824 



ROSA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



ROSA. 



slowly and ripen better, so that hardiness 

 increases. A good plant is strong enough to 

 cover a house, or a high fence or wall, but it 

 likes best to scramble about freely among 

 other things which give it support and shelter. 

 The flowers come in July as spreading clusters 

 of pure white with a yellow centre, thirty or 

 more blossoms being often crowded into one 

 mass, with nine or a dozen open at once. 

 Each flower is large, opening wide and flat, 

 with sometimes a pale flushing towards the 

 edges of the petals. The musk-like fragrance 

 is not marked unless in a moist atmosphere, 

 such as after rain. The grey-green leaves 

 have seven leaflets, and are scented when 

 young. The wood is chiefly smooth, with 

 small spines only towards the tips of the 

 shoots. For cutting nothing could be finer, 



Western America, having the largest flowers 

 and fruits. Its habit is described as stout, the 

 leaves ample and broad, the flowers large, 

 deep rose, and the fruits bright scarlet, half 

 an inch in diameter. 



R. POLYANTHA (Garland Rose}. A rampant 

 climber, which will quickly climb a tree, cover 

 a building, or, away from any support, spread 

 into an enormous bush. It has long, spineless 

 shoots clothed with glossy green leaves, 

 blooming early in June ; a mass of white flowers 

 crowded in a pyramidal truss, with a powerful 

 scent. The variety grandiflora is an improve- 

 ment, with very large flowers and its leaves 

 almost evergreen. It has all the vigour of 

 the type, and its flowers cluster in an immense 

 truss, pure white and sweetly scented. There 

 are now many garden varieties of the Garland 



The Austrian Copper Briar. 



the flowers coming on long stems, while all 

 the buds unfold in water, their pretty pink 

 colour before opening contrasting finely with 

 the full-blown flowers. There are garden 

 forms known as fioribunda and grandiflora, 

 and one with double flowers ; the first is well 

 adapted for isolation on a lawn. The Musk 

 Rose comes from the warm regions extending 

 from South-east Europe to India, being also 

 known by the names of R. Brunonis, or the 

 White Indian Rose. Another single Rose of 

 musk fragrance is R. Pissardii, with masses 

 of sweet white flowers, like a white Dog Rose 

 in autumn. The Pink Pissardii, or "Narro- 

 water" Rose, is a pretty rosy form of the 

 same plant. 



R. NUTKANA, according to the Garden and 

 Forest, is one of the most showy species of 



Rose, with which we deal under Climbing 

 Roses. 



R. POMIFERA (the Apple Rose}. Among 

 the roses which claim our notice for the beauty 

 of their fruits, none equal this old but neglected 

 species. It is worth growing for their sake 

 alone. Each fruit is I inch to I \ inch long, 

 apple or sometimes pear-shaped, covered with 

 bristles and surmounted by a crown of large 

 glandular sepals. The colour is a bright red, 

 best seen perhaps in variety proxima. This 

 species is European, but does not appear to be 

 British, as it was at one time thought to be. 

 Nearly allied to R. pomifera is R. mollis, 

 which also bears handsome fruits, but not 

 quite so large. 



R. REPENS (or R. aruensis) is the wild 

 parent of the Ayrshire Roses. It is a free- 



