JtUY 9, 



GA RDENERS' MA GAZINE 



44 



~ r ^ ctmrtness and hardiness, many of these have now dis- 



*«* rfV^m cuSvation, and I shall content myself with mentioning a 



Roses in H 



Kon 



The Botanic Gardens, Hong Kong, are situated on the side of a hill 

 three or four hundred feet above sea level, from whence splendid views 

 of the harbour and the mainland of China may be had. The gardens are 



10031 TTftnroduces its lovely pink blossoms from early summer -until laid QUt . terra ces and slopes, and the accompanying photograph 

 < ith .^l L P As a bedding rose it is unexcelled in ib(^,ud it is & q{ ^ ^ P > * P ^ 



fate in autumn, as a P^^f'hedMS "for' planting against walls and illustrates a part of the rose terrace with the roses in flower. It was taken 



equally suited for ( ormi J{; J amongst mixed borders and shrubberies ; m February of the present year, as at that time the plants are at their 



buildings, and ^^j e re out of place in the garden. The colour of the best. After many trials it has been found that there is one variety which 



In fact, it se ^ ms ^ ii un der electric or gas light, and in many large i s more useful and flowers much better than any other. This particular 



cut blooms shows up own in i arg e quantities expressly for cutting • . - — «• 



gardens ^.^oSSSif Of recent yeaVs some new shades of colour 

 £ *K S££3 into this section ^^^^^ 



known 



majority of the plants shown in the illustration belong to it. Several 



n 'T>l d Zt\eci of Te ^ou^ Vie presented to the readers of attempts have been made to grow hybrid perpetuals, but with indifferent 



success as regards flowers. They grow well enough, and make good 

 strong shoots, but seldom, if ever, flower. China monthlies do splendidly, 



? netieS ;n?issue Queen Mab, is one of these, producing rich, rosy apricot 



the prese: ni \: orange and violet Mr. Guillot, of Lyons, has also strong snoots, DUt seiaom, n ever, nower. ^nina mommies ao spienaiaiy, 

 fl?U ?us two 6 very beautiful kinds, viz., Madame Laurette Messimy, rose and f urn ish an abundance of bloom during the winter months. The Bank- 



fhaded with yellow ; and Mad am ^ ^ ug K^t!™ ; «f t^H C a?^Wa 1 than! sian grows and flowers ver Y freel y> and so does also a littIe P ink cluster 



rose, the name of which I do not know, but something after the style of 



Waltham 



while ^ £ the Gardeners i 



m'Sz ne, producing variable flowers of rosy-red and white All four 

 if these roses when in full bloom, constitute a picture of loveliness, 

 rwen Mab is especially fine in late summer and early autumn, when 

 he cool and lengthening nights intensify the colour of the flowers. As 

 rht-coloured companions to these we may mention the white-flowered 

 Ducher and the beautiful flesh-coloured Mrs. Bosanquet, the last-named 

 a hybrid between a China and a Bourbon, and thus often classed with the 

 Bourbon varieties. Other good kinds are Archduke Charles, rose 

 changing to crimson ; Madame Breon, rosy; Maria Sage, rose shaded 

 flesh ; and Napoleon, bright pink. The green-flowered rose (Vindiflora) 

 also belong to this section, having probably originated in a sport from the 

 common blush China. The so-called yellow China rose belongs to the 

 tea-scented roses, and requires a greenhouse for its successful cultivation. 



In the second division, comprising the crimson China roses and their 

 allied variety, the richest shades of velvety crimson are to be found in 

 Cramoisie Superieure, and the brightest tints in Fabvier. These are both 

 fine bedding roses, and are two of the most beautiful gems of the rose 

 garden, especially in autumn, when the warm tints of their manifold 

 blossoms are conspicuous among the departing glories of the flower 

 gardens. The old crimson china (Sanguinea) is also very rich in colour, 

 but requires the protection of a wall or building to develop its full beauty. 

 Fabvier forms a capital covering for the low front of a greenhouse wall 

 with a southern aspect, and of Cramoisie Superieure there is a strong 

 growing variety (James Sprunt) which will cover a considerable wall 

 space in a favourable aspect. Other good varieties in this section are 

 Abbe Merland /reddish-purple streaked with white) ; Alba (the white 

 China rose, delicate), Eugene Beauharnais (amaranth, hardy and free), 

 Louis Philippe (dark crimson, with paler edges), and Prince Charles 

 (cherry colour). 



The Fairy or Lawrenceana roses, which form the third division of the 

 China roses, are a small but interesting group. The best of them is the 

 (Iloire de Lawrencias, with rosy-crimson flowers. They are beautiful 

 pot plants for the greenhouse, but are not sufficiently hardy for general 

 cultivation out of doors, and since the introduction of the dwarf-growing 

 I'olyantha roses, the Lawrenceana roses have gone out of fashion. Two 

 other miniature China roses may be mentioned here, namely, Little Pet 

 and Red Pet, producing respectively white and red flowers, and suitable 

 for either outdoor or greenhouse cultivation. 



The cultivation of the China roses presents no difficulties. They 

 luxuriate in a rich soil of moderate consistency, light rather than heavy, 

 but will grow in almost any soil. In pruning, also, they are equally 

 accommodating, and may either be closely pruned or left almost un- 

 touched at the pleasure of their owner. The shortening of the shoots, how- 

 ever, improves the quality of the flowers, and as all the varieties are more 

 or less susceptible to frost, there is generally some damaged wood to be 

 cut away after the winter. At the advent of severe weather it is advisable 

 to protect the heart of the plants. This is easily done by drawing some 

 of the surrounding soil around them. If, then, the upper part of the plant 

 be injured, it will break again in spring from the lower eyes. The smaller 

 growing kinds of the crimson-flowered section are more delicate than the 

 freer-growing class, and require more care in the event of the winter 

 proving a sharp one. For pot culture the China roses are admirable, 

 plants on their own roots growing and flowering well in small pots five 

 and six inches in diameter. If the flower buds are pinched off during the 

 summer months, and the plants kept growing under glass, they will 

 produce a profusion of flowers during October, November, and December, 

 ne period of the year when it is most difficult to obtain roses, and when 

 they are sure to be highly appreciated. 



July, 1896. 



Royal Nurseries, 



Arthur William Paul. 



>S£S? ,l0WC T S and Broccolis.— I cannot endorse the opinion Mr. Henslow 



heading 



produce A ^ ons f. s the sum mer and winter to the accident that one had been mainly 



that wactli^ climate that was warm during our winter and the other in a climate tne mancer. , 



opinion^ US accord mSS ^ oId ' h ? wever P 1 ^ 1 ^. 15 » theory, that such an Before drawing my remarks to a close, I should like to say a word 



Crimson Rambler. We 



flower it is one mass of bloom. Gloire de Dijon, although a free bloomer 



in England, and easy to grow as well, is very different with us. It makes 

 plenty of wood, but produces few flowers. Souvenir d'un Ami is a first- 

 rate variety for pots if kept out of the summer rains ; it grows well and 

 flowers freely. When planted out, however, it is scarcely worth 

 growing. 



Our summer is the principal cause of roses doing badly, as the heat, 

 rain, and typhoons are more than the plants can fight against. From 

 May until October it is one long struggle for the plants to keep alive, and 

 it is surprising that we have not more losses among them than we have. 

 The temperature during this period varies from 85 degrees F. to 94 

 degrees F. in the shade during the day, and from 80 degrees F. to 85 

 degrees F. at night. Most of the rainfall occurs during this season, too, 

 the average amount per annum being over ninety inches. I have seen 

 as much as twelve inches fall in one day, and twenty-four inches in four 

 consecutive days. Circular storms, or typhoons, as they are called in the 

 Far East, are one of the greatest drawbacks to horticulture and arbori- 

 culture in the colony. Rose bushes, shrubs, and trees are uprooted by 

 he hundred when we get the full force of one of these storms. During 

 my residence of six years in Hong Kong two of these storms of excep- 

 tional severity swept over the island, besides many others of less force. 

 The two to which I refer were, one in October, 1894, and the other in 



In the photograph may be seen a tree of Heteropanax 

 fragrans on the far left hand corner of the rose square. There were three 

 of these standing near the rose beds previous to the typhoon of October, 

 1894, but only one remained, and that one badly damaged, after the 

 storm was over. The two araucarias on the far side, which may be easily 

 recognised, as they are taller than any of the other trees, had nearly all 

 their branches stripped off at the same time, and in the photograph show 

 the new branches made since. 



We make up new beds of roses in the autumn, so that the plants may 

 have the benefit of the whole cool season. If they were planted in the 

 spring I do not suppose that one out of a hundred would live through 

 the summer, as they would not have time to become established before 

 the warm weather set in. I should have mentioned that all our young 

 stuff is grown in pots and on their own roots. By this method we can 

 keep them more under control during the rainy season better than if 

 they were grown in the open ground. We increase our stock by layer- 

 ing and cuttings. The layering is done in the autumn and cuttings put 

 in in December or January. The soil in the Botanic Gardens is very 

 poor except where the beds have been made up from soil obtained from 

 the hills. Most of the soil, in fact, is nothing but decomposed 

 granite, and were it not for the fact that we can get plenty 

 of stable manure rose growing, and, for the matter of that, 

 horticulture in general, would be very uphill work in Hong Kong. 

 As it is, we generally manage to have a very good show of roses and 

 other things in their season, on the " barren rock," as some geographers 

 are pleased to term the island. Rose pruning is done in the autumn, and 

 a Rood dressing of manure given to the plants annually. Insects trouble 

 us very little ; we get an attack of green-fly sometimes, but nothing very 

 serious so far as the roses are concerned. 



The winter season being the dry season, necessitates a considerable 

 amount of watering on our part. Formerly this was a serious con- 

 sideration, as our service was connected with the town supply, and often 

 we could not get a drop of water. A year or two ago this was remedied, 

 and now we have our own supply, independent of the town and every- 

 thing else, so that we have sufficient for all our requirements. The 

 Chinese market gardeners are great rose growers. Large Wffgm^ 

 brought into the market every day during the season to meet the demand 

 of the Europeans. The variety they grow principally is the same as the 

 one grown by us, viz., Saffrano. Most of them are grown on the main- 

 land, in British Kowloon, where there are several large rose gardens. 

 As launches are running constantly between Hong Kong and Kowloon, 

 and vice versa, the growers have no difficulty in getting their flowers into 



the market. 



1 



nfluenr^ l a W ' lh P ractical experience. Vegetation or plant life is so much 

 i: tutca oy its environment that anv variations found r^cnlri™ f™™ ^r^tk 



climate an 

 tender and 



tantly 



season 



Protecting 



about an indigenous species, Rosa sinica. This is a magnificent thing, 

 with white flowers three to four inches in diameter, of a rambling habit, 

 and a first-rate thing for a trellis or for trailing over huge rockwork. 

 When I was at Lantao, an island a few miles from Hong Kong, two or 

 three years ago, I saw hundreds of these plants with thousands of blooms 

 ooen on them, and it was the finest show of roses that I had ever beheld' 

 * B™anic Gankns, Hong Kong. W. J. Tutcher. - 



