98 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 15, 1860. 
should not much regard it for the kitchen garden, but should 
dislike it for the flower garden if it looks at all black. If you 
have never been plagued with such gravel some of your sub¬ 
scribers have, and will, perhaps, help me.—A Doeset Sub- 
sceibek. 
[The worst gravel we evor saw made the best walks that we 
have ever seen with two-thirds frosted chalk with it. The worst 
gravel in this kingdom will make walks firm as your shire pave¬ 
ment. Without being frosted it is only about one-tliird so good 
as cement for binding gravel. Two or three inches deep of the 
mixture, w'ell rolled, and then thoroughly watered, and before the j 
surface gets quite dry add as much of the sandy part of the gravel j 
as will just hide the colour of the chalk, and when the surface is 
very near dry roll again, and the walk is as smooth as anything, 
and will last twenty years ; but to keep the colour fresh it must 
be annually wetted, fresh sanded and rolled, just like painting a 
door. Lime is not very good for this.] 
THE EOSE OUT OF DOOES. 
The queen of flowers, tire poet’s favourite, the delight of the 
cottager, the loved flower of tho amateur, and most highly 
esteemed of all flowers by the highest in rank in society, from 
royalty to the most humble possessor of a few yards of flower- 
border—Many somewhat large volumes have been written on its 
qualities, its culture, and propagation, yet it appears that a brief 
essay is wanting on these topics, and, therefore, I take pen in 
hand to give condensed information; but brief though my in¬ 
structions may be, yet I hope they will be sufficient to guide a 
zealous lover of flowers to growing this best- of them in a satis¬ 
factory manner. 
CHAEACTEEISTICS OP A GOOD EOSE. 
1st. Form .—The petals should be smooth at the edges/and 
the outer row should overlap each other, so as to form a circle. 
The next row should be rather shorter, and the next row shorter 
again, and so on to the centre. This arrangement should be the 
same whether the variety turns the petals a little back, or takes 
the cup form, the whole flower should have a slight globular ap¬ 
pearance. Each petal should be stout, because thick petals give 
the colour more density. 
2nd. Calyx or green outer cup. — This part of the flower 
should bo stout and just open enough to allow the first row of 
petals to expand, yet strong enough to bear the petals up in the 
round form. In Moss Roses the finely-divided edges of the 
calyx form the moss, which should bo abundant, and of a clear 
green colour. 
3rd. Colour. —Self-coloured varieties should have the colour, 
whatever it may be, distinct and clear. If the flower is of a 
striped character the stripes should be well defined. Many good j 
kinds of Roses have the lower part of the petal shaded. When¬ 
ever this is the case the shading should terminate at the same 
line on every petal. 
4th. Size .—A largo Rose with every other good characteristic 
will certainly be preferred to a small one : therefore, a large, 
bold, well-formed flower is decidedly superior to a tiny bloom, 
however good it may be. 
5th. Habit. — This refers to the 6tem of the flower, the 
foliage, and the form of the bush or tree. The stem that bears 
tho flower should be strong enough to bear the flower with its 
face upwards. The foliage should be glossy, and of a bright 
green, moderate in size, and of a pleasing form. The tree should 
be bushy and not too much crowded with branches. 
6th. Scent .—This is one of the best characteristics of this 
beautiful flower, and is an indispensablo one. I may venture to 
say that there is no flower whoso fragrance is so pleasant as the 
Rose. 
Such are the characteristics of a good Rose, let every grower 
bear them in mind, and choose such varieties, and grow those 
only that have them in the highest degree. 
Soil and Situation. —Roses will grow in various kinds of 
soils, provided, if the situation is low and damp, that it is 
thoroughly drained. I have grown good Roses in peaty soil 
well mixed with marl or heavy loam ; also on dry, gravelly' soils 
well and heavily manured with that cool fertiliser cowdung, and 
mulched during the summer months with lialf-rotted stable 
dung. With proper attention and adjusting helps of a right 
sort to counteract the adverse soil, Roses may be grown almost 
anywhere, away from the smoke of large towns. In low, damp 
situations, of course, effectual draining is indispensable, and the 
beds of Roses should be raised above the general level. The 
best soil, where it can be chosen, is a good, sound, deep loam, 
well drained ; and the best situation is one moderately elevated, 
but sheltered from the north and north-east winds. Shelters 
may be formed of any tall-growing shrub that has plenty of 
small twigs, such, for instance, as tho Beech or Hornbeam. Of 
evergreens, Holly is, of course, the best. To form a quick shelter 
for the Rose garden, procure a sufficient number of well-branched 
Lombardy Poplars. When in foliage, this tree planted in a close 
row is very effective, even the first year. 
Planting and Geouping. —If I were about to form a Rose 
garden and had the plants to buy, I would certainly visit one of 
the large nurseries in June or July, and then and there mark 
the kinds I would choose. The habit of any variety has very 
much to do with its value. Some that produce good Roses have 
them badly placed amongst the leaves ; others produce so many 
buds that they cannot expand half of them. I would prefer such 
as show their bloom well above the foliage, and also such as 
rather spread out their branches. As an instance, I may give 
Coup d 'Hebe as one kind that shows off its blooms well; and, on 
the other hand, the favourite Ceant des JBatailles has its branches 
so close that the blooms are frequently partially hidden. Having 
marked my kinds I would direct them to be well taken up after 
the first frost had turned their leaves yellow, aud then order them 
to be well packed with the roots in damp moss, and sent off 
immediately. Tho ground being ready for them, make a large 
hole in a handy place, sift some fine soil, put it in the hole, and 
pour water in, stirring the fine soil at the same time till the soil 
is made into a puddle as thick as paint, then dip the roots of tho 
trees in it, and plant them immediately. The best season for this 
work is the month of November; though they may be planted 
successfully through December, January, and February. 
With regard to grouping, it depends upon the form of the 
Rose garden. If in beds, I would plant each bed of one colour, 
or approximating colours, or a few dark varieties in the centre of 
a large bed, surrounded with lighter-coloured varieties. If stan¬ 
dards are planted, then I would plant the tallest in the centre 
bed, the next in height in the bods round the centre one, and so 
on to the lowest-sized dwarf in the outer circle of beds. By this 
arrangement, when the trees are in bloom they will have the 
appearance of an amphitheatre of flowers. If, however, the 
cultivator has only an ordinary long border to grow his Roses in, 
then he may plant his tallest standards at the back, the next size 
in front of them, and so on down to the low dwarfs in front. In 
such a border they might be arranged in the ribbon style : one 
row all of one colour, but varied in kinds, the next row in another 
approximating colour, and so on to the front row. Such an 
arrangement -would be highly beautiful. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued .) 
MANAGEMENT OF SOME BEDDING PLANTS. 
CUTTING DOIVN ANNUALS. 
Would (Enothera serotina (sown last May) do to flower in 
July between a row of dark Dahlias and late Scarlet Geraniums ? 
[Yes, if the plants are properly cultivated.] 
Will any of the following bear transplanting late, so as to 
succeed Clarkias, Nemophilas, &c., now up Anagnllis, Lobelia 
ramosa , Larkspurs, Phlox Drummondi, Sweet Alyssum, Silene 
alba , Salvia romceriana ? If so, how should I treat them P They 
are now about half an inch high in boxes, pot s, &c. 
[Anagallis and Phlox Drummondi do not transplant well so 
late. The rest will do so at any time. -A 11 that they need, in 
pots or on a temporary border, is to be kept from flowering.] 
To carry out Mr. Beaton’s plan of keeping bedding plants over 
the summer and autumn, should I pot young Verbenas, Calceo¬ 
larias, and Geraniums now, and keep heading them down ? 
[No, not Verbenas, Calceolarias, or Geraniums, which make 
bedding cuttings at all seasons. But Anagallis, Petunias, Helio¬ 
tropes, and Unique and Ignescens races of greenhouse Geraniums 
for beds, either do not give good cuttings, or none of real good in 
autumn, are kept in pots from May, stopped through the summer, 
housed in winter, and cut from in February and March.] 
I am much troubled with the damp in my Waltonian Case, 
causing tho plants to mildew : how can I remedy this P It does 
not arise from watering the plants, as after doing so, 1 leave the 
