10 



THE ROSE GARDEN. 



Rosarium ? One cannot always judge correctly of the actual rate of growth by a 

 young plant : its vigour may be extraordinary, when the variety is in reality only 

 a moderate grower. Hence it frequently happens that we find Roses in clumps, 

 and elsewhere, badly placed, the guiding-line when planting having been the rate 

 of growth of the young plants ; and thus a moderate grower fills a position suited 

 only for a robust or vigorous one, and vice versa. 



It is the frequent meeting with cases such as these that has induced me to 

 attach the rate of growth to the varieties, as far as it was practicable to do so. As 

 this feature in description will be new to those who have not seen the Descriptive 

 Catalogues of the Collection here, it may be well to give a table of the average 

 height of the varieties of the different groups intended to be expressed by each 

 term. The terms vigorous, robust, moderate, and dwarf, are applied to certain 

 kinds, viewed in comparison with others of the same group : thus, a growth of two 

 to three fet would entitle a Provence Hose to the appellation of vigorous, whereas 

 a growth of eight to ten feet would be required to justify the application of the 

 same term to the Hybrid Chinese; because the latter are, as a whole, more vigo- 

 rous than the Provence Roses. 



The following Table is drawn up in reference to their growth in these nurseries, 

 the soil of which is an alluvial loam. However they may differ in extent of growth, 

 in other soils, I imagine most groups will remain comparatively the same. 



TABLE OF THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF VARIETIES OF EACH GROUP, TO WHICH 



THE TERMS, VIGOROUS, ROBUST, MODERATE, AND DWARF, ARE APPLIED. 



Class I.— SUMMER ROSES. 



