444 



GA RDENERS* MA GA ZINE. 



J UL * 9, 1898. 



In years to come there will be a first-rate example of the old English 

 garden, with its fancifully-clipped trees, at Friar Park, and already there 

 are numerous beds in this curiously-designed parterre. The standard 

 retenosporas worked on thick stems of Cupressus Lawsoniana are fine 

 specimens. There are peacocks and pyramids, ovals, columns, and 

 many other shapes in yews, cypress, and thuias, but as yet the speci- 

 mens are young, and the garden is not completely planted. Golden 

 privets are also to be prominent here, and in many shapes. The rhodo- 

 dendron dell is situated on one side of a deep hollow, and along this 

 slope a path winds backward and forward, falling at each turn until the 

 bottom of the hollow is reached. The rhododendrons are planted on 

 either side of the walk, so that a continuous scene is presented to the 

 pedestrian, and he can examine any one of the fine bushes at leisure, or 

 a fine view of the whole garden as a mass can be obtained from above 



or below. . . 



One might continue writing for a long time without exhausting the 



interest of Friar Park, but already I have exceeded the limits of space pre- 

 scribed, and so conclude this notice by stating that the ample kitchen 

 garden is well cropped, and the young fruit trees are everywhere looking 

 well. The twenty or so of glasshouses erected by Messrs. Crompton and 

 Fawkes, Chelmsford, contain large supplies of grapes, peaches, nec- 

 tarines and figs, all in first-iate condition, and testifying to the care and 

 skill of Mr. Knowles. There are also gorgeous displays of calceolarias, 

 every plant a picture, and gloxinias of the very best forms, some specimens 

 —now past their best— measuring two feet across. Other flowering 

 plants and foliage subjects for decorating are equally well managed, 

 and there are the foundations of good collections of both orchids and 



cacti* 



Friar Park has a great future as a famous horticultural establishment, 

 and it is earnestly hoped that the present proprietor, F. Crisp, Esq., will 

 long live to enjoy his country home, and that his able steward, Mr. 

 Knowles, may long continue to enjoy the support and goodwill of his 

 present generous employer. One word more ; Friar Park is open to the 

 public one day a week ; admission sixpence. Half the proceeds go to 

 the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, and the other half to the 



distributed 



C. H. Curtis. 



Roses in the North of Scotland. 



In Scotland this year the rose growers have had a rather peculiar 

 experience, in so far as the season promises to be a late one, notwith- 

 standing the fact that the first four months of the year were much 

 warmer than the average. In May, though we had here a low tempera- 

 ture, we never experienced more than four degrees of frost, and not so 

 much as that in June. The May rains have, in connection with the 

 previous warmth, induced such a strong, vigorous growth that it rendered 

 us quite unable to compete at any show during the week of the National 

 Rose Society's Crystal Palace Exhibition. I feel sure the blooms will be 

 magnificent after the middle of July, and I append a list ot the dates o 

 first blooms here, to show the effects of this season, as compared w th 



others 



1893 



1894 

 1894 



1895 

 1895 



1S96 



181,7 



1S97 

 1898 



1898 



• • • 



1 • . 



• • • 



• • t 



• • • 



• • • 



■ ■ 



■ • • 



Maiden plants 

 Cutbacks 

 Maiden plants 

 Cutbacks 

 Maiden plants 

 Cutbacks 



Maiden plants 

 Cutbacks 



Maiden plants 

 Cutbacks 



Maiden plants 

 Cutbacks 



• • • 



• t • 



• • t 



• » 



• * • 



• * 



• • • 



• • ■ 



June 

 May 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 May 



June 

 June 

 June 

 June 



7 



TO 



is 



6 



4 

 10 



1 



26 



25 



9 

 15 



7 



• t • 



• • • 



- • 



• • » 



• t • 



Distinction. 

 Rubens. 



Marie Van Houtte. 

 Rubens. 



Grace Darling. 

 Rubens. 



Gloire de Dijon. 

 Grace Darling. 

 Grace Darling. 

 Bardou Job. 

 Bardou Job. 

 Bardou fob. 



It mil be noticed from the varieties that are named above that teas 

 and hybrid teas are invariably the earliest to flower, and, I may add, also 

 the latest. We find that they are quite as hardy as the hybrid perpetuals, 

 and much freer in blooming, and are the favourite class in this district, 

 borne seasons we have had twelve degrees of frost during the third week 

 in May, and in some winters the thermometer registers below zero, and 

 though entirely unprotected, still these roses live and subsequently grow 

 and flower abundantly. This year they are exceptionally strong, many 

 of our dwarf teas having on June 28 shoots over two feet long, and all 

 w »th strong flower buds, which checked the shoot growth weeks ago. 



we rather like a cool season here, as it suits hybrid perpetuals so 

 much better than a hot one. Taking 1897 as an example, we had here 

 what we considered the finest quality of roses we had ever seen, with 

 such a wonderful substance in the petals, accompanied with richness of 

 colour as will linger long in the memory of all who saw them. From the 

 middle of July until the middle of August was the time of their greatest 



(eZ nf a i ye r[ WC are lookin K ,orward to an ec l ual if n ot a greater 

 hnnufc ? y ; P e teas are stronger and more robust than usual, 

 ^ g mc^£ toU S P erversitie s of the month of May, we will not be 



co uk SJ T 1 th , Second week in J" 1 * whereas * w ° y^rs ago we 

 fre^ ° n ft*** In 1897 wc gained sixty-six first prizes, 



^hA^Si roostof , the large growers in the Uiittd Kingdom 

 du<^ idea of the quality of rose? pro- 



fonvari ^ ° f SC0 T tland than ^ other arguments I could bring 



DaiHousie Nursery, ^^^°^ eSSrS - D - W ' Cr °">- 



THE GOOD DIE YOUNcT-ir kl 



h*.kT P * ne Pr* tv "y day prcCes Iw ^„ n,0 ? t P°P ular this has very little I ruth in 



jeop e, and gotd lhi g en ',,.. l£! t0 llve ,n - ,n fact ' tur "penerxe is that cocc' 



W; • On the other haitf. we ha*. U u ard are new forgotten. Why ? Because trev 

 £t wlr* '« ™ ^al-.rT m y * P . ai t^ 0il tmer "' *Wch have ^tLeLhfS 



AMON 



THE 



Colchester Roses 



ALTHOUGH Colchester is regarded by a considerahl* ^™ 

 who are acquainted with East Anglia as s Trnp^ ffi 

 mercial town, it is rich in interest apart altogethe 

 aspect, and has strong claims upon the student of hi 



, com- 

 from us business 



and upon those whose taste has been sufficients "JE£L VHF* 0 ^ 

 ciate the delicate flavour of the succulent bivalve whic 

 so much success m the Colne. It was on the sit? of X d w,th 

 borough that the Emperor Claudius, in the vear L «f a k? v 5 ? resent 

 Roma g n colony founded in Great Britain, LIT, i%T^Zt\ 

 the historical importance of the town in the Norman f ? °* 



famous castle, considered to be the finest Norman keen in lhi ° Dc ! 

 Kingdom, and in the ruins of St. Botolph's Priory and St JolS, xk^ 

 and in the many objects of interest in the Museum, that remind us rf,/' 

 important events in the history of the boroueh and of in* ™ \ ht 

 tha P t have taken place in the" habits of tS^S^^^ 

 Roman Emperor made his triumphant entry eighteen and a half S 

 tunes ago Colchester still possesses further interest, more especSlv 

 for horticulturists, for it has become what has been aptly descrE 

 the metropolis of rose growing, and the great industry that has 1*2 

 created within and on the boundary of the borough has probablv doS 

 more to make its name a household word throughout the United Kingdom 

 than the stirring events in its history. 8 



It was certainly not for the purpose of studying its history or 

 archaeological features or for becoming acquainted with the details of 

 oyster culture which is carried on with so much success, that with the 

 aid of the splendid service of trains provided by the Great Eastern 

 Railway I made a flying visit to Colchester. Rather was it to have a 

 run through, not for the first time, the rose gardens from which are 

 obtained so large a proportion of the winning collections contributed to 

 the principal competitive gatherings. On this occasion I had the 

 advantage of the company of that distinguished amateur rosarian, 

 O. G. Orpen, Esq., who, in extending a hearty invitation, undertook not 

 only to show me what he is doing with so much success at West 

 Bergholt, but kindly offered to act as guide in visiting the trade 

 establishment wholly devoted to the production of roses and rose plants 

 That the offer of guidance was gladly accepted goes without saying 

 for in the first place the pleasure of the drive through the rose-growing 

 district is greatly enhanced by having the company of a kindred spirit, 

 and in the second a knowledge of the topography rendered it possible 

 to cover more ground in the time at my disposal than would otherwise 

 have been possible. Moreover, with the assistance of a rosarian so 

 obsenantand skilful, it was possible to obtain a clearer conception of 

 the conditions affecting rose culture that obtain in the district than would 

 otherwise have been possible, and I readily acknowledge the value of the 

 service so kindly rendered. In the course of my experience of lose 

 exhibitions, I have heard many conjectures as to the cause of the success 

 achieved by the Colchester roses. Seme have attributed the success 

 wholly to the soil, others to the climate, while a third section of rosaiians 

 have regarded skill as the chief factor. I have not been disposed to 

 accept either the soil, the climate, or skill as the sole cats?, for I 

 have long known that there has been more than one, and with 

 the fuller knowledge I now possess, I have no doubt that the 

 splendid development of the flowers is the result of high-class 

 cultural skill being combined with a splendid soil, and an 

 eminemly favourable climate. Mr. Orpen's garden and the several 

 rose nurseries are situate on the high ground some distance to the north 

 of the railway station, and as the district is within the influence of the 

 strong air of the North Sea, the atmosphere is pure and the air decidedb' 

 bracing. The climatic conditions are indeed highly favourable to the 

 production of stout, short-jointed, and well ripened wood, which may be 

 described as the foundation of finely developed blooms. The soil is some- 

 what variable, but everywhere more or less favourable to the growth « 

 roses. The soil of Mr. Orpen's garden is decidedly light, and while it 

 enables him to devote his leisure with so much success in the develop- 

 ment of the potentialities of tea roses, it is not strong enough to admit « 

 his growing the hybrid perpetuals to the highest degree of per ect» 

 The soil of the nurseries of Messrs. B. R. Cant, Messrs. Frank tarn 

 and Co., and Messrs. D. Prior and Son appear to vary son ' ewna V£ 

 as proved to demonstration, it is throughout sufficiently subsU ?"*L, 

 insure, with the aid of moderate applications of manure, a V1 K°*~ 

 growth and flowers of high qualitv. It has also the advantage oi wjj 

 triable and well drained, two conditions eminently favourable to we* 

 ductton of an abundance of fibrous roots, so essential to the s ^ ^ 

 the plants when transferred to the gardens in which they find a per 

 home. 



Mr. Orpen's Garden. 



Mr. Orpen's residence is situated on the high ground at Wes - 

 holt, some two miles to the north of the railway station, ana co 

 one of the most beautiful prospects in the eastern counties. 



indeed be said of the site of the house and garden that tne 

 the surrounding scenery, its gentle declivities, its "^"^'^aad 

 sprinkled with flocks and herds, its well-cultivated uplands, its ^ 

 rivers, with numerous scattered villages and ^J*' en j t T a*, 

 picturesque cottages, impart to this particular spot an a rf 

 elegance hardly anywhere else to be found." We have an in ^ 

 the taste Mr. and Mrs. Orpen have for roses in the border ^ 

 the carriage drive, and in the huge specimen of / 0 "", 5pa ce 

 which spreads over a considerable amount of »* ^ p, 

 their residence to the height of some twenty 

 duces its attractively - coloured flowers in due se ^ 

 plants are of interest as a foretaste of the feast ot 5^ 

 elsewhere, and it may be of interest to mention that, aitno * 



r 



Tbf* 



nioyment 



