98 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



a certain staud- 

 praise bestowed 



day are the products of European nurseries, 

 where the highest degree of skill has for a 

 long time been brought to bear upon Rose 

 culture and improvement. They are largely 

 the children of luxury. Many sorts of 

 many classes, and even such as are reputed 

 hardy, may possess enough of the blood of 

 the tender Asiatic species to render them 

 tender and of delicate constitution. 



With all this, the flowers may be of su 

 perior quality, and, from 

 point, entitled to all the 

 \ipon them. But 

 that standpoint 

 in a large num- 

 ber of cases is the 

 most skillful 

 cultivation, un- 

 der the most 

 favorable cir- 

 cumstances only, 

 and not the kind 

 of treatment 

 which the aver- 

 age American 

 amateur in town 

 and country can 

 give. For these 

 worthy persons 

 to be led by fine 

 descriptions and 

 gaudy- colored 

 plates, often to 

 Invest in such 

 "improved 

 roses " without 

 great discrimi- 

 nation, submit- 

 ting them then to 

 the most com- 

 mon care, is 

 almost sure to 

 invite failure. 



Now, while 

 this thing hap- 

 pens very com- 

 monly, and Rose 

 culture suffers 

 accordingly, 

 there is at least 



one remedy against it. Among all classes 

 of Roses, from the real tender Asiatic 

 section to the hardiest ones, there are 

 not lacking various excellent sorts, that 

 have proved their reliability and worth, for 

 common culture. They are the few among 

 the many offered, perhaps, but they arc 

 the ones that are needed in successful 

 culture, and the ones which growers should 

 look out to secure. 



Every Rose propagator keeps in stock 

 those sorts that are both very good and 

 very reliable, and should know which 

 they are. To obtain these the buyer of 

 plants should, when dealing with the grower, 

 take the safe course of insisting on having 

 only such kinds included in his order. To 

 do this he must leave the selection of sorts 

 mainly if not wholly with the nurseryman, 

 charging him with responsibility in making 

 a good one. If he is a reliable dealer, he will 

 not be likely to disappoint his customer in 

 the selection of kinds made. 



Of course in ordering in this way it must 

 be stated which classes are wanted, whether 

 hardy or tender ones, bush or climbers, moss 

 or remontants, etc. Limitations as to color 

 may be mentioned. It might be well also to 

 state in what soil the stock is to be planted. 

 The main point we are aiming to make clear 



is, that the amateur should take advantage of 

 the grower's acquaintance with kinds in 

 making selections, letting him feel a share 

 of the responsibility in the matter. 



Moss Roses. 



Among the hardy Roses which bloom in 

 summer the Moss Rose deservedly holds a 

 high place. Few products in the entire 

 floral realm are more delightful to behold 

 than the opening buds of these in their 



well pegged down, is a pleasing way of man- 

 aging the free-growing sorts. 



These Roses are somewhat niore liable to 

 injury from mildew in damp, cloudy 

 weather than other Roses are. If any ap- 

 pears, it may be dispelled by applying sul- 

 phur freely over the leaves when they are 

 wet, at the first signs of the ailment. 



The so-called Perpetual Moss Roses are in 

 most cases destined to disappoint growers, if 

 the perpetual flowering feature is much re- 

 lied upon. A great many sorts have been 

 sent out under 

 this head, not 

 worth a place In 

 the garden. The 

 best of them will 

 not produce 

 more than a few 

 flowers out of 

 the regular sea- 

 son, and none of 

 these give buds 

 equal in quality 

 to the regular 

 summer varie- 

 ties of such. 



Such Moss 

 Roses as the 

 Common Moss 

 and the Crested 

 Moss, are still 

 among the best 

 sorts to be 

 grown. For a 

 white variety the 

 White Bath is 

 perhaps the best, 

 being attractive 

 both in bud and 

 when open. 

 Princess Ade- 

 laide is a good variety, of a 

 pale- rose color. 



While Roses of this class as 

 a rule bear rather close prun- 

 ing annually, the last named 

 one is an exception; it should 

 hardly be pruned at all. 



A FINE MOSS ROSE. 



modest beauty, covered as they are with a 

 delicate mossy growth. The hushes may 

 not be as handsome as those of some other 

 classes, growing as they do somewhat irreg- 

 ularly—perhaps we might say picturesquely 

 — but they are on the whole very hardy, and 

 no garden should be without some. 



As a class, the Moss Roses should be 

 treated to rich ground and good culture, for 

 the best results, not but what if they must 

 suffer hardship they will bear up under it as 

 well as any Rose. A good coat of stable 

 manure applied over the roots in early fall, 

 for having the substance wash into the soil 

 through the winter, is a good course. To set 

 the plants in beds of rich soil, and keep them 



Screen of Hardy 

 Roses. 



This may 1 le made to divide 

 different parts of the grounds, 

 as for instance the ornamental 

 lawn from the kitchen or fruit 

 garden. It should be planted 

 only with the hardiest kinds 

 of Roses, as a safeguard against 

 breaks occurring through 

 some plants d3'ing out. Such 

 varieties as the Madam Plan- 

 tier, the Hundred-leafed Rose, 

 the Sweet-briar, and with sup- 

 ports the Prairie Roses, would be excellent 

 for the purpose. Among hybrid perpetuals 

 we would recommend such strong growers 

 as La Reine, John Hopper. Antoine Monten, 

 and so on. In the South the well-known 

 Cherokee Rose should of course be one of 

 the first to be choosen; it is a species that 

 is not enough appreciated. 



Aside from the peculiar beauty of a fine 

 and thrifty line of Roses, planted as a screen 

 or hedge, there would be some advantage in 

 this arrangement, through giving ready ac- 

 cess to the plants in caring for them. For 

 example, when insects would appear, they 

 could much more easily be dealt with than 

 if the plants were arranged in large masses. 



