Mat 4, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE 



3 





readers to cut, the reward being, besides the plea- 

 sure of the flowers, a greater number of flowers in 

 succession. The remarks on planting Roses in 

 small hedge-enclosed spaces are splendid. The 

 Rose must have fresh breezes to maintain it in 

 health and vigour, and no surer way to induce 

 mildew exists than to confine it. 



Mr. Wright approves of chains for stretching 

 between the poles in Rose gardens, but ropes are 

 surely much to be preferred for the sake 

 of the plants. The history of the Rose stretches 

 back to the Iliad, and Mr. Wright gives us many 

 references of a historical kind not only in the 

 •chapter devoted to its history but in other pages 

 as well. Some, however, are unsatisfactory, and 

 it would almost appear as if the work of the 

 printer had not been closely inspected, two mis- 

 takes in two lines from Spenser being one in- 

 stance of such lapses. Roses must have been 

 ■early cultivated in immense quantities for pur- 

 ecclesiastical and medicinal, and for 



They were had in bloom 10 months of 



poses 

 cookery. 



the year, and undeveloped buds were preserved 

 for Christmas festivities in all but the full bloom 

 beauty of summer. Yet Mr. Wright assumes 

 they were excessively rare. The Moss Rose, 

 again, cannot date its existence in gardens from 

 1596. Miller first saw it - in Holland in 1727, 

 though it is named in Furber's catalogue ap- 

 pended to The Gardener's Dictionary of 1724, 

 and this is the earliest notice of it. Then we 

 find Maiden's Blush in Abercrombie's lists 

 several years previous to 1797, the date given 

 by Mr. Wright, and Miller names it earlier 

 still. Is it correct to say that the York and 

 Lancaster Rose has been superseded by Rosa 

 Mundi? Here we have it as depicted in Miller's 

 Figures of Plants, which shows a different dis- 

 position of colours than in Les Boses of Redoute. 

 But the variety is known to be sportive. More- 

 over, Rosa Mundi is more full of petals. The 

 white Rose of York is naturally also alluded to, 

 its identity always being a source of interest. 

 Not improbably it was the same as the white 

 Rose of the Stuarts, a reference to which ap- 

 peared in Mrs. Stewart Smith's Grange of St. 

 Giles (1898) by the name of Prince Charlie's 

 Rose, and the bush on which the Roses grew was 

 then still existing in The Grange Gardens, Edin- 

 burgh. The Grange is a delightful old house, 

 and there quite close to. it I was shown the Rose, 

 which proved to be Rosa alba. It has also been 

 referred to the White Provence and to Arvensi, 

 and is interesting as being the theme of more 

 than one " ballad." 



The volume is illustrated with colour pictures 

 by Beatrice Parsons, coloured portraits of various 

 Roses and half-tone reproductions. 



PRIMULA JULIA. 



Primula Julijs (see fig. 142) is a native of the 

 trans-Caucasian region, whence it was intro- 

 duced to cultivation by Jurjew (Dorpat) Botanic 

 garden, and described as a new species in 1901. 

 1 ax, in his monograph of the genus, places the 

 species in the section " Vernales," which also 

 includes our common Primrose. Last year Mr. 



fp r ;° f . Oxfor<i Botanic Garden, received plants 

 ot F. Julue from Jurjew, and it has proved quite 

 nardy, growing freely in suitable situations. On 



K- 2 last the plant illu strated in fig. 142 was 

 exhibited at the meeting of the Roval Horticul- 

 tural Society, and was given an Award of Merit, 

 ^■ike the common Primrose, it is of tufted habit, 

 with remform-obicular leaves on slightly winged 

 Petioles about 3 inches long. When fully 

 2^ the y are from 1J inch to 2 inches in 



Cord\tp J? 6 Same in length > the base bein S 

 ri*T * « ros y-purple flowers are about the 



r,m/ 5, 0f an ordinary Primrose, and are 

 produced freely on stalks about 3 inches long. 



dxuZ "° wer \ n g> sh °*t runner-like shoots are pro- 

 root ilT 'Al™ 1 " axis of the P Iant > a »d these 

 Creased ''^ the "^ P Juli * m ^ h * freely 

 ■hS \ means of these runners, and it 

 should soon be plentiful in gardens. W. I. 



THE ROSARY. g row towards the centre and so be likely to crowd 



the plant. A much better shaped and more use- 

 ful plant n.ay be obtained by a little attention 

 to this detail, and the sooner the shoots are 

 the pruning of their plants for a short time, selected the better. When placing sticks to 



maiden dwarfs, give due consideration to the 

 average height each variety is likely to attain. 

 Dwarf-habited Roses, such as Mildred Grant, 

 Baroness Rothschild, and Etienne Levet need 

 no sticks in their maiden stage. In the case of 

 standard stocks that were not strong enough to 

 bud last summer, it is an admirable plan to leave 

 a length of 12 to 18 inches of the shoulder. This 



CULTURAL NOTES FOR MAY 



Those who adopted my advice and delayed 



notwithstanding the forwardness of the season, 

 have seen the advantage now, as their plants 



have but little fresh growth exposed to the April 

 frosts. 



I could point to numerous instances 

 where shoots of over 1 foot in length are badly 

 injured by wind and frost, but the later pruned 

 plants are almost untouched. The maggot must 

 be kept under by hand picking, and in warm 

 situations the syringe should be used freely as 

 soon as aphides are discovered. There is much 

 work to be done now amongst standards, more 

 especially those budded last summer. Large 

 quantities of suckers usually develop from the 

 stems of those planted recently, and these should 

 be cut out cleanly before they grow more 

 than 2 inches in length. Their removal is carried 

 out more easily and more effectively if done 



w r ill very soon be in a suitable condition for bud- 

 ding, owing to the rapid flow of sap caused by 

 young growths. But any breaks coming direct 

 from the stem now would not be firm enough in 

 the bark to take a bud before July at the 

 earliest. Suitable buds may be procured under 

 glass, and sometimes from early plants growing 

 on warm walls or fences. Now that pruning is 

 finished time is available for mulching, but see 



Photogyaph by W„ Irving, 



FlG. I42. — PRIMULA JULLrE : FLOWERS ROSY-PURPLE* 



when they are quite young, 

 will also need examining for 



their 

 much 



case 

 fewer. 



these 



In 



unprofitable 

 the case of 



Older 

 suckers, 

 shoots 



standards 



but 



will 



shoulders 



in 

 be 

 that 



were budded, it is well to leave an end sucker 

 until the Rosebud is active. 



have 



Its presence will 

 drawing: the 



that the ground is well stirred and free from 

 weeds before the manure is applied. The roots 

 will be in a condition to absorb food that may 

 be washed down to them, and apart from enrich- 

 ing naturally poor ground I much prefer to apply 

 mulches at a time when the roots can assimilate 



a great influence in drawing the sap 

 towards the Rosebud, and the growth may be 

 cut away later on. Maiden dwarfs must, of 

 course, be cleared of suckers at once. The more 

 forward of these may have the extreme point of 

 the young growth pinched out by the end of the 

 month if bushy plants are wanted. "Where extra 

 early and good flowers are required do not head 

 these yet, but wait until the flower is secured. 



food before it percolates too deeply 

 material benefit. 



to be ' of 



Some of the 



more precocious flowering 

 varieties will need the side buds removed as soon 



throwing more strength into 



This is called 



as possible, thus 



the centre or most promising bud. 



M disbudding." 



But there is another phase of 



That is the 



culture going by the same name. 'mat is 

 reduction of the number of young breaks, more 



Maggots and Caterpillars. 

 One cannot be too keen in killing maggots and 

 caterpillars found on young growths. A little 

 observation will soon enable the cultivator to de- 

 cide whether a leaf is curled up by the maggot 

 or is still in a stage of healthy growth. I know 

 of no better plan than careful hand-pinching of 

 these leaves. It must be done quietly, or the 

 grub will take alarm and drop to the ground 

 quickly, supported by a fine silk-like thread, by 

 which it w T ill regain its original position as soon 

 as the disturbance has ceased. A second plan is 

 to slightly tap the stems, and at the same time 



1 



especially any growths having a tendency to watch for and capture the enemy as it falls. 



