JOURNAL  ON  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
February  27, 1838. 
186 
I  BELIEVE  all  rosarians  have  a  very  warm  corner  in  their  hearts  for 
this  delightful  section.  No  doubt  we  often  wish  they  were  less  exacting 
in  their  requirements ;  but  when  we  get  them  in  perfection,  the  wondrous 
delicacy  of  their  colouring  and  peculiar  deliciousness  of  perfume  seem 
to  lead  us  to  a  higher  level  of  beauty ;  indeed,  I  have  known  some 
enthusiastic  lovers  of  Eoses  begin  by  showering  their  affections  on  the 
whole  genus  Rosacere,  and  by  admiring  none  but  Teas.  Such  have  usually 
pronounced  artistic  tastes,  and  they  tell  us  that  the  soft  gradations  of 
colour  blendings,  which  Nature  supplies  in  such  infinite  variety  in  Tea 
Eoses,  prove  so  fascinating  to  a  trained  eye  that  their  whole  interest 
must  be  centred  in  them,  while  they  leave  others  to  sing  the  praises  of 
the  Hybrid  Perpetuals,  which  are  distinctly  noted  for  the  brilliancy  and 
more  clearly  defined  variations  of  colour. 
There  is  one  point  in  connection  with  the  culture  of  Teas  of  which 
I  think  sufficient  advantage  is  not  taken  ;  it  is  this— they  succeed 
admirably  in  many  high  and  comparatively  poor  soils,  in  which  the 
H.P.’s  never  seem  quite  at  home.  Of  course,  in  soils  of  this  nature  they 
must  be  constantly  and  liberally  fed  ;  but  this  is  a  matter  presenting 
little  difficulty,  certainly  much  less  than  that  of  bringing  a  stiff 
soil  into  the  right  mechanical  condition,  for  Teas  must  have  a  well- 
drained  soil,  quite  free  from  pastiness.  Bushes  in  open  quarters  had 
rather  a  bad  time  during  the  two  previous  winters  ;  but  this  year  all  has 
gone  well  so  far.  Let  us  hope  that  those  fatal  spring  frosts  will  not 
visit  us  this  year.  I  always  think  it  is  a  pity  to  plant  hardy  Roses 
agaimt  walls  in  warm  positions  ;  such  places  should  be  reserved  for 
these  tender  beautieB. 
I  will  now  pen  a  few  notes  on  vigorous  growers  suitable  for  planting 
against  high  walls  or  buildings.  Belle  Lyonnaise,  with  its  deep  canary- 
yellow  flowers,  is  one  of  the  best  for  the  purpose  ;  it  is  also  fairly  hardy, 
and  it  is  seldom  that  the  wood  gets  killed  during  our  most  severe  winters, 
except  a  few  old  and  almost  worn-out  branches.  Sharp  winters  usually 
finish  such.  Climbing  Devoniensis  I  do  not  consider  suitable  for  plant¬ 
ing  in  the  open  air  except  in  the  South  of  England.  The  flowers  are 
extremely  beautiful,  but  to  get  it  to  flower  abundantly  it  must  be  allowed 
to  ramble  at  will ;  it  then  quickly  covers  a  large  amount  of  space. 
Should  a  very  severe  winter  occur  much  of  the  wood  is  killed.  Strong 
suckers  are  then  sent  up,  and  another  season  is  spent  in  getting  good 
flowering  wood,  and  the  chances  are  that  by  the  time  appearances  lead 
us  to  look  for  flowers  in  abundance  cruel  frost  again  robs  us  of  our 
reward.  As  a  greenhouse  Rose  this  variety  is  excellent. 
Climbing  Niphetos  is  good,  but  it  ought  to  be  planted  against  a  south 
wall ;  climbing  Perle  des  Jardins  is  really  a  grand  acquisition.  I  have 
often  heard  it  remarked  that  the  flowers  are  as  good  as  those  of  Mardchal 
Niel.  It  is  a  very  free  bloomer,  and  hardier  than  many  kinds.  Germaine 
Trochou  produces  flowers  of  a  peculiar  mixture  of  salmon  and  nankeen 
yellow  ;  it  is  also  very  hardy,  and  in  all  respects  a  good  garden  Rose. 
Gloire  de  Dijon,  of  course,  is  too  well  known  to  need  particularising ; 
but  there  is  one  peculiarity  about  it  which  is  not  often  noted  in  the  Press — 
viz.,  in  some  soils  and  positions  the  flowers  when  fully  expanded  are 
beautifully  suffused  with  rose.  Madame  Berard  is  such  a  good  doer  and 
produces  flowers  so  handsome  and  peculiar  in  colour  that  I  often  wonder 
it  is  not  more  frequently  met  with.  I  see  in  some  catalogues  the  colour 
is  described  as  salmon-rose  ;  with  us  it  is  invariably  a  near  approach  to 
apricot  yellow  suffused  with  rose. 
Pink  Rover  I  like  immensely  ;  the  delicate  shade  of  pink  the  flowers 
have  is  one  that  “takes.”  Though  not  a  very  strong  grower  it  answers 
well  for  walls  or  fences  of  moderate  height.  Waltham  Climber  No.  1 
supplies  flowers  of  a  distinct  colour  in  this  section  of  Roses.  Reine 
Marie  Henriette  is  a  grand  and  attractive  variety,  and  has  been  very 
appropriately  named  the  red  Gloire  de  Dijon.  If  given  a  sunny  position, 
and  little  pruning,  it  flowers  freely,  and  the  foliage  is  retained  through¬ 
out  the  winter. 
Passing  from  this  rampant  grower  I  come  to  that  large  group  which 
is  composed  of  varieties  adapted  for  bush  culture  and  for  planting 
against  low  walls,  or  in  other  warm  positions.  Adam,  a  very  old  and 
not  common  variety,  is  in  every  respect  a  garden  Rose.  It  flowers  con¬ 
sistently  throughout  the  summer,  is  blush  rose  in  colour,  and  possesses 
a  very  sweet  fragrance.  Anna  Ollivier  is  especially  good  in  the  bud, 
but  unfortunately  does  not  flower  so  freely  as  one  would  wish. 
Catherine  Mermet  and  its  sports  Bridesmaid  and  Waban  all  possess 
sterling  merit,  and  give  flowers  of  great  size  and  substance  in  pleasing 
shades  of  pink  and  rose  ;  they  are,  moreover,  very  free  flowerers.  The 
white  sport,  The  Bride,  should  be  in  every  collection.  Comtesse  Riza 
du  Parc  and  Ernest  Metz  supply  flowers  of  attractive  salmon  rose  and 
crimson  rose  tints  ;  they  have  long  been  special  favourites  with  me. 
Plants  growing  on  a  low  south  wall  each  year  give  us  many  very  fine 
flowers.  Corinna,  one  of  Messrs.  W.  Paul  &  Son’s  best  new  Teas,  I  have 
not  yet  tried,  but  hope  to  do  so  this  season.  The  flowers  I  saw  of  it 
last  "year  were  wonderfully  attractive  as  well  as  distinct.  Goubault, 
with  its  bright  rose  flowers,  is  very  sweet ;  perhaps  a  little  too  flimsy  in 
the  petal  and  somewhat  tender. 
Grace  Darling  and  Madame  Lamoard  are  a  pair  to  grow  in  quantity, 
both  are  very  hardy,  flower  constantly,  and  are  especially  attractive  ; 
the  former  produces  flowers  of  varying  shades  of  colour,  from  buff  to 
bright  rose  ;  indeed,  I  think  it  may  appropriately  be  termed  a  Rose  of 
surprises.  Were  I  asked  to  name  a  Tea  ahead  of  all  others  in  point  of 
floriferousness  I  should  unhesitatingly  say  Homer.  It  is  one  of  the 
earliest  to  begin  flowering  and  the  latest  to  finish.  We  have  a  large 
tree  on  a  south  wall,  and  to-day  (February  12th)  I  found  upon  it  two 
buds  large  enough  to  cut,  the  attractive  rosy  white  colour  being  as  good 
as  in  the  summer  time.  It  does  well  as  a  bush,  but  its  right  place  is 
against  a  wall.  Hon.  Edith  Gifford,  what  a  charming  flower  this  is  in  the 
bud  !  certainly  one  of  the  best  among  flesh  coloured  varieties,  and  a 
prolific  one,  too.  Isabella  Sprunt  flowers  as  abundantly  as  any  yellow 
Rose  I  know.  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam  is  often  regarded  as  a  poor  doer. 
It  is  not  so  with  us,  a  plant  growing  against  a  low  south  wall  annually 
gives  some  of  the  largest  blooms  of  a  delicate  flesh  colour  that  we  have. 
Ma  Capucine  is  a  very  bushy  grower,  exceedingly  attractive  in 
the  bud,  in  colour  being  copper.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  flowers 
have  but  little  scent.  Madame  Hoste  and  Perle  des  Jardins  are  two 
bright  yellows  of  sterling  merit.  The  former  is  quite  an  ideal  Rose  in 
shape,  and  in  every  other  respect  good  ;  the  latter  with  us  usually 
produces  flowers  of  a  fine  canary  yellow,  except  during  the  prevalence 
of  very  hot  weather,  they  are  then  often  much  paler  in  colour. 
Madame  de  Watteville  has  always  been  considered  very  tender.  I 
do  not  find  it  to  be  more  so  than  the  majority  of  Teas  ;  it  is  in  every 
respect  a  delightful  variety,  worthy  of  the  attention  of  all.  Marie  Van 
Houtte  and  Niphetos  are  so  widely  popular  that  I  need  not  dilate  on 
their  charms.  Princess  of  Wales  does  not  seem  to  be  much  grown  ;  why 
I  know  not,  for  it  is  certainly  a  desirable  variety,  growing  very  dwarf, 
and  producing  in  abundance  flowers  having  the  outer  petals  rosy  yellow, 
centre  golden  yellow.  Safrano,  an  old  favourite,  is  perhaps  as  widely 
known  as  any  Rose,  and  is  justly  esteemed  for  its  beauty  in  the  bud. 
Safrano  a  Fleurs  Rouges  in  growth  and  habit  resembles  the  foregoing, 
and  the  rosy  red  colour  of  its  flowers  makes  it  particularly  pleasing. 
Souvenir  d’un  Ami  is  another  old  favourite  which  still  ranks  among  the 
very  best,  and  I  think  will  ever  do  so  ;  the  pleasing  admixture  of 
salmon  and  rose  in  the  flowers  gives  a  shade  of  colour  much  sought  after 
at  the  present  time.  The  shoots  of  this  variety  should  be  well  thinned 
so  as  to  get  them  strong,  very  fine  flowers  are  then  the  result. 
Viscountess  Folkestone  is  one  of  the  very  best  among  the  hybrids,  as 
it  grows  strongly  and  produces  large  and  highly  attractive  salmon  pink 
blossoms.  This  for  the  present  will  complete  my  list  of  varieties  about 
which  I  have  jotted  down  a  few  notes.  I  am  fully  aware  that  I  have 
passed  over  many  of  sterling  merit,  but  I  have  stedfastly  adhered  to  the 
principle  of  particularising  only  those  I  know  to  be  thoroughly  good. 
Roses  are  now  so  numerous  and  withal  are  so  enthusiastically 
cultivated  by  all  sections  of  the  community,  that  I  should  not  be 
surprised  to  see  their  influence  recognised  by  some  of  England’s  greatest 
statesmen,  for  what  more  quickly  breaks  down  the  barrier  between  high 
and  low  than  a  mutual  interest  in  a  simple  flower?  If  all  the  good 
deeds  done  in  this  world  could  be  traced  to  their  true  source  many  of 
them  I  know  would  be  found  to  have  sprung  from  the  softening  influence 
of  a  tender  flower.  Thus  in  their  silent  way  they  help  to  shape  the 
destinies  of  nations,  and  though  the  Rose  was  once  the  emblem  of  a 
divided  England,  to-day  it  is  its  symbol  of  unity. — H.  D. 
LILIUMS  AND  RHODODENDRONS. 
Mr.  McCulloch  sends  us  a  photograph  of  a  bed  of  Lilium  auratum, 
platyphyllum,  and  rubra  vittatum,  taken  in  the  gardens  at  Newstead 
Abbey,  Notts.  The  bulbs  were  planted  in  February,  1894,  in  a  bed  that 
had  been  well  prepared  for  choice  Rhododendrons,  and  flowered  the 
following  October.  After  flowering  they  were  heavily  mulched  with 
short  well-decayed  manure,  and  last  spring  they  started  very  strongly. 
At  the  time  the  photograph  was  taken  the  plants  were  7  feet  high,  with 
thirty  fine  blooms  on  a  stem.  They  seemed  to  be  quite  at  home  amongst 
the  Rhododendrons,  and  were  the  admiration  of  everyone  who  saw  them 
when  in  full  beauty. 
The  late  Mr.  Jas.  Macintosh  used  to  grow  large  numbers  of  Liliums 
in  association  with  Rhododendrons  in  his  garden  at  Weybridge  with 
excellent  results — in  fact,  the  manner  in  which  both  grew  and  flowered 
was  wonderful  and  extremely  beautiful.  As  the  present  is  a  suitable 
season  for  making  up  such  a  combination,  which  is  one  that  is  worthy 
of  far  more  extended  application  than  is  at  present  accorded  to  it,  we 
reproduce  Mr.  McCulloch’s  photo,  as  showing  what  may  be  done  in  this 
direction  by  good  cultivation.  , 
