382 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  23,  1902 
Some  Pillar  Roses. 
Of  the  Waltham  and  other  climbers  I  promised  to  say  a 
word  or  two.  They  are  well  worth  a  place.  No.  1  produces 
some  beautiful  blooms  of  good  shape,  but  not  very  many  of 
them.  No.  3  is  similar,  but  the  flowers  are  darker,  and  the 
leaves  are  a  beautiful  purple  colour  in  the  spring.  It  does 
not  grow  quite  so  strong  as  No.  1.  .Madame  Alfred  Carriere 
is  a  good  white,  a  very  free  grower,  producing  beautiful 
blooms,  which  are  large  and  very  fragrant.  It  does  not 
flower  as  freely  as  do  many  of  the  Noisettes. 
A  Rose  somewhat  similar  is  La  Biche.  The  blooms,  which 
are  pinky-white,  are  not  so  large.  The  flowering  shoots  are 
pendulous,  which  gives  the  plant  a  graceful  appearance. 
Celine  Forestier,  an  old  Rose,  but  a  very  good  one,  a  pale 
yellow,  a  free  bloomer,  and  very  hardy.  This  is  an  old 
favourite  of  mine,  being  the  first  climbing  Rose  that  I  had 
to  attend  to.  It  was  trained  over  a  wooden  trellis  against 
a  high  wall,  and  produced  a  large  quantity  of  its  beautiful 
blooms. 
Euplrrosyne,  the  pink  rambler,  produces  clusters  of  small 
flowers,  but  they  do  not  last  very  long.  The  plant  does  not 
grow  so  strong  as  its  crimson  rival,  and  does  not  favour¬ 
ably  compare  with  that  Rose.  I  think  the  same  may  be  said 
in  respect  to  Aglaia,  the  yellow  rambler,  and  Uralia,  the 
white  rambler,  although  I  have  not  grown  the  two  latter. 
Reve  d’Or  is  a  strong  growing  Noisette,  producing  very  nice 
shaped  buds  and  glossy  foliage.  It  makes  a  good  pillar  Rose. 
In  William  Allen  Richardson  we  have  a  general  favourite, 
the  colour,  orange-yellow,  and  the  size  of  the  flower,  making 
it  an  ideal  buttonhole  variety.  It  is  more  grown  upon  walls 
perhaps  than  pillars  or  arches  ;  but  it  is  also  suitable  for  the 
latter  purpose  as  well.  Amongst  single  flowered  section, 
Paul’s  Carmine  Pillar  is  one  of  the  best.  It  is  very  hardy, 
a.  strong  grower,  and  produces  beautiful  blooms  of  a  bright 
rosy  carmine.  The  foliage  is  bright  and  clean,  and,  under 
liberal  treatment,  strong  shoots  are  annually  produced. 
Unfortunately  the  flowering  period  is  short,  but  its  other  good 
points  will  make  up  for  this.  It  is  worth  a  place  in  all 
collections  of  pillar  Roses. 
A  good  companion  to  this  is  Paul’s  Single  White.  The 
flowers  are  large,  white,  produced  rather  freely,  and  remains 
in  bloom  much  longer  than  Carmine  Pillar.  Its  habit,  how¬ 
ever,  is  not  so  good.  The  Ayrshire  Roses  also  make  suitable 
pillar  Roses.  They  are  all  very  hardy  and  free  bloomers  ; 
the  flowers  are  produced  in  large  clusters.  Bennett’s  Seed¬ 
ling  is  a  small  double  white  ;  Dundee  Rambler,  semi-double 
white,  with  pink  edges  ;  Splendens  has  larger  flowers  of  a 
flesh  colour  ;  Ruga  is  similar,  with  paler  coloured  flowers. 
These  are  all  good  varieties.  This  list  does  not  by  any  means  / 
exhaust  the  number  of  Roses  that  may  be  used  for  pillar 
work.  Those  enumerated  will  generally  be  found  satis¬ 
factory,  and  may  safely  be  given  a  trial. — J.  S.  U. 
-= - - - »  9 - - 
Nursery  Specialities.  ; 
In  extensive  nurseries  one  expects,  and  often  can  find 
almost  anything  that  may  be  wanted  in  the  matter  of  ' 
plants  ;  yet  while  this  is  true,  specialities  of  some  kind  is 
now  made  the  staple  of  most  business  houses  in  these  days 
of  progress  and  keen  competition.  In  the  neighbourhood 
of  Bristol,  namely,  Westbury-on-Trym,  Messrs.  Isaac  House 
and  Son  have  familiarised  their  name  by  their  association 
with  Violets,  Sweet  Peas,  and  herbaceous  plants,  Polyan¬ 
thuses,  and  Violas.  Being  much  interested  in  this  sphere 
of  horticulture,  and  having  seen  some  of  the -fine  displays 
made  by  Messrs.  House,  I  made  a  point  recently  of  calling 
on  them  to  see  this  “  home  of  flowers,”  a  term  aptly  descrip¬ 
tive  of  their  nursery. 
Of  Violets  the  present  is  not  perhaps  a  time  when  much 
may  be  said,  except  that  a  great  variety — indeed,  all  the 
most  deserving  and  best  among  old  and  modern  kinds — are 
represented  in  varying  stages  of  growTth,  and  in  numbers 
amounting  to  something  like  40,000  plants.  Some  new 
houses  are  erected  for  planting  a  good  number  of  the  double 
flowered  kind,  and  which  it  is  said  answers  the  purpose 
admirably.  The  structures  are  of  the  usual  ridge  and  furrow 
type,  with  open  sides  admitting  a  current  of  air  passing 
through  the  whole  width,  and  abundant  provision  is  also 
made  for  roof  ventilation.  The  beds  are  raised  so  that  rhe 
plants  obtain  a  maximum  of  light  and  air,  without  which 
they  could  not  succeed  in  winter. 
Pentstemons  and  Phloxes  gave  the  greatest  wealth  of 
colour  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  these  were  indeed  fine, 
both  in  plant,  colour,  and  variety.  For  grouping  in  beds  or 
as  isolated  plants  in  the  front  of  herbaceous  borders,  these 
Pentstemons  would  be  a  telling  flower  for  the  late  summer 
and  autumn  months.  The  spikes  are  robust,  and  the  indi¬ 
vidual  bells  of  immense  size,  while  the  colours  are  both 
varied  and  striking.  A  few  of  the  best  are  Mies  Wilmott, 
Jean  Mace,  Jane  Misme,  Dragoon,  Gabriel  Barde,  Andre 
Lebon,  Commandant  Larmy,  Capt.  Marchand,  Dr.  Chante- 
tes.se,  Lady  Brodie,  Lord  Lister,  Phryne,  Talma,  and  Presi¬ 
dent.  Carnot.  These  were  hosts  of  others,  but  no  useful 
purpose  would  be  served  in  repeating  names. 
Perennial  Phloxes  were  grand  in  colour  and  truss  ;  the 
best  were  W.  Robinson,  Pantheon,  Miss  Pemberton, 
Matilda  Seras,  Lord  Rayleigh,  Le  Ciecle,  Fiancee,  Etna, 
Coquilicot,  Brilliant,  Albatre,  Adonis,  and  Cceur  de  Lyon. 
Two  seedling  whites  of  Messrs.  House's  own  raising  are  of 
great  beauty  and  dwarf  habit,  named  respectively  Esme  and 
Viola. 
Delphiniums  are  another  speciality  occupying  much 
space,  and  affording  an  agreeable  change  and  contrast  to 
the  bright  colours  of  the  Phloxes.  Here  again  are  much 
variation  of  colour,  but  the  finest  of  all  is  Persimmon,  a 
new  and  very  striking  flower.  Belladonna  is  another  lovely 
variety,  sky-blue  in  colour,  with  a  free  branching  habit. 
Of  dark  colours,  W.  B.  Child,  King  of  Delphiniums,  Sir  J. 
Forest,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott  were  noted  as  being  extra 
good. 
Chrysanthemums,  maximutn  and  latifolium  varieties,  are 
represented  in  almost  bewildering  numbers,  varying  not  in 
colour,  but  very  much  in  character  of  flower  and  habit  of 
growth.  Li  Hung  Chang  and  Shasta  are  two  of  the  most 
recent  introductions,  being  remarkable  for  their  individual 
size.  Margaret  Marwood  is  a  dwarf  growing  kind,  and 
perhaps  the  freest  blooming  plant  in  the  whole  collection. 
Laciniata,  Robinsoniana,  Mikado,  W.  H.  Gabb,  Snowflake, 
Countess  Cadogan,  Grancliflora,  Triumph,  and  Magnificum 
are  some  extra  fine.  -  • 
Pyrethrums  and  Gaillardias  are  in  much  demand,  and  a 
supply  of  plants  would  appear  to  be  grown  to  meet  it,  and 
the.  numbers  of  these  in  variety  are  almost  endless. 
Michaelmas  Daisies  (Asters)  are  represented  by  no  less  than 
120  kinds.  Polyanthus  and  Primroses,  double  and  single, 
are  grown  and  flowered  by  thousands,  as  well  as  other  rare 
species  and  varieties,  including  the  curious  Hose-in-Hose 
and  Jack-in-the-Green. 
Sweet  Peas,  which  are  grown  for  the  dual  purpose  of 
exhibition  and  seed  production,  Messrs.  House  have  given 
ample  demonstration  of  their  scope  to  deal  with,  and  their 
skill  as  cultivators.  Their  exhibits  have  been  remarkable 
for  refinement  and  clearness  of  colour. 
About  100  varieties  of  Fancy  Pansies  are  grown,  and  a 
great  number  of  Violas,  which,  judging  by  the  vigorous 
growth  and  wealth  of  flower,  find  a  congenial  home  here. 
Carnations  and  Pinks  are  other  specialities  for  which  a  good 
demand  exists,  and  in  these,  as  with  other  flowers,  the 
Messrs.  House  devote  time  and  study  in  obtaining  improve¬ 
ments  of  their  own  by  hybridising.  A  fine  yellow  border 
Carnation  named  Huntsworth  is  a  good  non-splitting,  clear 
coloured  flower  that  should  have  a  future  before  it,  and 
particularly  as  good  yellows  are  by  no  means  numerous. 
Besides  the  foregoing  specialities  in  flowers  there  are  a 
widely  differing  assortment  of  herbaceous  plants  suitable  for 
border  planting  and  cut  flower  purposes.  Chrysanthemums, 
too,  of  the  early  outdoor  section  are  represented  by  the  best 
and  most  select,  particularly  of  those  bearing  large  flowers. 
Rock  and  Alpine  plants  are  numerously  grown,  such  as 
Sempervivums,  Saxifrages,  Sedums,  Aubrietias,  Silenes, 
Veronicas,  Phloxes,  double  flowered  Arabis,  and  Rock  Roses. 
These  are  a  few  among  the  many  varieties  adapted  to  this 
interesting  phase  of  garden  work.  Much  more  might  be 
written  of  the  interesting  things  to  be  found  in  this  rural 
nursery,  but  sufficient  has  been  said  to  show  that  popular 
flowers  are  those  favoured  by  the  Messrs.  House. — W.  S. 
