XII 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 



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garden purposes, but the sort for enthusiasts, with 

 whom one perfect glorious bloom is worth a garden full 

 of ordinary flowers. Every possible care should be 

 bestowed in watching and protecting the bud, and 

 diligently and highly feeding the plant until the medal 

 bloom, the queen of the show, is cut. 



Souvenir de Paul Xeyron (Levet, 1871). — Of rather 

 weak growth with small foliage, though occasionally 

 a plant will grow pretty well. The first blooms often 

 come badly, but with careful thinning of the buds some 

 may be got of a good shape, with a glistening colour, 

 and large size considering the smallness of the stems ; 

 but the plant is difficult to please and will not often 

 do well as a dwarf, and being fairly hardy succeeds 

 better as a standard. It is a good autumnal where it 

 will grow sufficiently, and very free-flowering in the 

 season, every wood bud all over the plant trying to 

 grow as soon as the flower buds are formed. This 

 habit, which is more or less common to many of the 

 free-flowering Teas of moderate growth, makes it very 

 difficult to find buds for propagation without sacrificing 

 some of the coming blooms. A good show Rose in a 

 Tea box, when it can be got fine, but much less seen 

 of late years. 



Souvenir eh Theresc Levet (Levet, 1882). — Of pretty 

 good growth and foliage, especially as a standard, late 

 in blooming and fairly hardy. This Rose is remarkable 

 for its colour, which is a deep, dull, and sometimes 

 blotchy crimson, forming a great contrast to the bright 

 light colours common to the rest of this section. The 

 blooms do not often come perfect, but are fine when 

 they do, and very lasting. If the colour was bright, 

 pure, and velvety, it would be much better, but as it is 

 it does not show well against the pure whites pinks 



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