382 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



ACaiNA 



leaves and round heads of flowers borne 

 on rather long wooUy stalks. 

 Culture Ac. as above, p. 381. 



A. sericea. — A Chilian species with 

 rather long leaves having 3-5 pairs of 

 oblong wedge-shaped toothed leaflets, 

 covered with soft silky hairs beneath. 

 The greenish flowers appear in round 

 heads on long stalks, but are not particu- 

 larly attractive. 



^Culture dc. as above, p. 381. 



A. splendens. — A stout-growing tufted 

 species native of Chili. The pinnate 

 loaves have 8-4 pairs of narrow obovate 

 toothed leaflets densely clothed with silky 

 white hairs on both surfaces. The rather 

 inconspicuous flowers appear in long inter- 

 rupted spikes during summer. 



Culture rf'c. as above, p. 381. 



ROSA (The Eose). — An important 

 genus containing according to Bentham 

 and Hooker not more than 30 or 40 really 

 distinct species although as many as 180 

 have been described as such. Eoses are 

 more or less erect, climbing, or trailing, 

 often prickly, smooth, silky, or glandular 

 haired, woody shrubs, with alternate, 

 oddly pinnate leaves, serrated leaflets and 

 adnate stipules. Flowers solitary or in 

 corymbs. Calyx 5-lobed ; lobes simple 

 or compound, inserted on the top of a 

 roundish or pear-shaped, fleshy tube. 

 Petals 5, very rarely 4, but in cultivated 

 varieties many more owing to the trans- 

 formation of the numerous stamens. 

 Carpels numerous, inserted at the base 

 of the calyx tube, free, with a simple 

 projecting style and stigma. The ripe 

 fruits (known as ' hips ') consist of many 

 1-seeded carpels in a fleshy tube, which 

 is analogous in structure to the Apple and 

 Pear. 



Garden Roses 



Garden Eoses are divided into many 

 groups, aU arising from comparatively 

 few species. Years ago several of the 

 groups mentioned below were great 

 favourites, but the appearance of the so- 

 called Hybrid Perpetuals and the Tea- 

 Scented Eoses, with their exquisite 

 flowers, rapidly caught the public taste ; 

 and the older Eoses, many of them very 

 beautiful, free-flowering, and fragrant, 

 began to disappear from gardens and 

 likewise catalogues. Of late years, how- 

 ever, a revival has taken place, and some 

 of the older sections with ' improved ' 



forms are finding their way into gardens 



again. 



GENERAL CULTIVATION 



Situation. — Eoses should be grown in 

 an open place, sheltered if possible, by 

 surrounding vegetation at a distance, from 

 tempestuous vnnds, especially the cold 

 and bleak ones from the north and east. 

 An aspect facing south-east or south-west 

 is best, arranged in such a way that dur- 

 ing the hottest hours of the day the Eose 

 garden may obtain a little protection from 

 the fierce rays of the sun by the cast 

 shadow of trees or hedges. 



Soil. — The ideal soil for Eoses is a 

 rich fibrous loam, ' unctuous loam ' as it 

 is called, that feels somewhat greasy when 

 pressed between the fingers. It is not 

 always possible to attain the ideal, nor is 

 it really essential, as good Eoses may be 

 grown in ordinary garden soU, always 

 provided the Eose-grower is industrious 

 and cultivates it. Where soil is naturally 

 light the addition of loam or even clay 

 will improve its textm-e. Where cold 

 and heavy, it must be well draioed, and 

 will be benefited by the addition of lime, 

 sand, burnt earth, and leaf soil. But 

 whatever kind the soil may be, it is 

 essential that it must be thoroughly 

 drained, dug or trenched well, and well 

 manured. Too much importance cannot 

 be attached to keeping the soil in which 

 Eoses are grown in a good condition, and 

 the reader is referred to the various 

 articles on Soil and its treatment in this 

 work at pp. 61-69. 



Manure. — Taken all round, farmyard 

 manure is the best for Eoses. For light 

 soils cow manure is preferable to others, 

 while horse manure is more suitable for 

 heavy soils. And the ordinary Eose- 

 grower will find it safer to keep the one 

 or the other well incorporated with his 

 soil. Pig manure is also excellent. The 

 manures in a fairly well-rotted state may 

 be spread over the Eose beds about 

 November, and forked in the following 

 spring. 



There are many other manm-es em- 

 ployed, but they are either too expensive 

 or too difficult to obtain at the right 

 moment. Some of the chemical manures 

 may be used with advantage, but they 

 require to be carefully applied, the ten- 

 dency with a beginner always being to 

 give more to the plants than is good for 

 them. 



