ROSES 17 



new, young wood, which means that they are far more continuous 

 in blooming than the H.P.'s. Almost every bit of new wood on 

 a vigorous, healthy Tea will bloom, and as such wood keeps 

 coming for several successive months, it follows that flowering is 

 practically incessant. 



Owing to their neater flowers and relatively long stems the 

 Tea Roses are more valuable for room and personal adornment 

 than the H.P.'s. They are delightful vase and buttonhole flowers. 

 With few exceptions they possess a piquant, refreshing, agreeable, 

 but not powerful perfume. While they differ in degrees of vigour, 

 the majority are extremely vigorous. The grower need never be 

 afraid to take long pieces of wood with his vase flowers in the 

 case of these strong shoots, on the ground that he is risking 

 spoiling the plants, as plenty more will come. Like Sweet Peas, 

 the more they are cut the better they bloom, always provided that 

 the culture is what it should be. The beauty and grace of the 

 buds of nearly all the Tea Roses is one of their greatest charms. 

 The majority are long and symmetrical, with the outer petals 

 evenly folded to the tip, or perhaps with their edges curved like 

 the fold of a shell. 



The reader will agree that there are sound reasons why he 

 should grow Tea Roses in his garden ; indeed, he may be so 

 impressed by their merits that he will give them the lion's 

 share of his ground. He will be wise in so doing. There will 

 be brief periods when the H.P.'s will outshine them, as, for 

 instance, during the first half of July, but the steady persistency 

 of the Teas will conquer in the end. The cautious amateur may 

 wonder why it is that if the Teas are so beautiful and valuable 

 they are still so comparatively little grown. There are more 

 reasons than one for this. The first is that although the Rose 

 has been so popular a flower for many years it has been under 

 the dominion of exhibitors, and it is only in recent times that 

 it has come to be valued at its proper worth as a garden 



