440 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



Shakespeare regarded its leafage as representing the highest type ot 

 fragrance, "The leaf of eglantine, whom not to slander, out-sweetened 

 not thy breath." Spencer observes, Sweet is the eglantine.' Keats 

 describes the shrub as "Dew-sweet egantine" and as « Rain-scented 

 eglantine " Wordsworth speaks of it as Thou one fair shrub," and with 

 a view to the extension of the shrub, Scott suggests that we Leave 

 untrained the eglantine." The shrub is well deserving of the highest 

 praise that has been bestowed upon it, and there can be no question that 

 when its progeny, which we owe to Lord Penzance, becomes fully known, 

 it will have representatives in every garden that is large enough to afford 

 room for free-growing shrubs. The results that have been obtained in 

 the hybridisation of the sweetbriar with the garden roses have been more 

 than sufficient to encourage the hybridiser to take the dogrose in hand 

 with a view to the creation of new types. In the hybrid or Penzance 

 briars we have not only large and effectively coloured flowers in asso- 

 ciation with the delightfully fragrant foliage, but a vigour far surpassing 

 that of either of the parents. 



Two other of the native roses accepted by Mr. Baker as true species, 

 are the Scotch rose (Rosa spinosissima) and the Ayrshire rose (R. arvensis). 

 In the first half of the present century some attention was given to the 



J° L * 9, i 98. 



T 



Ch 



OR R 



Rose 



The China rose may be said to form the central group of th* 

 generally known botanically as Rosa indica. On the one side of % ^ xt% 

 the summer-flowering kinds, whTch have originated by crossing ^ 

 the Gallica and other summer-flowering roses a verv nm , 1 , * Ilh 

 former days, and of which there still rL^^a^^^J^ ,! n 

 delicate-hued Blairi No. 2, the rich and glowing Son Ch«J? r' the 

 Vibert's pink and white Indica major, which \Xx^ ^^t:^ 

 the South of Europe, and is still grown there for ornamental nn ° ' n 

 luxuriant hedges of it being commonly met with. On the otheVS 5651 

 have the rich and magnificent autumnal-flowering classes known , a 



roses, which also owe their m-im 

 either wholly or in part to the China rose and its varieties. To botan 1 



roses introduce 



into this country having arrived towards the close of the last centurv 

 the form of garden varieties bearing double or semi-double flowers Mr 

 Crepin, the eminent Belgian botanist, who has made a special stiidv of 

 the genu? Rosa, states in one of his works that " the section of the 

 indtcce is composed of forms whose specific delimitation is still very 



ROSKS IN THE HONG KONG BOTANIC GARDENS. 



raising of varieties from these two species, and'with much success ; but 

 during the second half but little or anything has been done^extend'or 

 improve the two sections. The Scotch roses form handsome bushes, and 

 are useful for low hedges ; while the varieties of R. arvensis comprise 

 some of the very finest of our summer climbers, the best known'being 

 perhaps Bennett's Seedling, Dundee Rambler, and Ruga. 



! Amateur Rosarian. 



obscure, this being due to their all having been described in a primitive 

 manner from plants which have been cultivated, and more or less pro- 

 foundly modified, by long culture, not only in European gardens, but in 

 those of China and Japan." Single-flowered China roses are in cultiva- 

 tion, but they appear to be of more recent origin, and, in common witn 

 smgle-rlowered tea roses, I fear they cannot be generally cultivated, as 

 they lack the first essential of a single rose, namely, absolute hardiness. 

 At this nursery many seedlings have been thrown away on this accou^ 



although most attractive in the size and colours of th 

 flowers. 



petals of the 



the \w«t" SocW at Chiswick.-Probably arising out of the date of uuwers. 



I A SmTm£ ^«£&j&£* aUend " , a de PTT °° the , . ? Ut Whatever difficulties the China roses may present to the botany 



the co m mittee, at Chiswick on T ^Th U^s a verv ESS E2w* ? ?t amateur horticulturist they are a source of unalloyed pleasu e and 



tTJr I e k- HappUy lhe *« h «^ S thbdme hdd on a TueXy "fiS^S? dth f^ ™ other c1 ** of roses furnishing such a feast of flowen from 



%X££*£?FZ fl c ° Wer ^ « Wednesday, £?fct onE X 51^2 ^V" SeaSOn ' and fr ° m thC hUmbkSt ?S * 



^•*^St££!,SSSS\ r ttiD z* were shut out from the faction *- H "°" est pIeasure & rounds in the countr y no roses 



well in Lit. "sSSSSlSrSS a,S ° 5\3" h0pC ° f findiDg strawbe »i« eV,denCe " 

 unusually tate this season the rn,£. J? * Riand bloom eve, 7 w here, seem to be 

 »»"■» the case i„ Se KentkhSli?"! "t*>* fa «•**»■«■ This is particu- 



Chiftwick. 



luppli, 



A 1). 



pare the soil soon 



reason to fwr *w 



great crop! may 



I — w«*n, tiuUllUb 111 LIU- 



dence. 



The varieties of the China rose fall naturally into three divisions or 

 viz the freer-growing section represented by the ~» m ^ies. 

 ?nH n fi thC dwarf Sowing crimson China roses and their aUt£«j£'2 

 and the miniature or fairy roses named Lawrenceana roses, ai 

 authoress who wrote on roses at the close of the last century, a ^ 

 laree number of variety „fn,;.o roses wer e extant in former years, 



