6 
The Australasian Scientific Magazine. [August i, 1885. 
A PLEA FOR EARLY SUMMER ROSES. 
BY 
L. & W. 
Why write of summer roses during days of July? it may be asked. 
Some may think it a subject much more seasonable in December than at 
mid-winter. But our reply is that this is the season of the year when roses 
are planted, and it is the purpose of this paper to indicate what is best for 
planting, or, at least, best for certain purposes. Let us say at the outset 
that we do not intend to refer to the large class of hybrid perpetuals, but to 
certain groups of early flowering summer roses, which are too much 
neglected but which are of great value in the garden. It may be that some 
of our readers, who find in the hybrid perpetual and Noisette roses all that 
they can desire, may deem our notions antiquated, but that is no reason 
why we are constrained to maintain silence. These fine roses are un- 
doubtedly fashionable in these days. But fashion is all very well to a 
certain extent, and it is not well to make inordinate sacrifices at her shrine. 
Some musings in a representative garden of roses during the past summer 
evenings have convinced us that in many rose growers devoting themselves 
with so much ardour to the cultivation of the late summer and autumnal 
roses they have suffered themselves to become a little less than just to the 
tribe of fine old summer-flowering types. Now we have no wish to 
depreciate in any way the beauty and usefulness of such grand roses as 
Vlfred Colomb, A. K. Williams, Charles Lefebvre, Etienne Levet, Marie 
Baumann, and others too numerous to mention 3 but it can be said of the 
summer roses that where the former yield one flower, the latter furnish a 
dozen 3 and coming as they do all together their effect is very fine. Let us 
glance at the characters of a few of these summer roses. First there are the 
Provence or Cabbage roses, progeny of Rosa Centifiolia. The old Provence or 
Cabbage rose is supposed to have been introduced into England in 1596. All 
the varieties are perfectly hardy and deliciously fragrant, mostly of moderate 
or dwarf habit of growth, requiring rich soil and moderate pruning. They 
thrive best when grown upon their own roots, and a bed of the old Cabbage 
rose should be in every rose garden. The best varieties, the common 
Cabbage, rosy pink, large and full; Cristata, or Crested rose, with pale 
edges, beautiful, large, and full 3 Striped Unique, white, sometimes 
beautifully striped with lake, large and full 3 and the White Provence, pure 
white, large and full. The De Meaux, or Miniature Provence, or Pompon 
rose, is an interesting and beautiful type, some of them being moss 
roses. The following are very useful for edging of rose beds, or for making 
small beds, all of them producing flowers about two inches across : — 
Burgundy, deep red, very small and double ; White Burgundy, white, very 
scarce 3 De Meaux, or Pompon, rosy-lilac, very small and full ; Moss de 
Meaux, deep pink, prettily mossed, very small double flowers 3 Little Gem, 
moss, crimson, like the foregoing, but darker, very small and double, a 
