ROMNEYA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



R. Hetvici, R. samlmcifolia, and R. 

 ■tahiilaris. 



ROMNEYA {White Bush Poppy).— 

 Among- plants of recent introduction per- 

 haps none surpass in stately beauty this 

 fine Cahfornian Poppywort, R. Coulteri. 

 In favourable localities it has flowered 

 freely on lengths of the current year's 

 growth, fully 7 ft. high, when, with some 

 twelve or fifteen flowers in bloom at the 

 same time, the plant has a charming effect. 

 The flowers are of a peculiarly delicate 

 texture, the petals somewhat transparent, 

 and yet enduring in a good state for days ; 

 their fragrance delicate, something like 

 that of a Magnolia. It is perennial, sub- 

 shrubby, and the deeply-cut glaucous 

 foliag-e is retained throughout the winter. 

 It does not appear to flower on the last 

 year's growth, though that growth remains 

 in good condition. The flowers are borne 

 mainly on the points of the new shoots 

 and on laterals nearest the points, more 

 sparingly on the lower laterals. It is 

 hardy in genial soils, enjoying best a 

 warm loam. Where it will not grow well 

 in the open, it would do so in many places 

 against a wall with a southern aspect. It 

 does best on warm soils in \'ery different 

 parts of the country, so that no one need 

 doubt the fitness of this noble plant for 

 English gardens. When once planted it 

 is very averse to root disturbance, often 

 dying outright even though \\&\\ cut back. 

 When necessary, transplanting should be 

 in spring, just before growth begins. 



The best winter protection for Romneya 

 Coulteri is a mulch over the roots of some 

 light and porous material. Pine needles 

 form the best covering, and, after these, 

 rough cocoanut fibre. A straw mat may 

 be placed round the branches during hard 

 frosts, but should be removed as soon as 

 the weather becomes less severe. A point 

 in starting is to get healthy plants in pots, 

 planting in spring and not disturbing the 

 roots much. It may be increased by 

 root-cuttings, suckers (which should be 

 cut well back), and seed. A second 

 species of Romneya, R. trichocalyx, has 

 recently come to light in our gardens, but 

 it differs very little from the older kind, 

 and is not quite so good. 



ROMULEA.— Bulbous plants of the 

 Iris family. They are of dwarf growth, 

 and have grassy foliage ; but though their 

 blossoms are showy, they are not per- 

 fectly hardy, and they require to be grown 

 either in frames or in very warm sheltered 

 borders, in light soil. The best known 

 are A'. Biilhocfldiuin, j-aiinjlora., and 

 Coha/uKF., natives of South Europe, and 

 R. rosea and R. MaeowaNi from the 



Cape of Good Hope. The showy Crocus- 

 like flowers of these open fullest in sun- 

 shine, and vary as to colour from crimson, 

 purple, and mauve to white and yellow. 

 Perhaps the best of all is A'. Pylia., a 

 scarce but very beautiful form of R. 

 Bulbocodium., with Rush-like leaves a 

 foot long and pure white flowers with 

 a yellow throat, 2 in. across when fully 

 open. This kind thrives in the south- 

 west of Britain, spreading fast and flow- 

 ering'- freely in spring. 



ROSA {Rose).—i:\\^ flower of flowers 

 has been ill treated in its literature ! It 

 would be difficult to imagine anything 

 more confusing than the writings on the 

 Rose and our catalogues of the present 

 day ! Almost useless groups, like the 

 Boursault, are dignified as classes, while 

 more important groups like the noble 

 Teas often receive no due notice ; the 

 confusion arising from the misleading 

 term "hybrid perpetual" has effectually 

 concealed the fact that the true per- 

 petual bloomers are the Tea Roses, so 

 keeping the noblest of all Roses out of 

 gardens even in the southern counties. 

 For many years Roses far superior to the 

 many so-called "perpetual" in point of 

 continuity of bloom have been raised, and 

 yet, as a result of that ill-chosen name, 

 one may go into some of the largest 

 gardens and hardly see a Rose in the 

 Rose-garden in August. The set idea of 

 the Rose-garden itself, as laid down in all 

 the books, i.e. a place apart where one 

 can only see flowers at a certain season, 

 was harmful, as it led to the absence 

 of the Rose from the flower garden. 

 Instead of seeing the Rose in many 

 diff'erent attitudes in a country place, we 

 see a wretched mob of standards and 

 half-standards rising out of the ground, 

 generally in a miserable formal arrange- 

 ment called the Rosery. Instead of 

 forming beautiful Rose-gardens, many 

 growers ha\e distinguished themselves 

 by growing Roses on tall Briers and other 

 stocks, from which they get perhaps one 

 or two flowers bigger than their neigh- 

 bours' to send to a Rose-show. The Rose 

 exhibitor's Rose-garden is even uglier 

 than the so-called Rosery in the large 

 country seat, and thus the beautiful human 

 and artistic side of the Rose-garden has 

 been forgotten. As, however, that im- 

 portant side of the Rose-garden is treated 

 of in the first part of this book, it only 

 remains here to deal with the kinds and 

 groups most useful for the garden. 



Tea Roses for the Flower Garden. 

 — These are in many ways so superior 

 to all other Roses, that we might place 



