno- 

 nioides are highly ornamental trees. In 

 the westC. bignonioides is not hardy, but 

 whereitis.both species should be planted. 

 C. speciosa is the taller grower, and 

 flowers about ten days before the other. 

 As it passes out of flower C. bignonioides 

 comes in. The latter is round headed and 

 of a low branched nature, which permits 

 of a good view of its splendid panicles of 

 beautiful flowers. 



Magnolias of all kinds are somewhat 

 difficult to transplant. M. grandiffora, 

 being evergreen, is more so than the 

 others, and failing to get it to grow many 

 ascribe it to its lack of hardine.-s. It will 

 live much further north than supposed. 

 Trees of it here are now in bloom, and 

 other flowers will come from time to time 

 for a few weeks later. 



Something else which is really some- 

 what tender is now in flower, the hardy 

 white Jasminum officinale. This bears 

 sprays of sweet scented white flowers, 

 the scent not unlike that of the lilac. It 

 needs planting in a somewhat sheltered 

 place, as if its growth gets killed back to 

 near the ground, as is apt to occur, it 

 will not flower. The last year's shoots 

 must be fairly well preserved, much as is 

 the case with Hydrangea hortensis. 



Let me refer to another little beauty in 

 the same sheltered position class, Fuch- 

 sia Riccartoni. This survives winter alter 

 winter if in a sheltered place, say near a 

 dwelling or a fence. Its tops may get cut 

 back a bit by frost, but not enough to 

 hinder it making a beautiful display of its 

 little gems of scarlet flowers. 



Is it generally known that spiraas that 

 bloom in late June and July, such as .S". 

 Billardi, S. Nobteana, S. paniculata, S. 

 Bumalda, S. callosa and varieties of these, 

 produce splendid flowers if pruned quite 

 close to the ground in spring? Of cour.-e, 

 they flower very well without this, but 

 when cut down long shoots are produced 

 which carry much finer heads of flowers 

 on their ends than those do which are 

 unpraned. Where the flowers are desired 

 on long shoots for decorative purposes, 

 pruning close is the way to get them. 



Salix pentandra, in many lists under the 

 name of S. laurifolia, makes a desirable 

 lawn tree. It makes no special demand 

 for a wet place; plant it iust where you 

 would a tree of any other genus. Its 

 merits are its lustrous foliage, a deep 

 shining green. And then the leav. s are 

 of large size. On vigorous shoots they arc 

 five to six inches long. Were it not that 

 the} - are too tapering at the ape>, they 

 would not be unlike the English laurel in 

 shape, but they are more glossy.. 



The Japanese privet, Ligustrum ovali- 

 fotium, is now well known as our most 

 useful hedge plant for ornamental pur- 

 poses, but it is overlooked as a single 

 specimen for lawns. It is a good thing 



