ROSES AND THEIR CULTURE 215 



tude what their family tradition and inheri- 

 tance is. 



The first mentioned — the Hybrid Perpetual 

 group — boasts an almost endless number of hy- 

 brids, derived from crossings and recrossings and 

 intercrossings of various hardy roses, and very 

 beautiful indeed are the most of them; but to 

 the novice in rose culture I always feel it best 

 to call attention to just one thing characteristic 

 of this class — namely, that it is not perpetual in 

 the sense of blooming continuously. Usually 

 the significance of the name is supposed to be 

 something of this sort, whereas it probably re- 

 fers to the hardiness of the plants, which 

 are truly perpetual or constant, as all hardy 

 plants are, regardless of the severity of a 

 winter. 



Do not therefore buy Hybrid Perpetuals, or 

 H. P. roses as they are commonly termed, under 

 the impression that they will be perpetually in 

 bloom. A few in the class are distinctly more 

 abundant bloomers than the class as a whole; 

 and some blossom f ugitively a second time, after 

 an interval of rest following their bloom at the 

 usual season of rose flower, generally in June. 

 But very few indeed bloom throughout the sea- 

 son. All are perfectly hardy however, and grow 

 in any climate without protection. Hence they 



