February 10, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
373 
CONCERNING GARDEN ROSES. 
The Roses of the Rugosa section must be included 
among desirable types for the garden. J. W. 
Williams describes them as a “ grand class,” and I 
think he is right. At the end of last summer, when 
visiting Mr. Charles Turner’s nursery at Langley, I 
was much struck with the Rugosa type, the white 
especially which, in addition to its colour, certainly 
produces the most showy fruit, a discovery the birds 
had made, for they were attacking the fruit of the 
white and devouring them with great gusto, leaving 
that of the red-flowered type untouched. ” From 
earliest spring until late in the autumn Alba 
has never done making the world beautiful. Its 
glossy green foliage is early followed by the pale 
green calyx, which, opening, reveals the long tapering 
flower bud as lovely as Diana’s finger. Soon 
these buds expand into single flowers, fit for the 
admiration of the gods. These blossoms are pro¬ 
duced continuously until the autumn, then comes 
the large scarlet fruit, which some think more 
beautiful than the flowers. 
Once more, later still, 
the foliage takes unto itself 
the richest tints. I have 
a vase before me as I 
write, and seldom have I 
seen such colours. Palest 
amber leaves, shaded with 
a metallic lustre, or re¬ 
splendent with scarlet and 
gold dust, while other 
leaves on the same spray 
are purple bronzes.” Such 
is Mr. Williams’ testi¬ 
mony to the decorative 
value of Rosa rugosa. 
In connection with this 
type he pertinently asks 
—“ Am I right in believ¬ 
ing that Rugosa is self- 
fertilized ? The pollen is 
produced in large quan¬ 
tities before the buds 
open, and the stigmas 
appear already ripe with 
pollen adhering to them. 
All the pollen disappears 
immediately the flowers 
open.” Here then is an 
interesting question raised 
which can well exercise 
the ingenuity of the 
readers of the Garden¬ 
ing World interested in 
such subjects. 
A hybrid Rose of the 
Rugosa section, Madame 
George Bruant, that pro¬ 
duces semi-double flowers 
of the purest white, in 
bunches of from six to 
twelve, is a charming sub¬ 
ject, contents itself with 
blooming, but produces a 
great wealth twice in the 
season, late spring and 
early in the summer. “The 
position ” for the Rugosa type of Rose " should be, if 
planted in a Rose bed,in the second row from the front, 
as it is so very shrubby, and takes a long time to grow 
much higher than three feet. For the front rows 
plant the miniature Polyantha, Ma Paquerette, 
Perle d’Or, Golden Friery, &c., and the Chinas, 
Red and White Pet, &c. Probably the Chinas 
bloom the freest, and are scarcely out of bloom all 
the year round.” 
Mr. Williams also recommends the Macartney 
Rose, with its large single white flowers and ever¬ 
green shining foliage, as a garden variety, though he 
has to admit that its drawback is its want of hardi- 
dood, as it suffered considerably in the last few 
winters. But in a sheltered situation it is a grand 
evergreen climber, and its quantity of large single 
cream-white flowers contrast splendidly with the 
dark, highly-polished foliage. 
Paul’s Carmine Pillar Rose Mr. Williams 
recommends in most glowing terms, and he does not 
think it should be called carmine; it is a much 
deeper colour than that, carmine is a pinky-red. 
And, he adds, " I can see it in my mind’s eye as it 
was exhibited at the last Temple Show, perfectly 
single, with long broad petals of crimson-scarlet, 
exquisite alike in bud and flower. I understand that 
for habit and freedom of bloom it is everything that 
can be desired.” A good word is also put in for 
Paul’s Single White, a flower of wondrous purity, 
blooming from early spring until late in the eutumn, 
not continuously, but periodically. ” How lovely it 
looks in a vase. To get it in perfection, buds, which 
just show the petals, should be cut and put in water 
as soon as possible. A pure single white, tinted 
with coral pink at the edges of the petals, the more 
to be desired because it is a hybrid Sweet Brier.” 
The Scotch Roses are also recommended for 
garden decoration. They may be found growing 
wild in many parts, sometimes high over the cliSs 
above the sea ; there they do not grow much, often 
not more than a foot high, but they are very beauti¬ 
ful. I have seen them in great numbers on the hills 
near the sea at Llandudno, and several varieties can 
be met with in a garden, being removed from the 
action of the sweeping winds. The Scotch Roses 
Galanthus Elwesii. 
form compact bushes, which, early in summer, are 
crowded with bloom. The cultivated varieties are 
chiefly blush, white and yellow, and the infolding 
and unfolding of their petals is a poem. The roots 
run near the surface and throw up suckers; these 
can be removed to multiply them. 
The Banksian Roses among the evergreen types 
make excellent coverings for walls and fences ; and 
there is the myrrh-scented (Myrianthes Renoncule) 
flover, white, tinged with pink, an excellent hardy 
climber that will cover many yards in a single year. 
Other good and useful decorative Roses are the 
old Felicite perpetue, creamy-white, flowering in 
clusters; Lucida plena, rose colour; Camoens, 
bright rose to pink, the flowers produced in many 
masses early in the summer ; but these are but 
representative of many others too numerous to 
mention, and all most useful in the garden. 
It is worthy of notice that although the season 
proved so dry, garden Roses were exhibited on 
various occasions in their very best character. The 
season appeared to have suited them. They 
bloomed with marvellous freedom, as if they could not 
be too prodigal of flowers. I have no doubt that 
one effect of these garden Roses having been shown 
in such full character, will lead to their more ex¬ 
tended culture, and be the means of re-introducing 
from comparative obscurity many floral gems of the 
first water.— R. D. 
- ^ - 
HINTS ON PROPAGATING. 
Layering Asparagus tenuissimus.— The value of 
this grand decorative plant is well known to 
florists on account of its light elegant foliage lasting 
longer in a cut state than anything else ; whilst for 
grouping, if only more widely grown, it would be of 
equally great service. Hitherto it has, however, 
proved to be a somewhat difficult plant to increase, 
and that may have prevented many from attempting 
its culture ; but I will describe the means which 
enabled me to get a stock easily. I had a good 
plant in a 12 in. pot, with plenty of shoots in all 
stages of growth. A box was procured somewhat 
about the length of the plant. It was well drained, 
then filled about half full with rough potting mixture, 
anything available, on the 
top of which was placed a 
layer of loam and leaf soil 
well mixed with a good 
sprinkling of sand, reach¬ 
ing to within an inch of 
the top of the box, and 
’■he surface made quite 
firm. The box was raised 
on a level with the top of 
the pot by means of under 
packing, and we then pro¬ 
cured a supply of wire cut 
into 4 in. and 5 in. 
lengths, and bent at one 
end into the form of a 
hook. The shoots were 
then regularly laid over 
the surface and pegged 
down firmly at a joint, 
and every joint can be so 
treated if a big stock is 
required. Finally give a 
dressing of a light sandy 
mixture and a good water¬ 
ing. When rooted sever 
the connection between 
the old plant and the 
box, doing the same with 
the rooted layers as they 
become strong enough. 
A better time for layering 
could not be found than 
the present. No cutting 
of the stems half 'hrough 
is necessary. I should 
also say that this system 
does not apply to Aspara¬ 
gus plumosus nanus or 
A. reflexa, only to A. 
tenuissimus, as all at¬ 
tempts to increase these 
in the same way have 
proved futile.— J. G. Pet- 
tinger, Stiawberiy Dale 
Nursery, Hairogaie. 
--- 
ELWES’ SNOWDROP. 
Numerous Snowdrops, either species, sub-species 
varieties or supposed natural hybrids, have been in¬ 
troduced to gardens within comparatively recent 
times, but few of them have created a more lively 
interest amongst growers and gardeners generally 
than Galanthus Elwesii. The flowers are large and 
handsome, and possess peculiarities of form and 
markings that take the eye even of those who are, 
strictly speaking, not connoisseurs. The foliage is 
bold and handsome, each leaf being broad and of a 
deep glaucous hue. The flowers are equally large 
compared with the typical form of the common 
Snowdrop with broad and concave, snow-white outer 
segments. The inner segments, although much 
smaller, serve to give the flower a great amount of 
interest and attraction when examined closely. 
Under and around the apical notch, is a dark green 
blotch of horse-shoe form, and below this is another 
of oblong form, extending to the base ; both of them 
are exposed between the openings of the outer seg¬ 
ments, and contrast beautifully with snowy purity of 
the rest of the flower. The inner face of these three, 
