262 



Gardening for Amateurs 



the place of the old growths, which should be 

 cut out directly it is seen that their flowering 

 period is over. This is done to assist the 

 development of the new growths, which will 

 flower the following season ; indeed, very 

 often they will give some blooms late in the 

 current season. At pruning time in spring, 

 shoots intended to be pegged down are 

 shortened to a few inches if the tip is weak 

 or soft. It is unnecessary to add, perhaps, 

 that such Roses do not mix well with ordinary 

 bedding Roses of less rampant and more law- 

 abiding habits they should be grouped 

 separately. 



Yellow Roses that Keep Their Colour. 

 During the last decade there have been 

 great advances both in the number and the 

 quality of yellow Roses. The chief drawback 

 to many yellows is their rapid loss of colour 

 as the flowers open, and quite a large number 

 are not worthy of the term yellow after they 

 have got beyond the bud stage. Taking 

 Goldfinch and Gardenia as two examples 

 among yellow ramblers, we find the open 

 flowers even lighter in colouring than a pale 

 Primrose ; but in the bud stage both are 

 deep yellow. In the case of Goldfinch, with 

 its enormous trusses of flowers, the beauty is 

 greatly lessened by the quantity of loose, 

 pale, and quickly falling blossoms. 



Miss Alice de Rothschild is even deeper in 

 its intense citron yellow as the flower ex- 

 pands. A good grower, free and continuous 

 in blooming, and of perfect form, it is good 

 both in the open and under glass ; it is very 



highly perfumed. Another Rose that seems 

 to improve as the flowers grow old is found 

 in 



Rayon d'Or, which is cadmium yellow at 

 first, and tones to Sunflower yellow with age. 

 It seems almost immune against mildew, and 

 although somewhat erratic in growth, is a 

 grand bedding Rose when planted fairly 

 thickly. 



Perle des Jardins is one of the best older 

 varieties for retaining its deep straw-yellow 

 colouring ; but unfortunately it is rather 

 tender. It is sweet scented, and has bronze- 

 coloured foliage. The climbing form needs 

 a wall. 



Instituteur Sirdey keeps its golden yellow 

 better than many. 



Le Progres is one of the most consistent 

 among nankeen yellows, and is an early and 

 continuous bloomer of good size and sub- 

 stance. A very pretty little flower is found 

 in 



Beryl, a golden yellow that is highly 

 scented and splendid as a button-hole Rose 

 in its early stages. 



Medea, a finely shaped Rose, retains its 

 clear lemon yellow well, and is excellent on 

 half -standards. 



Harrisoni, Persian Yellow and Austrian 

 Yellow possess very deep colourings, but un- 

 fortunately they are very fleeting and only 

 bloom once during the season. 



Chin Chin is a most reliable clear sul- 

 phur yellow China Rose, and is very free 

 blooming. 



The Christmas Rose. Although every- 

 one loves the Christmas Rose (Helleborus 

 Niger), comparatively few people contrive 

 to grow it satisfactorily. The best results 

 are usually obtained by planting it in deep, 

 moist loamy soil where a little shade is pro- 

 vided from the fiercest midday sun. Even 

 then it must be left undisturbed for a number 

 of years, otherwise few flowers will result. 

 Where fine clumps exist, it is advisable to 

 plant a few common ferns about them, for 

 the fronds, even though decayed, act as a 

 background for the flowers, and, what is more 

 important, provide a little shelter. If the 

 flowers are required for cutting, the plants 



should be covered by a frame or hand-light 

 as soon as the buds are well developed. 



The Sproughton Hoe for Roses. This 

 hoe is more expensive than an ordinary hoe, 

 but it is well worth the extra money, and I 

 should be very sorry to be without it. It 

 can be got in between and around the bushes 

 with great ease. It is something like a 

 Dutch hoe in shape, but the blade is attached 

 to the shaft only at one end, somewhat like 

 a scythe. It has edges cutting both back- 

 ward and forward, and the end of the blade 

 has cutting edges and a point. I can do 

 much more work in a given time with this 

 tool than with any other hoe I have ever 



