THE GARDENING WORLD. 483 
PREMIER BLOOM OF 
ROSE SUZSNNE MARIE RODOCMfiCMI, 
July 20, V907. 
Perns. = - 
Indoor Culture. 
There is no more interesting hobby 
han the cultivation of a few selected 
r erns, especially to those who are obliged 
0 spend much of their time indoors, as, 
inlike flowers, they retain their graceful 
oliage throughout the year, if properly 
nanaged. 
Ferns dislike direct sunshine, hence 
heir peculiar adaptability to indoor 
growth. Each pot should be slightly 
-urned every day so that the light reaches 
•very side alike, and they must be 
shielded from draughts of any kind. Do 
lot put them in jardinieres which are 
iable to retain water, which rots the 
ilant and breeds vermin; the ordinary 
erra-cotta pots are much better, as they 
dways show a wet surface as far as the 
vatermark. The Ferns are in good con- 
lition when this watermark is an inch 
Tom the top of the pot with a little water 
.ving in the saucer beneath. 
' The growth, or otherwise, of your Ferns 
depends almost entirely on the correct 
imount of watering they receive, F erns 
ove water, as is apparent from the fact 
hat in their natural state they are always 
0 be found in or near a stream. They 
,hould have water fresh every day, for if 
,-ou once allow them to become dry 
hroughout they will never regain their 
iull lusty health, and it is best to cut 
them down entirely. Once a week give 
jour ferns a bath; place them in a tub 
n water about the heat of a summer 
ihower, and then spray them thoroughly 
or about five minutes or so, this removes 
all dust collected on the leaves, and 
jives the plant fresh life. A spray of 
obacco water is excellent to remove in¬ 
sects from a diseased Fern. 
In dividing or repotting a Fern, select 
a pot large enough to give the roots 
olenty of room, place a few bits of 
oroken crockery at the bottom for drain¬ 
age, and then fill the pot with good leaf 
mould. If your Fern has overgrown its 
pot and you do not wish to use a larger 
one, simply cut off a portion of the roots 
sufficiently to enable its replacement in 
.he same pot. This summary treatment 
never seems to hurt them in the least, 
and the more hardy kinds, the Pterises 
also, certainly gain by it. 
Any imperfect frond should at once be 
cut off close to the root; they are only a 
(strain to the plant while detracting from 
its appearance. 
Some gardeners recommend the plac¬ 
ing of thin pieces of raw meat close to 
the inside of the pot between pot and 
soil, as a wonderful stimulant to the 
growth of Ferns, when the other condi¬ 
tions of Fern growing are observed. 
The Maidenhair Fern is without doubt 
the most popular, and certainly no group 
of Ferns is complete without it, but the 
Pteris also is a lovely little fern, closely 
resembling the Maidenhair, and although 
of slow growth, it possesses a charm of 
its own, while the Flare’s Foot, As- 
pleniums, etc., should not be passed over. 
Indeed the only difficulty with a beginner 
is which variety to select, but vdien this 
obstacle is conquered, the pleasure to be 
obtained from the culture of these beauti¬ 
ful plants is immeasurable. 
Absala. 
Every year at Rose Exhibitions we are 
sure to meet with blooms of this beauti¬ 
ful H.P. Rose in the stands of exhibi¬ 
tors. Occasionally there are extra fine 
blooms as in the case of the bloom here 
illustrated, which took the National Rose 
Society’s Silver Medal as the premier 
H.P. in the nurserymen's section. The 
exhibitors were Messrs. Alexander Dick¬ 
son and Sons, Ltd., Newtownards, County 
Down, Ireland. 
The colour of the florvers is remarkably 
bright, and different wording has been 
given by different writers as to the exact 
colour. Some describe it as rosy 
cerise, and others as glowing rose. In 
any case the colour is very clear and 
bright, without any shading, being one of 
the most decidedly self-coloured Roses 
we have. The petals are also broad and 
arranged around a single centre. 
The plant itself is vigorous, and may 
be used either as a standard, a bush, or 
for. ordinary garden decoration. When 
not required for exhibition, but merely 
H. P. Rose Suzanne 
for garden purposes, the bush need not 
be so severely pruned, and a larger num¬ 
ber of blooms will be forthcoming. To 
get the best form for exhibition purposes, 
however, it is necessary to observe the 
rules which exhibitors find to be the best 
by pruning fairly close, by thinning, and 
by disbudding where necessary to get the 
blooms of the largest size. 
That which we illustrate was far above 
the usual for size, and notwithstanding 
the severe weather that has prevailed for 
some months past, it was in excellent 
form. It is a splendid Rose for amateurs, 
as it nearly always comes good what¬ 
ever the nature of the season may be. 
Certain varieties will only come good 
when the season suits them, but practic¬ 
ally any season suits this Rose, and con¬ 
sequently it is constantly to be found on 
the show-boards. It was raised by a 
nurseryman of the name of Leveque in 
1883, that is 24 years ago. Many of the 
H.P.’s have been put into the background 
in recent years by the splendid size and 
Maclaren and Sons. 
Marie Rodocanachi. 
