31 
few years ago and has been named P. splendens; it is a large and vig¬ 
orous shrub with unusually large flowers, and one of the handsomest 
Syringas in the collection. Philadelphus maximus, a supposed hybrid 
between P. latifolius from the southeastern United States, and P. to- 
mentosus from the Himalayas, grows to a larger size than any of the 
other Syringas. It is not rare in old Massachusetts gardens in which 
plants from twenty to thirty feet high can occasionally be seen. The 
crossing about thirty years ago in France by Lemoine of P. coronarius 
with P. microphyllus has produced an entirely new race of Syringas 
which has proved to be one .of the best additions to garden shrubs that 
has ever been made. The first plant obtained by this cross is called 
Philadelphus Lemoinei; it is a perfectly hardy shrub four or five feet 
high and broad, with slender stems which bend from the weight of 
countless flowers; these are intermediate in size between those of the 
two parents and retain the fragrance of P. microphyllus. There are at 
least a dozen distinct forms of this hybrid made by Lemoine, varying 
considerably in the size of the plants and of the flowers, and in the 
time of flowering. One of the handsomest, perhaps, is called Candel¬ 
abra; this is a very dwarf plant with flowers larger than those of 
either of its parents and an inch and a half wide, with petals notched 
on the margins, and without the perfume of its parents. Other dis¬ 
tinct forms equally hardy and beautiful are Avalanche, Boule d’Argent, 
Bouquet Blanc, Erectus, Fantasie, Gerbe de Neige and Mont Blanc. 
Some interesting Roses. The Boursault Rose ( Rosa Lheritieranea) has 
not before carried more flowers than it has borne this year. This Rose, 
which was raised in France early in the last century, is believed to be 
a hybrid of R. chinensis and the European R. pendulina , and owes its 
popular name to Monsieur Boursault who a hundred years ago had a 
garden in the Rue Blanche, now Chausee d’Antin, famous for its col¬ 
lection of Roses. There have been several forms of the Boursault Rose, 
the one in the Arboretum collection, which has pale rose red, partly 
double flowers, is not an uncommon plant in old New England gardens. 
It is a tall, vigorous and perfectly hardy shrub with gracefully spreading 
stems. Rosa Marretii has not before flowered so freely in the Arbor¬ 
etum; it is a tall broad shrub with arching stems, pale green leaves, 
and large pink flowers. It is a native of northern Hokkiado and of 
Saghalien where it was discovered by the late Abbe Faurie who sent 
seeds to the Arboretum in 1908. This plant, which is probably still 
rare in cultivation, promises to be a good addition to the single-flow¬ 
ered Roses which can be successfully grown in this climate. The sin¬ 
gle-flowered Chinese form of R. Roxburgii (var. normalis) is flowering 
this week for the first time in the Arboretum and proves to have larger 
flowers than any other Rose in the collection, with the exception of 
R. rugosa and its varieties. The petals are pale shell pink and con¬ 
spicuously notched at apex. The fruit of this Rose will probably be 
almost as ornamental as the flowers, as it is bright red, and thickly 
beset with long sharp prickles. One of the hardiest and best growing 
of the new Roses, Rosa bella , raised at the Arboretum from seeds 
collected by Purdom in northern China, is a plant which when better 
known will be popular. It is a large shrub with bright red flowers an 
inch and a half in diameter, and showy red fruit. The only plant in 
the collection is with the other Chinese Roses on Bussey Hill. Unfor- 
