86 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
natural crossing, that some of the seedlings appear to be inter¬ 
mediate between the two, and therefore, here is reason to believe 
that they are original varieties of one and the same. The sported 
varieties are not distinguishable by colour; for though pale co¬ 
lour is more frequent in the common China roses, and crimson 
in the new-flowering, yet the common has every shade from 
white to crimson, and the new flowering from crimson to white. 
Many of the varieties have colours out of this species, such as 
blueish lilac, nearly scarlet, blackish crimson, and a variety of 
other shades. There are great differences among the varieties 
of these China roses, in the habit as well as in the flowering; 
and thus they are suited for different purposes. The common 
China roses are decidedly best for training on walls and trellises, 
as they are of free and vigorous growth, and remarkably healthy. 
They are so easily cultivated that many of the humblest cottages 
in the country are adorned with them, and they cannot be too 
generally employed for this purpose, as they flower from June 
to November. The new flowers, when true to that character, 
are not so robust in habit or so vigorous in growth, and there¬ 
fore they suit better for the front edges of beds; and as there 
are many shades of colour with the same feeble habit, consider¬ 
able variety may be obtained even in a single row by a judicious 
mixture of these. 
China roses are very easily cultivated, and, with few excep¬ 
tions, they bear the cold of our severest winters; this might be 
expected of them as natives of China ; for though in the northern 
and mountainous parts of that extensive country the summer is 
warmer than with us, yet the winter is colder. Any situation, 
e 
from the cottage rose to the ornamental standard, will suit the 
common China rose; but the stems in which they are budded 
should not be more than two or three feet in height. Those 
standards form fine heads, but as the growth is so vigorous they 
require an annual trimming. This must not be given them in the 
autumn or winter, but towards the end of March. They grow 
so freely that the shoots have to be thinned out, and those which 
are left cut down to half their length. When this is done they 
flower vigorously, beginning in June and ending in November. 
As the flowers fade they should be picked off, as that improves 
the future flowering, and they do not propel seeds in ordinary 
situations, or by common treatment. The season of flowering 
