•14G 



CASSELI^'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



to the trade. It was, however, of these that Shake- 

 speare wrote — 



" Flowers as sweet as Damask Koses," 

 and— 



" For ladies masked are Eoses in their buds ; 

 Disinflsked, their damask sweet commixture shown, 

 Are fti'gels' veiling clouds, or Roses blown." 



These briUiant, sweet, often, little better than single, 

 or semi-double varieties, and the Provence Koses 

 already noted, were jniich valued for their brightness 

 and fragrance, and very generally distilled into Rose- 

 water, in those olden times when even ladies of title 

 condescended to make their own Rose-water, and 

 other sweets. Among the finer representatives of 

 these Roses in the brilliancy of their colouring stiU 

 . surviving are such grand old sorts as — 



Xean. — A rich velvety-purple Rose, with the 

 centre glowing into crimson-scarlet. 



OAl. — Violet-purple, brightening into fiery-red in 

 the middle. 



Triomphe de Janssens. — Rich rosy-crimson, beauti- 

 fully cupped. 



lioule de Nanieuil. — One of the largest, fullest, and 

 most brilliant of all Roses, rich velvety-crimson. 

 D'^guesseau. — BrilUant crimson. 

 Za Volupte. — This is among the most beautiful of 

 all rosy-lilac Roses. 



The double yellow Cabbage, or Proyenoe Rose, 

 should also be mentioned here. It resembles these 

 Roses in many respects, though it is often classed by 

 itself as Rosa siilphmea. This is one of the most 

 beautiful and fragrant of all Roses, and is said to be 

 a native of Persia, though it is as imlike as any 

 Rose could well be to the Austrian Briars, or Persian 

 Roses. As it, however, seldom or never opens its 

 flowers well, or develops a perfect one, one plant will 

 be sufiicient for most gardens. 



There is a class of dwarf, or miniature Provence 

 Roses, admirably adapted for small gardens, and use- 

 ful as edgings or for planting towards the sides of 

 beds or borders in larger ones. Of these the "White 

 and Red Burgundy, De Meaux, and Spong are the best. 

 There -is also a mossed variety of the De Meaux, and 

 a, darker, equally dwarf moss, named Little Gem. 

 These dwarf Roses are but little grown in this 

 country. They are, however, extensively cultivated 

 in France and other parts of the Continent, and their 

 tiny sweet flowers bunched up into large bouquets 

 form a striking and a novel foRture in the flower- 

 markets near the Madeleine and other parts of 

 Paris. 



Moss Roses. — Science has by no means settled 

 the question of how the Ro?es got their mossy append- 

 ages. Writing broadly. Moss Roses may be described 

 as Provence or Gallica Roses, or hybrids of these. 



with the mossy addition. History also has it that 

 the Moss Roses were sports from the Crested Cab- 

 bage or White Unique, the latter of which shows a 

 tendency to manufacture or develop moss fromnhe 

 semi-infinitude of its partially-suppressed prickles. 



But fable comes to the aid of science in this matter, 

 and this is one of the very few instances in which 

 the fable is better than the science : — 



The angel of the flowers one day 

 neneath a Eose-tush sleeping lay, 

 Tliat spirit to whom charge is given 

 To bathe young buds in dews of heaven. 



Awaking from his light repose, 

 The angel whispers to the Eose, 

 " Thou loveliest object of my care, 

 Still fairest found where all so fair. 

 For the sweet shade thou'st given me 

 Ask what thou wilt, 'tis granted thee." 



Then said the Eose, with deeper glow, 

 " On me another grace bestow." 

 The angel paused In silent thought— 

 " What grace is there this flower has not ? " 



'Twas but a moment ; o'er the Eose 

 A veil of moss the angel throws. 

 Thus robed in Nature's simplest weed. 

 Can there a flower the Eose exceed ? 



Scientifically, the first step towards a mossy cover- 

 ing may be seen in such Roses as the White Unique 

 and the Crested Cabbage. The enlarged calyx of 

 the latter seems a step, and a long step, towards the 

 evolution of rudimentary mossiness. Be that, how- 

 ever, as it may, there can be no doubt that the moss 

 adds a new charm to the Rose, and hence the uni- 

 versal popularity of Moss Roses, especially in bud, in 

 which stage the moss is most prominent, half veiling 

 while more sweetly revealing their exquisite beauty. 

 The Moss are pre-eminently garden Roses, and 

 universally popular. The common or pink Moss is 

 still one of the best in itself, and' is held in semi- 

 veneration by most lovers of Roses for its rich and 

 tender associations. 



The Old White Bath still holds its own as one of 

 the best white Moss Roses, fit to run abreast of the 

 common or pale pink Moss ; though Reine Blanche, 

 the New White Moss, and Panachee Pleine, the 

 latter occasionally exhibiting a pink petal among 

 the white, run the "WTiite Bath rather hard. 



Moss cristaia, or Crested, has a prodigality of moss, 

 almost completely covering the buds, and heavily 

 fringing the petioles of the leaves. 



Celina is one of the best, with deeper-coloured 

 flowers than the Cabbage. 



Angelique Quetier. — Rosy-lilac, exquisite in bud. 



Laneii. — Bright crimson and purple, bold buds, 

 profusely mossed, and fine foliage, that several Moss 

 Roses are rather deficient in. The Crimson or 



