304 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



have sometimes the lovely red tinge of Madame Falcot. 

 In fact, Madame Charles, Madame Falcot, and Safrano 

 are very much alike in bloom, the first of these three 

 giving the finest flowers. 



Solfaterre (Boyau, 1843). — A Xoisette of strong 

 climbing growth with large open loose blooms of little 

 merit. It is tender, not so good as Lamarque, a poor 

 autumnal, and would probably never have been heard 

 of if it had been raised at a later date. 



Souvenir d'fflise Vardon (Marest, 1854). — Not of free 

 growth or of good constitution, but there ought to be at 

 least one jjretty strong shoot on each plant : not 

 liable to mildew, but easily injured by rain. The 

 blooms come generally well, though sometimes divided, 

 and when it is fine on a strong shoot and taken at the 

 right stage you have to my thinking the finest and best 

 of all show Roses, either H.P. or Tea. It is getting 

 quite an old Rose now, but, though new ■ sorts are issued 

 every year by scores, nothing has yet been raised to 

 surpass or even equal it. If the medal for the best Tea 

 Rose at an exhibition goes to another variety, it will be 

 simply because Elise at its best is not there. It blooms 

 early, as in fact do all the Teas, but they come again, 

 while it takes a long time to work up fresh shoots to 

 produce this grandest of Roses, and the second blooms 

 never equal the first ; but when the season is late 

 enough for it to be shown in anything like perfection, 

 no successful rival in any stand or competition has yet 

 been found. It does rather better as a standard, but is 

 tender against frost and quite capable of being grown 

 to perfection as a dwarf. In freedom of bloom it is not 

 good, for the blooms come singly, and the very weak 

 shoots will not flower at all. The growth is shy and 

 the constitution delicate. It is not a Rose suitable for 



