March  26,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
285 
up  to  the  present  time  the  Roses  here  will  probably  do  their  part  towards 
making;  a  feast  for  the  eyes  during  the  summer  months. 
As  I  have  written  some  of  these  notes  off-hand  from  memory  I  may 
have  forgotten  to  mention  several  varieties  that  I  grow.  Some  of  the 
garden  Roses  named  I  have  grown  for  several  years  and  have  tested 
thoroughly,  and  those  I  think  all  must  admire  are  the  following  : — 
L’Ideal,  W.  A.  Richardson,  Macrantha,  Bardou  Job,  Paul’s  Single  White, 
Perle  d’Or,  Paquerette,  Gloire  de  Polyantha,  The  Pet,  Ma  CaDucine, 
Mignonette,  Cecille  Brunner,  Laurette  Messimy,  Red  Pet,  Austrian  Yellow, 
Camoens,  Mdme.  Pernet  Ducher,  Gustave  Regis,  and  Crimson  Rambler. 
When  one  who  knows  the  above  varieties  thinks  of  their  colours, 
it  makes  one  long  to  see  them  bloom  once  more  1  I  do.  and  I  feel  more 
than  ever  ready  to  shout,  “  Floreat  Regina  Florum.” — H.  V.  M. 
[The  above  notes  were  obligingly  written  in  reply  to  a  correspondent 
who  desired  information  on  the  subject.  The  narrative  indicates  a 
wonderful  memory  and  great  love  for  the  Rose  by  the  owner  of  this 
charming  enclosure,  which  is  overlooked  from  the  window  of  his 
bedroom  at  the  point  marked  by  the  x.  We  thank  Mr.  Machin  for 
his  interesting  communication.] 
The  Rosarians  of  France. 
We  hear  so  very  little  of  the  great  French  rosarians,  either  of  the 
present  or  of  the  past,  of  such  men  as  Lacbarme,  Guillot,  Margottin, 
Yerdier,  Ducher,  and  Nabonnand,  that  anything  is  interesting  which 
seems  to  bring  them  for  the  moment  nearer  to  ourselves.  For  what  we 
know  of  these  we  have  hitherto  been  chiefly  indebted  to  Mr.  Wm.  Paul 
of  Waltham  in  bis  “  Rose  Garden  ”  and  other  publications,  and  the  Rev. 
H.  H.  D’Ombrain,  who  on  the  death  of  M.  Guillot,  published  a  most 
interesting  tribute  to  the  greatness  of  his  memory  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture. 
But  I  have  received  this  week  a  communication  from  Mr.  Cranston 
of  Hereford,  which  may  be  regarded  as  a  valuable  contribution  in  this 
special  direction.  Referring  to  one  of  my  articles  he  says,  “  I  wish  you 
pad  said  a  little  more  regarding  certain  of  the  great  French  raisers,  and 
especially  Lacharme,  whom  I  cannot  but  regard  as  the  champion  of 
them  all,  having  sent  out  probably  more  Roses  of  tbe  highest  merit  and 
distinctiveness  than  any  other  raiser.  Margottin  Pere  stands,  in  my 
opinion,  next  to  Lacharme,  and  Guillot  and  M.  Ducher  follow. 
“  Speaking  of  Lacharme,  who  is  now  no  more,  I  spent  one  of  the  most 
enjoyable  days  of  my  life  with  him,  rambling  through  his  Rose  grounds 
at  Lyons  some  years  ago.  Thousands  of  seedlings  were  being  proved, 
which  by  a  novice  would  have  been  considered  superb  ;  but  nearly  the 
whole  of  them,  Lacharme  informed  me,  would  ultimately  be  destroyed, 
with  the  exception  of  the  elite  or  cream  of  these,  possibly  half  a  dozen, 
which  would  go  into  commerce.  1  do  not  know  that  M.  Lacharme  ever 
sent  out  an  indifferent  Rose. 
“  After  spending  the  whole  day  with  my  friend  Mr.  George  Paul  of 
Cheshunt,  who  bad  accompanied  me  to  Lyons,  we  were  invited  to  lunch 
the  next  day  at  Lacharme’s  house,  to  taste  some  wines  of  his  own 
production,  for  he  had  vineyards  as  well  as  Rose  gardens.  I  remember 
that  we  pronounced  his  ‘  La  Rose  ’  claret  as  Buperb  in  colour  and 
quality  as  his  Charles  Lefebvre  Rose.” 
In  the  elaborate  work  to  which  I  have  referred,  Mr.  Wm.  Paul 
records  that  a  certain  French  rosarian,  of  the  first  distinction  as  a  raiser, 
declined  on  one  occasion  to  show  him  any  of  his  finest  seedlings, 
because  he  was  accompanied  by  a  French  cultivator.  He  let  him  see 
them  afterwards,  with  this  explanation. — David  R.  Williamson. 
Garden  Roses. 
I  have  discovered  on  many  occasions,  Mr.  Editor,  that  there  is  at 
least  one  lynx-eyed  individual  connected  with  the  Journal  of  Horti¬ 
culture.  I  find  there  is  also  a  critical  and  trusty  rosarian  who  eagerly 
scans  the  Rose  column.  This  recent  enlightenment  has  led  me  to 
seriously  think  of  getting  a  type-writer,  for  it  is  so  much  easier  to  detect 
an  error  when  it  appears  in  “printed”  form  than  in  the  straggling 
characters  of  a  scribbler's  scrawl.  That  little  Irishman’s  weakness  of 
putting  the  cart  before  the  horse  must  for  the  future  be  banished  from 
Rose  lore,  for  the  Rev.  David  R.  Williamson  is  on  the  trail.  I  must 
frankly  acknowledge  that  he  has  “  tripped  ”  me  up  in  regard  to  those 
two  beauties  of  the  Rose  world,  Grace  Darling  and  Madame  Lambard. 
I  thoroughly  agree  with  all  my  critic  says  about  their  manners  and 
customs  on  page  258.  In  the  quotation  Mr.  Williamson  gives  from  my 
previous  note  on  Teas,  I  must  ask  him  to  substitute  the  word  “latter  ” 
for  former,  and  thus  find  the  meaning  I  intended  to  convey.  I  noticed 
the  error  when  it  appeared  in  print,  but  thought  the  well  known 
constancy  of  Grace  Darling,  in  the  matter  of  colour,  would  prevent 
anyone  from  being  led  astray  by  my  description. 
How  fortunate  it  is  that  opinions  differ  greatly  on  almost  every  con¬ 
ceivable  subject ;  were  it  not  so,  I  fear  our  lives  would  be  spent  in  a 
strangely  monotonous  way.  It  is  this  thought  that  comforts  me  when  I 
find  Mr.  Williamson  so  sceptical  as  to  the  appropriateness  of  the  true 
“  red  Gloire”  in  relation  to  Reine  Marie  Henriette.  True,  it  is  not  a 
Rose  that  flowers  so  profusely  and  persistently  under  all  sorts  of  con¬ 
ditions  as  does  the  ancient  Gloire  de  Dijon  ;  but  when  planted  in 
suitable  positions  and  given  the  right  treatment,  “Henriette”  in  the 
early  summer  months  makes  quite  as  imposing  a  display,  and  to  my 
mind  half-opened  buds  greatly  resemble  in  form  those  of  Gloire  de  Dijon. 
In  this  stage,  too,  the  crimson  or  deep  carmine  colour  of  the  flowers  is 
seen  to  advantage,  and  whenever  I  cut  blooms  answering  to  this 
description  from  a  large  tree  we  have  of  this  variety  I  mentally  exclaim, 
“  How  beautiful  !  ”  and  at  the  present  moment  I  think  such  flowers  are 
quite  worthy  to  represent  the  Gloire  de  Dijon. 
I  fear  that  Mr.  Williamson’s  subsequent  remarks  have  considerably 
damaged  his  assertion  that  “Perle  des  Jardins,  unless  in  what  may  be 
termed  perpetually,  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  rival  of  Marshal  Niel,” 
for  he  admits  that  it  is  better  adapted  for  growing  successfully  in  the 
open  air.  Now,  I  maintain  that  in  selecting  garden  Roses,  when  a 
decision  has  to  be  made  between  two  varieties,  the  one  that  succeeds 
the  better  in  the  open  air  should  have  the  preference,  even  though  the 
other  possesses  a  slight  advantage  in  form.  Perle  des  Jardins  also  more 
often  has  the  beautiful  golden  colour,  so  much  admired,  than  does 
Marechal  Niel.  This,  I  think,  more  than  counterbalances  the  drawback 
of  the  few  “divided  ”  flowers  Perle  des  Jardins  produces.  To  sum  up, 
I  make  out  that  Marechal  Niel  has  a  slight  advantage  on  two  points — 
viz.,  form  and  perfume,  while  Perle  des  Jardins  scores  in  the  matter  of 
hardiness,  perpetuality,  and  colour. 
I  cannot  refrain  from  admiring  the  grand  tribute  paid  by  my  critic 
to  the  charms  of  the  Hybrid  Teas.  In  a  few  pithy  words  he  has  given 
them  their  just  due  in  a  manner  that  can  only  be  imparted  by  tbe 
touches  of  a  master’s  pen. — H.  D. 
RHODODENDRON  HIRSUTUM. 
From  “  Southerner  ”  has  come  a  flowering  spray  of  this  charming 
plant,  with  a  request  for  information  as  to  its  utility  and  natural  habitat. 
Taking  the  latter  point  first,  we  may  say  that  R.  hirsutum,  frequently 
known  as  the  Alpine  Rose,  is  a  native  of  Southern  Europe,  whence  it 
was  introduced  into  this  country  about  the  year  1856.  As  regards  its 
utility  anyone  who  has  grown  it  will  speak  very  highly,  especially, 
perhaps,  for  positions  on  the  rockwork.  There,  in  a  suitable  soil  and 
situation,  it  thrives  moat  satisfactorily  and  produces  very  large  numbers 
of  bright  red  flowers,  which  are  certain  to  elicit  admiration.  In  height 
the  plant  usually  attains  to  about  18  inches,  and  so  places  can  easily  be 
found  for  a  plant  or  two  in  rockeries  of  any  extent.  Our  correspondent 
must  have  his  plant  in  a  somewhat  sheltered  spot,  as  though  its 
flowering  season  is  rather  elastic,  it  does  not  usually  bloom  so  early  as 
March.  R.  hirsutum,  depicted  by  the  woodcut  (fig.  51),  is  worthy  of 
much  more  attention  than  it  is  accorded  at  present,  as  it  is  a  plant  of 
really  exceptional  beauty. 
