April. 1921 
41 
A splendid natural rose is Hugonis, 
with buds and blossoms of clear yel¬ 
low set closely along arching stems. 
The foliage is good and the blooming 
season begins very early. One of 
West China’s rose contributions 
but with a tendency not to hold its peculiarly 
pale green foliage all the season. Its exquisite 
pink flowers fairly flood it for its one great 
bloom experience, and it earns its garden way 
quite as well as any lilac does. Very aptly 
named is a hybrid of this robust natural rose 
with an equally robust trailing natural rose of 
Japan, R. Wichuraiana; the hybrid, also ro¬ 
bust and with far better foliage than either of 
its parents, being American Pillar. With 
great flowers of white-eyed crimson to pale 
pink, with a glowing center of sunny stamens, 
this rose is certainly a prize for trellis or hedge 
or pillar, or as a trained shrub. It will hold 
its good leaves to the time of frost, and its 
thick, upstanding canes denote its vigor. 
Other Good Sorts 
The other American native roses that seem 
generally happy as shrubs are R. nitida and 
R. Carolina in the East, and R. Woodsii and 
R. nutkana in the West. I suggest their use, 
with certain foreign sorts, in the larger shrub 
plantings rather than in the intimate garden. 
The exquisitely fragrant sweetbriar or eglan¬ 
tine of England, R. rubiginosa, is a delight, 
and there are vigorous hybrids of it, known 
as the Lord Penzance sweetbriars, which pro¬ 
vide varied hues of most pleasing flowers. 
Taking a long look around the world, we 
find the natural roses of Japan and China 
providing us here in America with colors, fra¬ 
grances and foliage very different from those 
of the Occident, and very desirable to have. 
I have mentioned one in describing a hybrid, 
the Japanese parent of which, R. Wichurai¬ 
ana, is of a trailing rather than climbing dis¬ 
position, and with glossy foliage. The only 
common name for this beautiful white-flow¬ 
ered rose is a gruesome one—it was largely 
sold in America as the “memorial rose” be¬ 
cause of a fancied fitness for decorating 
graves! This is hardly better than the awk¬ 
Another of the Van Fleet unnamed 
hybrids is “W. S. 18,” a blend of 
Soulieana and Wichuraiana, of odorata 
and setigera. In June it is covered 
with wonderfully numerous pure white 
single blossoms. An excellent variety 
ward botanical cognomen, in memory of a cer¬ 
tain Baron Wichura of Japanese fame. The 
rose is lovely in itself, but it lives for us par¬ 
ticularly in a class of hybrids to which it has 
imparted good foliage and a vigorous climbing 
habit. Indeed, the best of our larger flowered 
American climbing roses are crosses with R. 
Wichuraiana (pronounce it comfortably Wy- 
choor-eye-anna, if you please), including Sil¬ 
ver Moon, Climbing American Beauty and 
other prizes. But they are double, and not 
within the scope of this story. 
Rosa Rugosa 
Also of Japan is Rosa rugosa, a chiefly 
beautiful and useful natural rose. Named 
for its rugose or wrinkled foliage of deep 
green, it has also to commend it very large 
flowers of a hue nearly the objectionable ma¬ 
genta in some forms, but varying easily to 
bright pink and pure white. Great vigor, an 
upstanding bush form, and rugged hardiness 
also characterize this natural rose, which is 
useful as a striking shrub in the border, as a 
splendid hedge plant, and directly in the gar¬ 
den if it is occasionally pruned severely or cut 
off right at the roots. The rugosa roses are 
early in bloom, and tend to be continuous 
throughout the season, while their seed 
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