Climbers of 
Merit 
I WAS led into the 
growing of Roses be- 
cause I wanted to pro- 
tect my Dahlias. For 
several years I had been 
growing Dahlias for ex- 
hibition, and, being lo- 
cated on high ground in 
a seacoast town, where 
strong winds were prev- 
alent, a windbreak was 
absolutely necessary. 
For this I used Climbing 
Roses and, after they 
were established, they 
did so well that I con- 
tinued planting them, until eventually the whole 
plot was filled. 
The soil is a sandy loam with a clay subsoil, with 
a natural drainage to the east. I use bonemeal only 
when planting the Roses. The only stable dressing 
I give is in the fall, as a mulch for winter protection; 
but as the season advances and buds form, I use 
liquid dressing (cow, sheep or hen) at different times 
during the season. The varieties were chosen with 
the idea of covering a long season of bloom, early, 
midseason and late, with a few perpetual blooms. 
If you have had poor luck growing, Roses keep 
on trying, using the climbers this time. They are 
very easy to handle, some of the new varieties 
brought out within the last few years being strong 
rivals of Hybrid Teas. Most of them have beauti- 
ful foliage, almost immune from disease and insects 
except some of the Multiflora blood, the worst one 
in this climate being the old Crimson Rambler, 
which mildews so badly that I have discarded it 
altogether. Flower of Fairfield, or Everblooming 
Crimson Rambler, mildews a little but I keep it as 
it blooms all season. I use flowers of sulphur on the 
plants that mildew; the others can be kept clean 
with a strong pressure of plain water from the hose. 
The pruning of Climbing Roses is different from 
that given.to Bush Roses, as they produce their 
flowers on the two-year wood, and some even bloom 
on the second laterals or three-year old wood; so 
if the latter is pruned or winter killed they cannot 
bloom, and are’ then called “shy bloomers.” Pillar 
Roses and all climbers that grow their wood on the 
main stalk need no pruning. 
Ramblers that throw up strong shoots from the 
base underground I prune by cutting out the old 
wood as soon as it is through flowering; this throws 
all the strength into the new branches that will be 
started by this time, which will be the flowering 
wood for next season. 
I have found that the only way to tell whether a 
Rose is really hardy or not in a certain climate is to 
try it out: Climbing Clothilde Soupert, which has 
been growing in my garden and blooming for twelve 
years, is listed in catalogues as being tender, while 
on the other hand Empress of China, a supposedly 
hardy variety, winter-kills with me. 
As with the Bush Roses there are more pink kinds 
among the climbers than any other color. In a 
large collection such as mine there are apt to be 
several that will resemble each other. For instance, 
while they are all good varieties, there is but very 
little difference between Dorothy Perkins and 
Lady Gay, Farquhar and Minnehaha. Again 
Hiawatha and La Fiamma are very similar, the 
former being the better, however. 
Tausendschén (Thousand Beauties), with all 
shades of pink, makes a good all-round Rose while 
it lasts. Birdie Bly is the most persistent bloomer 
I have, throwing flowers continually from early 
until late in the season. Wichmoss, a pink climber, 
the flowers of which are not very large, is hardy. 
In white, I have Mrs. M. H. Walsh, Snowdrift, 
Carissima, White Dorothy, and Trier, the last 
named blooming all season until frost. 
In yellow: Goldfinch, Electra, Aviateur Bleriot, 
Edwin Lonsdale, Gardenia, and Prof. C. S. Sargent, 
also Shower of Gold and Source d’Or divide the 
honors. Professor Sargent is about the best yellow, 
however, of any that has flowered so far; some of its 
blossoms are lemon yellow, though most of them are 
an apricot in color. The foliage is very handsome. 
In red I have Excelsa, a wonderful color by gas 
light, Philadelphia Rambler and Baroness Ittersum. 
The latter is practically unknown as yet in the 
United States; the color is a scarlet-crimson on an 
‘white at the base of the petals. 
orange-red ground, the clusters are small, the flowers 
quite large and not very double. 
William C. Egan, flesh colored, has quite large 
buds in small clusters, opening quickly when picked. 
Climbing Clothilde Soupert, white with pink 
centre, has hard round buds full of petals, and needs 
to be forced with liquid dressing to make them open 
in this climate. 
Veilchenblau, the “blue” Rambler, is a strong 
grower, very hardy and almost thornless. 
In singles, I have American Pillar, pink shading to 
The flowers and 
clusters are larger than usual, on long, strong stems, 
and are wonderful keepers, especially when cut. 
Carmine Pillar is a large, showy flower. Then there 
are Hiawatha, La Fiamma and Paradise, the latter 
a pale pink shading to white with ruffled petals, 
producing a very pretty effect. ; 
The early blooming, large flowered climbing Roses 
are the best of all the climbers. Climbing American 
Beauty has very good flowers, is perfectly hardy, 
and has taken a silver medal; Christine Wright, a 
wild-rose pink in color, is a strong hardy grower; 
Dr. W. Van Fleet, pale flesh pink, is a very beautiful 
and perfect Tea Rose on a hardy climbing bush. 
This also has won a silver medal. 
Silver Moon, the winner of two silver medals, 
several first class certificates and awards of merit, 
is to my mind the most decorative Rose regardless 
of any class. The long, pointed buds are of an 
exquisite cream color, with a delicate fragrance; the 
open flowers are of a silvery white with bright yellow 
stamens. The flowers are from four and a half 
to five inches in diameter on strong stems twelve to 
eighteen inches long. The foliage is also good. 
Massachusetts A. J. FisH 
Death Of Jules Gravereaux 
je THE death of Jules Gravereaux, which took 
place in April, the world has lost one of the 
most famous rosarians of all time. The following 
brief account of his career, taken from the (London, 
England) Gardeners’ Chronicle, is based on a de- 
tailed account in the Revue Horticole: 
“Formerly manager of the Magasins du Bon 
Marché, Jules Gravereaux became the possessor, 
in 1892, of the mansion of L’Hay (Seine), a village 
which, since 1910, has been known as “‘L’Hay les 
Roses.” No sooner was he established on his prop- 
erty, in the middle of a region where Rose growing 
has always been an important industry, than he 
began to collect and study the flower, of which he 
had soon: gathered together nearly 1,500 varieties. 
In 1899 he asked Edouard Andre to draw up a plan 
of the Rosary, which rapidly became more and more 
celebrated, until it attained to a world-wide fame. 
Jules Gravereaux soon realized that his work would 
mean more than simply collecting horticultural 
varieties; he was bent on placing them in a setting 
worthy of their value, and making a collection of 
botanical species of the genus Rosa, which would 
serve the interests of scientific research and facili- 
tate the production of new varieties by crossing. 
He formed at the same time a special herbarium, 
and a library which contained practically every 
publication of any kind devoted to the Rose. 
Among new Roses which we owe to L’Hay at least 
twenty could be mentioned which possess special 
merit. Such are Amelie Gravereaux (1904), 
Madame Ancelot (1901), Madame Ballu (1905), 
Madame Henri Gravereaux (1904), Madame Julien 
Potin (1912), Madame Labori (1908), Madame 
Lucien Villeminot (1904), Madame Rene Graver- 
eaux (1907), Madame Tiret (1907), Madeleine 
342 
Fillot (2907), Rose a 
parfum de L’Hay 
(r90t), Madame Pierre 
Lafitte (1907), Les 
Rosati (1907), Madame 
Ruau (1908).  Gra- 
vereaux presented to the 
city of Paris a collection 
of Roses, from which 
originated the Rosary of 
Bagatelle, where each 
year an international ex- 
hibition of new Roses © 
is held. When Monsieur 
Osiris presented to the 
nation the mansion of 
La Malmaison, it was 
to Monsieur Gravereaux 
that Monsieur Ajalbert 
turned for help in re- 
constructing the collection of Roses made by the 
Empress Josephine on this historic estate. It was 
no easy task to search out the two hundred and 
fifty species or varieties which had been for so long 
abandoned by horticulturists. Thanks, however, 
to long and patient research, one hundred and 
ninety-eight of them have been discovered and re- 
placed. 
“Among the publications issued from L’Hay the 
following may be cited: Collection Botanique du 
genre Rosa, 1889; Catalogue des Roses a la Roseraie 
da L’Hay, 1905; La Culture des Roses dans les 
Balkans, r901; Essais de fabrication d’essence de 
Roses & la Roseraie de L’Hay, 1906; Manuel pour 
la description des Rosiers, 1905; La Rose dans les 
lettres, les sciences, et les arts, 1905; Histoire 
retrospective de la Rose, 1910; Les Roses a la 
Roseraie de L’Hay, 1915. We trust that the work 
of Jules Gravereaux will be continued by his sons, 
who have collaborated in it and are in a position to 
understand its great importance.” 
A Boom for Rose Culture 
O THE Editor: The publication of the ex- 
cellent “American Rose Annual,” the in- 
creased interest the American Rose Society is taking 
in encouraging out-of-door cultivation of Roses, and 
the fact that no other flower is of such universal 
cultivation and that there is no monthly or weekly 
publication devoted to Roses and Rose culture, 
would warrant, I believe, THe GARDEN MAGAZINE 
in giving some more space even than it does to Roses 
and Rose culture. Especially would this be helpful 
in telling of American Roses and the possibility of a 
new race of Roses through crossing with our native 
wild Roses. Then cultural directions, suitable to 
different sections of our country of varied climates 
and soils would be helpful. All this should not be in 
exclusion of the other splendid departments of that 
very fine publication. 
Tacoma, Wash. (ReEv.) SPENCERS. SULLINGER. 
Roses for the South 
pS THE South, Nature has provided the climate 
and the soil for the successful growing to per- 
fection of the Rose. No garden, however small, is 
complete without a few Roses, and no landscape 
scheme should be made without them. 
The following varieties have been tested and 
proved to be good growers and free bloomers under 
the conditions found in the South. 
BUSH ROSES THAT BLOOM THROUGHOUT THE SEASON 
Hybrid Perpetuals: Frau Karl Druschki, Paul 
Neyron, M. P. Wilder, Capt. Haywood, Prince 
Camille de Rohan, Clio. 
Tea Roses: White Maman Cochet, Pink Maman 
Cochet, Mrs. Benjamin R. Cant, Wm. R. Smith, 
Etoile de Lyon, Safrano, Sunburst. 
Hybrid Teas: Kaiserin, Antoine Rivoire, Mme. 
Jenny Guillemot, Helen Gould, Aurora. 
Bourbon Roses: Hermosa, Sombreuil, Burbank. 
China Roses: Agrippian, Ducher, Louise Phil- 
ippe, Pink Daily. 
Dwarf Polyantha: Baby Rambler, Catherine 
Zeimet, Mlle. Cecil Brunner, Catherine Soupert. 
Rugosa Roses: Atropurpurea, New Century, Sir 
Thomas Lipton, Magnifica. 
CLIMBING ROSES 
Climbing Roses: Wm. Allen Richardson, Aline 
(Continued on page 344) 
