752 



OPEN FLOWEK-GARDEN. 



church. Nearly all the perpetual rosea now so 

 much sought after owe their origin to the older 

 members of this family, which may readily be 

 distinguished from other roses by their rough 

 spiny shoots and leathery -like leaves. They 

 are all of robust habits, and have large well- 

 formed flowers. Although they are robust 

 growers, they do not require very hard pruning. 

 The name is derived from Damascus, its place 

 of growth, and not from Damask, a red rose, as 

 very generally understood, the majority of the 

 family producing light-coloured flowers, and not 

 red. 



The Scotch rose {Rosa spinosissima) derives its 

 origin from the dwarf wild rose indigenous to 

 many parts of Scotland and the north of Eng- 

 land. The majority of them originated in the 

 Perth and Glasgow nurseries about the begin- 

 ning of the present century. They are veiy un- 

 deservedly neglected nowadays; and although 

 the varieties at one time known to exist in cul- 

 tivation exceeded three hundred sorts, it has 

 been with great difficulty and research that we 

 have been able to bring together above half that 

 number, which are, at the moment these lines are 

 writing, in the full perfection of bloom. Their 

 place of growth in cultivation is on elevated 

 banks forming the margin of the rosary, in 

 groups by themselves amongst other sections, 

 and as standards they have a very pretty effect. 

 They require very little pruning, and will thrive 

 in a poor sandy soil where other rosea will not. 

 They are early bloomers, exceedingly fragrant, 

 the flowers globular, small, and double. 



Sweet briar {Rosa rvhiginosa). — Indigenous to 

 many parts of Britain in ita native or single state. 

 Art has added several greatly improved varieties, 

 such as Rose angle sweet briar, with large and 

 very double bright rose-coloured flowers ; the 

 Splendid sweet briar, with large crimson flowers, 

 but less fragrant than the common ; Celestial 

 sweet briar, flowers very double and fragi-ant ; 

 Carmine sweet briar, with semi-double bright 

 i-ed flowers, &o. 



Austrian briar {Rosa lutea). — A native of the 

 north of Italy. The Persian yellow rose belongs 

 to this section ; introduced in 1838; a beautiful 

 yellow double flower with cupped petals. We 

 find the plant a weakly grower even when 

 budded on the Dog rose. None of the section 

 will live in a smoky atmosphere. Mr Elvers 

 asserts that the copper or red Austrian will 

 not put forth a single bloom within ten or 

 twelve miles of London. Sosa Harrisonii, an 

 American double yellow rose, is one of the most 

 beautiful of the yellows, but blooms best in a 

 situation partially shaded from the mid-day sun. 

 Elvers' globe yellow is of Italian origin, delicate 

 in growth, but of great beauty. All this section 

 require a moist and rather poor soil, and mode- 

 rate pruning. Rosa Harrisonii and the Persian 

 yellow are the two best yellow roses in cultiva- 

 tion. 



Double yellow rose {Rosa sulphurea). — This 

 eplondid rose has baffled cultural skill to flower 

 it well or with certainty. All admit that it 

 should be planted against a wall in a warm situ- 

 ation, otherwise the flowers will not expand, 

 although they are often enough produced in 



considerable abunJance, but generally in a mal- 

 formed state. It is, no doubt, a native of a 

 country possessing a warm summer — some say 

 Syria or the Levant, and that it was introduced 

 to our gardens in 1629 first by Nicholas Lete, 

 though the plants of that introduction did not 

 long survive; afterwards by Jean de Franque- 

 ville, who, as well as the former, was a great 

 promoter of horticulture; and being both en- 

 gaged in mercantile transactions with the Le- 

 vant, they had the means, and employed them, 

 of introducing many new plants. Rosa sul- 

 phurea, in its native state, is probably single- 

 flowered; but of this we have no evidence, as 

 no single-flowered plants have been discovered. 

 If it be truly a double rose as we now have it, 

 it must then relinquish all claim to being a 

 species, for, as Mr Rivers justly observes, " na- 

 ture has never given us a double-flowering spe- 

 cies to raise single-flowering varieties from, but 

 exactly the reverse." So important a matter 

 do we deem the flowering of this certainly the 

 finest of all roses — and we beUeve this to be a 

 very general feeling — ^that we will repeat what 

 Mr Elvers says : " The Yellow rose is a native 

 of a warm climate, and therefore requires a warm 

 situation, a free and airy exposure, and rich soil. 

 A wall with a south-east or north-west aspect 

 will be eligible." But perhaps this excellent 

 authority — and there is none higher — refers to 

 the climate of Sawbridgeworth, where his ex- 

 tensive rose-garden is situated; for the general 

 climate of Britain, we would say a south, south- 

 east, or south-west aspect would be better. 

 " Give the plants surface-manure evei-y autumn, 

 and water with manure- water in May; prune 

 with the finger and thumb in summer, by short- 

 ening the strong shoots so as to make them put 

 out laterals, and there will be no occasion for 

 winter pruning. Thus, by judiciously pinching 

 off with the finger and thumb in June all shoots 

 that are thicker than a straw to about half their 

 length, small lateral twigs will break out, and 

 the plant will be filled with blooming shoots, 

 some of which must be removed in winter if 

 full -sized flowers are desired." This is the 

 mode also recommended by him for pruning the 

 Persian yellow rose. " In unfavourable soils it 

 will often fiourish and bloom freely if budded 

 on the Musk rose, the common China rose, or 

 the Blush Boursault; but the following pretty 

 method of culture I beg to suggest, though I 

 must confess I have not yet tried it : Bud or 

 graft it on some short stems of the Rosa Manet- 

 tii; in the autumn pot some of the strongest 

 plants, and late in spring force them with a 

 gentle heat, giving plenty of air. By this me- 

 thod the dry and warm climate of Florence and 

 Genoa may perhaps be partially imitated ; for 

 there it blooms in such profusion that large 

 quantities of its magnificent flowers are daily 

 sold in the markets during the rose season." — 

 The Mose Amateur's Guide. There is, however, 

 notwithstanding this very feasible reasoning, a 

 sort of capriciousness about this rose not easily 

 accounted for. We have more than once had 

 splendid specimens in full bloom sent from the 

 Earl of Traquair yearly, produced in his garden 

 in Peeblesshire, nearly 500 feet above the sea 



