THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 1. 
i 
ventilation, as frequently as is consistent with safety. 
One point should be carefully observed: all pods should 
be plucked the moment they are in high perfection, or 
the plants will soon stop bearing. R. Errington. 
PILLAR ROSES. 
How hard and harsh it seems to have to deal 
unkindly with any one, even were he not worthy of 
our confidence; and how much more, therefore, must 
it be when the parties are old friends and favourites, 
with whom we have often enjoyed the socialities 
of private life, sweetening our path among the thorns 
and briars of a busy world. Yet I fear it must be 
so in the instance of pillar roses. Not one of those 
charming ones mentioned at the end of my last letter, 
or of many others like them, from the other sections 
of summer roses which are now dancing before the 
mind’s eye, woidd I recommend to the notice of the 
young amateurs, while the veterans and devotees in the 
same walk may do, and no doubt will do, just as they 
please, for aught that I can say or write. No ! although 
I was lately among the veterans, and something of a 
devotee besides, I am now the youngest amateur among 
you all; and, without any wish to cast off old friends, 
I shall have nothing to do with summer roses on 
pillars. Hybrid perpetuals and Bourbons will be my 
choice; those I shall select from among the summer- 
bloomers must keep their heads a little lower, and to 
keep them at a proper distance I shall order two autumn, 
or perpetuals, to be planted right and left of every one 
of them. 
We will begin with Mrs. Elliot, the best pillar rose 
among all the hybrid perpetuals—that is, on pillars 
seven feet high; and at the end of the third growing 
it ought to reach the top of the pillar, provided the 
border is made rich, and the soil a strong loam. After 
that Madame Laffay, unless we choose to have Bour¬ 
bons and hybrid perpetuals planted alternately, which 
would be a better arrangement, on account of the dif¬ 
ference in the leaves, and style of growth, and flowering, 
the Bourbons having more glossy leaves, and their 
flowers being more in the style of China roses. 
It is well known that I prefer all the strongest of the 
hybrid perpetuals—those that do for pillar roses on then- 
own roots—and the same with strong Bourbons in beds; 
but for pillars all my Bourbons would be budded on the 
Manetti rose, quite close to the ground. I must also 
remark, that I had some misgivings about recommending 
any of the Bourbons on their own roots; for although 
they have done better with me on their own roots, it 
may have been owing to the nature of the soil, and 
chalky dry bottom, and I have no experience of them, 
worth much, on any other soils, because I have not 
travelled much for some years, looking into other 
gardens; therefore I would rather cancel this part of my 
story, or at any rate leave it, for the present, an open 
question, till I hear and see what the great rose-growers 
have to say and have done about their Bourbons. 
If we had white or light-coloured autumn-bloomers 
I in variety, and strong enough for my pillars, I would 
I arrange them so that the white ones would come in after 
I crimson or dark ones; but we have not much variety 
| in colour to choose from, and all the light ones are 
| Bourbons. Aculale is the best white of them, but it 
| is liable to be cut down by a hard frost, so that it must 
be protected. hnperatrice Josephine is a blush rose, of 
excellent habit for pillars, and Lavine d'Ost is like it in 
that respect, and also a blush. Madame Lacharme is a 
better white than either of these—indeed, the next to 
Acidalc; but its way of growth, and flowering in large 
clusters, puts you too much in mind of a China rose. We 
must admit it, however, on account of its colour, and its 
excellent habit i'or covering a pillar. Therefore, if we 
mixed the two classes in one vow of pillars, any of these 
light ones will do between Mrs. Elliot and Madame 
Laffay, then another light one, to be followed either by 
Le Grenadier or Dupetit Thouars, the two best dark 
Bourbons that will answer for pillars. Then Baronne 
Prevost, or Duchess of Sutherland, for a light rose tint, 
and Sidonie, another shade of pink, and a splendid j 
rose. I believe these are the only distinct shades we 
can make out. Bouquet de Flora, among the Bourbons, I 
would give a redder tint, and so would Splendens ; and 
these two should not be planted near each other for 
fear of looking too much alike. Neither should Mrs. 
Elliot, and William Jesse, although brother and sister; 
so that, after all, we come short of a good arrangement 
of colours; and even as it is, what is here suggested 
need not be followed, and all that I can do farther is to 
give the names and colours of the best sorts for pillars 
in each of the two sections, which, I hope, will be of 
some service, as the real habits of these roses are not 
nearly so well known as the colours; besides, having 
incurred the responsibility of recommending autumn- : 
bloomers only for the ordinary size of pillars, some i 
might suppose that any of the hybrid perpetuals would 
do as well as most of the Bourbons, and so get deceived 
after all, and call me over the coals when it is too late 
to help myself. 
There are, however, comparatively, but few roses in 
each section of these perpetuals that are really fitted 
to be made into pillars, whereas more than two-thirds 
of the hybrid Chinas and hybrid Bourbons, and several 
among the other sections of other summer roses, are 
naturally better adapted for pillar roses than for any 
other way ; and although I prefer the autumn-bloomers 
to all the finest summer roses for every purpose what¬ 
ever, that is no reason why others should participate in 
this prejudice, or be deprived of their summer roses; 1 
therefore, after giving an account of my own favourite 
roses, I shall also name the best of the summer-bloomers 
for pillars. 
To begin with the Hybrid Perpetuals: Mrs. Elliot is 
the first on the list—a large, glossy, red, rosy flower. 
Madame Laffay, crimson. These two cannot be im¬ 
proved in growth by any kind of stock whatever. ; 
Baronne Prevost, a true rose colour, and the largest of 
roses. Late in November this Baronne vies with Ful- 
gore in deceiving you into the belief that the old cab¬ 
bage-rose has turned perpetual, but he is not nearly so 
sweet as his rival. Duchess of Sutherland, a shade 
lighter than the Baronne, a charming rose, with a name 
no less so. For the south of England and Ireland, Earl I 
Talbot would come in next, a splendid deep rosy red, but 
I cannot recommend it] generally, it is so double and 
hard in the bud that it cannot open well. This rose and 
Prince Albert require a New Zealand climate. If I were 
going there, they are the first two I would pack. Cornet, 
a pinky lilac, rose-colour, a very large flower, and the i 
nearest to Fulyore in sweetness. 
By the by, it would be very desirable to hear free J 
criticism on the sweetness of autumn roses, Mr. Rivers ! 
says Biego is the sweetest of all roses, whilst I always 
put it down as a third-rate in that respect, and, therefore, 
I may be wrong about Cornet, but I could bring forward 
some of the first ladies in the laud to back me about 
Fulyore, late in the autumn, for I have often made the \ 
experiment, therefore, being a strong grower, I adopt it j 
for a good pillar rose. It is, if any thing, deeper in j 
colour than the cabbage-rose, and it must be on its own | 
roots, and be treated like the Gloire de Rosamene to keep i 
it full at the bottom. That is, all the small shoots must : 
be cut in quite close, and the strong ones be left at ] 
nearly their full length, and when the pillar is covered, i 
we must begin to cut out gradually the three-year old j 
wood. By attending strictly to this system, these two 
