ROSMARINUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



RUBUS. 



695 



flowers of delicate beauty. They are 

 distinct from all else, and of a beauty 

 quite apart. That last-named does 

 not appear above ground till quite late 

 in spring. 



ROSMARINUS (Rosemary}. A well- 

 known shrub, R. officinalis, is not hardy 

 enough anywhere, but in warm, rocky 

 banks in our southern gardens it is 

 useful ; all like its fragrance, and the 

 flowers are pretty when the plant is 

 grown on dry soils. Where it perishes 

 .in winter in the open ground it may 

 be grown against a wall. There are 

 several distinct forms, one of erect 

 habit known as pyramidalis ; one with 

 large pale flowers, and one with darker 

 blue flowers ; one with variegated 

 foliage ; and one, the best of all, known 

 as prostrata, with quite a creeping 

 habit and narrow leaves, very pretty 

 for sunny walls or sheltered ledges of 

 the rock garden. Cuttings and seed. 



RUBUS ( Brambles] . Trailing and 

 often prickly shrubs, some of the best 

 from America ; the finest of these being 

 the Rocky Mountain Bramble (R. 

 deliciosus), quite unlike an ordinary 

 Bramble, being without spines or 

 prickles. It makes a rounded spread- 

 ing bush about 4 feet high, and in 

 June bears snow-white flowers about 

 the size of Dog Roses, and like them 

 in form. It is hardy in most gardens 

 where the soil is light, and in cold 

 districts may be grown against a wall, 

 which it quickly clothes with a beau- 

 tiful growth, and flowers more abun- 

 dantly than as a bush. Always select 

 for it the sunniest and warmest place 

 in the garden. 



R. BIFLORUS (Whitewashed Bramble). 

 Has tall wand-like steins often 10 feet 

 or more in height, whitened with a 

 mealy substance on the bark. Its white 

 flowers are not showy, and are succeeded 

 by edible, Raspberry-like fruits. R. 

 australis, from New Zealand, is without 

 true leaves, and prickly. In warm 

 situations on walls it grows several 

 feet high, but it is not fully hardy. Hima- 

 layas. 



Among the best native Brambles 

 are the beautiful double varieties 

 of R. fructicosus, which flower late 

 in summer. There are the double 

 pink and the double white kinds, 

 both known under various names ; 

 but the names of double pink and 

 double white are sufficient. As they 

 are forms of distinct species or 

 varieties, they differ in habit, the 

 double pink being much the stronger 



and more free flowering. When well 

 placed the double pink makes a wide- 

 spreading mass like the common 

 Bramble, and gives from the middle 

 of August till autumn an abundance 

 of bloom, every flower being a rosette 

 of delicate pink petals. The double 

 white is a form of R. tomentosus, and 

 its flowers are larger than those of the 

 double pink, but less double. The 

 double white and the double pink 

 should be planted near each other, and 

 will clothe banks or associate with 

 bold rocks. Another fine Bramble is 

 the Cut -leaved, or Parsley - leaved 

 Bramble, which has a profusion of 

 white blooms, succeeded by large 

 delicious fruits. The Japanese Wine- 



Rulus deliciosus, 



berry (R. phcenicolasius] is a strong- 

 growing Bramble, the stems of which 

 are covered with reddish hairs, and 

 the leaves silvery white on the under 

 side. A group planted beside water 

 is very fine in windy weather, when the 

 under-surface is freely exposed. The 

 pink and white flowers are followed by 

 soft red fruits, like a little Raspberry. 

 R . sorbifolius is also pretty, with stout 

 erect stems of about 18 inches, bearing 

 elegant cut leaves and large white 

 flowers, followed by conical fruits of 

 fine appearance but of poor flavour. 

 Like some other Brambles, this grows 

 well in partial shade. Some of 

 the so-called American Blackberries, 

 such as the Lawton and Kittaninny, 

 do not succeed in our country. 

 Almost all kinds should have their 

 stems cut away after flowering, 



