|THESE ARE roses which bloom but once in the year; hence they have lost
favor of late: for superb families of roses, fully equal in beauty,
if not in hardiness, and endowed with an enviable power of renewing or
perpetuating their charms,--of smiling in October as well as in June,
and glowing in full effulgence even on the edge of winter,--have dazzled
us into a forgetfulness of our ancient favorites.
Yet all the poetry of the rose belongs to these old roses of summer. It
is they that bloomed in white and red in the rival shields of York
and Lancaster; and it is they that, time out of mind, have been the no
silent interpreters of hearts too full to find a ruder utterance.
For the rest, they are, in the main, very hardy, very easy of culture,
and often very beautiful.
[Illustration: 0121]
_Rosa Centifolia_.--This is the family of the old, well-known, and
deservedly admired Cabbage Rose. Its ancestors, as we have seen, grew
on Mount Caucasus; though some have supposed that it is a native of the
south of France: hence the name Provence, by which it is often known
in England, though it is never so designated in France. The French,
translating its Latin name, Rosa Centifolia, or the Hundred-leaved Rose,
commonly call it Rose à Cent Feuilles. It is supposed to have been known
to the Romans, and to have been one of their favorite roses; and it was
introduced into England before the end of the sixteenth century, where
at least, until these latter days, it has been greatly admired and
prized. Recently, however, the introduction of the families of hardy,
ever-blooming roses, has thrown the Cabbage and all its compeers into
the shade. Nevertheless, it is one of the most desirable of flowers; and
even those who are disposed to pass it by with slight regard will never
deny that some of the progeny which have arisen from it are unsurpassed
in beauty and attractiveness. It is remarkable among roses for the
singular changes, in horticultural language called "sports," which it
has assumed, and which, among other results, have given rise to the
entire family of Moss roses, of which we shall speak in the next
section.
The prevailing colors in this group are light. The Cabbage Rose is a
somewhat weak grower in a heavy soil, though in a light soil it grows
vigorously. As a general rule, it needs close pruning. The members of
the family are numerous; but, besides the Old Cabbage, the following are
the best: The Dutch Provence is remarkable for the size of its flowers,
in which respect it even surpasses the Old Cabbage. The Unique Provence
is probably a sport from the Old Cabbage; that is to say, an accidental
variation of the flowers on some particular branch; which branch
being propagated, the accidental features become permanent. The Unique
Provence, which is pure white, has, in its turn, produced another sport,
called the Striped Unique, the flowers being white, striped with lake;
though they are very capricious in their coloring, sometimes opening
pure white, and occasionally light rose. But a more remarkable sport of
the Provence is the variety called the Crested Provence, Rosa Cristata,
or, very commonly among us, the Crested Moss. It is not, however, a true
Moss, as its stems are smooth. Its peculiarity consists in a curious and
very beautiful mossy growth about the calyx. This growth is developed
in proportion to the vigor of the plant: therefore it should be strongly
manured and closely pruned, as should the whole race of Provence roses.
Adeline, the Duc de Choiseul, the Stadtholder, and, above all, the
Reine de Provence, are beautiful varieties of this group. To it also
belong a sub-group of Miniature or Pompone roses, well suited for edging
beds. They bloom early, and are exceedingly pretty and graceful. Among
the best of them are the White Burgundy, the Dwarf Burgundy, De Meaux,
and Spong.
The above are all old roses; for it is rarely that a cultivator of the
present day will give himself the trouble to raise new varieties of any
of the June roses, excepting always the Mosses, which can never be out
of favor.
[Illustration: 0123]
_Rosa Centifolia Muscosa_.--We have spoken of the tendency of the
Provence Rose to "sport." The most widely known and the most beautiful
of the results arising from this tendency is the Moss Rose and its
varieties; for that such is the true origin of this unique family, there
can be very little doubt. There is, however, no record of the first
appearance of the Moss Rose. The original type of the race--the Old Red
Moss--was introduced into England as early as 1596. It came immediately
from Holland, but seems not to have originated there: indeed, to this
day, we have remained in doubt as to whence it drew its birth. Of the
large number of Moss roses now on the lists of nursery-men, some owe
their origin to sporting branches, others to seed. Of the plants arising
from the seed of a Moss rose, not more than one in three will show the
characteristic of the parent; that is, the "moss," the rest will be mere
varieties of the Provence Rose. Sometimes a Moss rose will put forth a
branch perfectly free from the mossy covering.
In cold, heavy soils, Moss roses are somewhat difficult of cultivation;
but in a light, rich loam, and a sunny exposure, free from roots of
growing trees, they thrive luxuriantly.
They all require high enrichment. All excepting the strongest growers
should be closely pruned; and, in the Northern States, it is well to
give them protection in winter by means of pine-boughs, or by laying
them down like raspberries.
Here, as in other classes of the rose, the hybridist has been at work.
By impregnating Moss roses with the pollen of some of the ever-blooming
sorts, a group of Perpetual Mosses has been produced. These have, to a
greater or less extent, the ever-blooming quality; but this is acquired
at some sacrifice of the peculiar beauty of the moss. They will receive
a separate notice. Again: these roses have been fertilized with
the pollen of the Hybrid China Rose; and the result is a Moss rose,
remarkably vigorous in growth, and particularly well suited to form
pillars. Any, however, of the more vigorous Mosses may be used for this
purpose, provided always that they receive the highest culture in a warm
and open exposure. We have it on the authority of the well-known English
rose-grower, Mr. Paul, that, in the garden of an amateur near Cheshunt,
there is a pillar of the Old Red Moss fifteen feet high!
At the present day, when the annual progeny of new Perpetual roses from
the nurseries of France, with a humble re-enforcement from those
of England, has eclipsed by numbers the old garden favorites, the
well-remembered roses of our infancy, the Moss alone stands in tranquil
defiance of this gay tide of innovation. Nothing can eclipse and nothing
can rival her. She is, and ever will be, the favorite of poetry and art;
and the eloquence of her opening buds, half wrapped in their mossy
envelope, will remain through all generations a chosen interpreter of
the language of youth and beauty.
Alice Le Roy is a distinct and beautiful rose, very large, full,
and mossy; color, lilac and rose; form, cupped: it grows vigorously.
Angélique Quétier is also of a rosy-lilac hue, large, very double,
and very mossy: it grows freely, like the former. The Blush Moss is of
growth somewhat more moderate: the flower is large and full, the foliage
fine, and stems and buds well mossed; color, clear pale pink. Celina is
of a deep, rosy crimson, sometimes verging to purple. The Common, or
Old Moss, is still one of the most beautiful of the whole family. Its
flowers are large and full, and of a pale rose-color and globular form.
It is more abundantly mossed than most of its progeny; and none of them
surpass it, indeed very few equal it, in the beauty of its half-opened
bud. Its growth is tolerably vigorous, and foliage fine. Laneh is a
vigorous and beautiful rose; flowers large, full, and globular; color,
a light rosy-crimson. The buds are large, full, and well mossed; its
growth is vigorous; and, under good cultivation, the whole plant, with
its large and bright-green foliage, bears a striking appearance of
thrift and health.
Luxembourg is of a deep crimson, moderately double, and of growth nearly
as vigorous as the last, with which the deep hue of its buds forms
a striking contrast. Malvina is a good rose, with clusters of pink
flowers. Eclatante is of a deep pink, large, double, and well mossed.
Comtesse de Murinais is one of the best of the White Mosses. Its
flowers, though not so double as the Old Moss, are large, and of the
purest white; and the growth is very vigorous. The Crimson or Tinwell
Moss somewhat belies its name; for its flowers are rather of a deep rose
than crimson. It is, however, a beautiful variety. Princess Adelaide
is remarkable for the extreme vigor of its growth, and is evidently
a hybrid of some of the Hybrid Bourbon or Hybrid China roses. It is
admirably suited for a pillar or a wall, but requires a full sun, and,
if closely pruned, will not bloom at all. It blooms in large clusters:
the flowers are of a light glossy rose, very large and full; and, if
not too closely pruned, they are very abundant. The White Bath is an
admirable White Moss, large and full in flower, and exquisite in bud. As
it is of moderate growth, it will bear dose pruning. Prolific is a very
beautiful variety, resembling the Old Moss. Baronne de Wassenaër is a
very vigorous rose, of a bright red, and flowering in clusters. Captain
Ingram is of a dark, velvety purple. Gloire des Mousseuses is very
large and double, and of a blush-color. Rosa Bonheur is of a bright
rose-color. Nuits d'Young is of a very dwarfed growth, and small
deep-purple flowers. Vandael is purple, edged with lilac.
The above afford excellent examples of the various characteristics of
the family of the Mosses. Additions in considerable number are
still made to it every year; but it is very rarely that any decisive
improvement upon the old varieties is shown in the recent seedlings.
"Moss roses, when grown on their own roots, require a light and rich
soil: in such soils, they form fine masses of beauty in beds on lawns.
The varieties best adapted to this purpose are the Common Moss, the
Prolific, the Luxembourg, the Crimson, and Lane's Moss. Plants of these
are procurable at a moderate price; and, by pegging down their shoots
with hooked sticks, the surface of the bed will be covered with a mass
of foliage and flowers. They require the same severe pruning as the
Provence Rose. To have a succession of flowers on the same bed, half
of the shoots may be shortened in March, the remainder the beginning
of May, pruning closely as recommended for the Provence roses. By this
method, the blooming season may be prolonged from a fortnight to three
weeks. They should have an abundant animal dressing of manure on the
surface in November, and the bed lightly stirred with the fork in
February....
"To raise Moss roses from seed is a most interesting employment for the
genuine rose amateur; such a pleasing field is open, and so much may yet
be done. The following directions will, I hope, assist those who have
leisure, perseverance, and love for this charming flower. A plant of
the Luxembourg Moss, or one of the Celina Moss, and one of the Single
Crimson Moss, should be planted against a south wall, close to each
other, so that their branches may be mingled. In bright, calm, sunny
mornings, in June, about ten o'clock, those flowers that are expanded
should be examined by pressing the fingers on the anthers. It will then
be found if the pollen be abundant: if so, a flower of the former should
be shaken over the latter; or, what perhaps is better, its flower-stalks
should be fastened to the wall, so that the flower will be kept in an
erect position. Then cut a flower of the Luxembourg Moss, strip off its
petals with a sharp pair of scissors, and place the anthers firmly, but
gently, upon a flower of the Single Crimson, so that the anthers of each
are entangled: they will keep it in its position: a stiff breeze will
then scarcely remove it. The fertilizing will take place without further
trouble, and a fine hip full of seed will be the result. To obtain seed
from the Luxembourg Moss, I need scarcely say that this operation must
be reversed. A wall is not always necessary to ripen seed; for in dry
soils, and airy, exposed situations, the above Moss roses bear seed in
tolerable abundance. The treatment of the hips, sowing the seed, and the
management of the young plants, as applicable to all, has already been
given."--_Rivers._
[Illustration: 0130]
_Rosa Damascena_.--Any deeply colored rose is popularly called a Damask;
but the true Damask--the rose of Damascus--is of various shades, from
the darkest to the lightest. All these varieties have sprung from one
origin,--the wild rose of Syria, which was introduced into England in
the year 1573, or, according to some writers, much earlier. It is this
rose from which is made the rosewater of the East, and on this the
Eastern poets and their Western imitators have lavished the wealth of
their fancy. In poetry, indeed, the Damask Rose has woven more garlands
than the Moss. Nor is it unknown to history, since the five hundred
camel-loads of rose-water with which the Sultan Saladin purified
the Mosque of Omar after it had been used as a Christian church were
doubtless distilled from its leaves. But, without falling into an
anachronism, it is hardly possible to claim for it, as some have done,
the honor of having been the renowned Red Rose of Lancaster.
Both the Damask and the Provence roses are extensively cultivated in
France and England for the purpose of making rose-water.
The Damask is very hardy, vigorous of growth, and abundant in bloom.
Its shoots are full of spines, and its leaves of a light green. Its old
original varieties are wholly eclipsed by those which the industry of
the florist has produced from their seed. The following are among the
best of these:--
La Ville de Bruxelles is a very beautiful rose, of delicate waxy tint
and vigorous growth. Madame Stoltz is of a pale straw or lemon color.
Madame Soëtmans is of delicate cream-color, tinged with buff. Madame
Hardy is a large and very full rose of the purest white. It has but one
fault,--that of sometimes showing a green bud in the centre. But for
this, it would be almost unrivalled among white roses. Leda is of a
blush tint, edged with lake.
There are but few new varieties of this family, as the double sorts do
not bear seed freely.
[Illustration: 0132]
_Rosa Alba_.--The parent of the Alba, or White roses, is a native of
Central Europe. The species is so called from the prevailing delicacy of
hue in its varieties, many of which are of a pure white, while none
are of a deeper coloring than a bright pink. The original stock is
spineless; but many of its progeny, in consequence, probably, of
hybridization, have spines in greater or less number. The upper surface
of the leaves has a glaucous or whitish tinge, and the shoots are of a
clear green.
Félicité is a large double rose, of a delicate flesh-color, and a most
symmetrical shape. La Séduisante is of a bright rose in the centre,
shading into flesh-color at the circumference: it rivals the last in the
perfection of its shape. Madame Audot is of a pale flesh-color. Madame
Legras is a white rose of a peculiar delicacy, and very graceful in its
habit of growth. The Queen of Denmark is of a clear rosy pink. Sophie de
Marsilly is of a delicate rose-color, slightly mottled, and, when half
opened, is a rose of remarkable beauty.
The Alba roses bloom abundantly, and form in masses a beautiful
contrast, in their chaste and delicate hues, with the deeper colors of
the French and Hybrid China roses. They rarely bear seed freely.
[Illustration: 0133]
_Rosa Gallica_.--This rose draws its origin from the south of Europe,
where its wild progenitor still grows abundantly in the hedges. It
is one of the best known, and longest under cultivation, of all the
species. We confess our strong partiality for it. It is perfectly
hardy, compact in growth, abundant in bloom, beautiful in form, and rich
and various in coloring. It will grow and bloom anywhere, and endures
neglect with a patience unknown to most others of its race. Yet none
better rewards a careful and generous culture. It returns a rich
response to the care bestowed upon it; and, under high cultivation, the
members of this group have no superiors in beauty. It is not, however,
in favor at the present day. Roses of equal beauty, though, not of equal
hardihood, and endowed with the one valuable quality in which it is
wanting,--that of continuous or repeated blooming,--have, of late,
supplanted it. We may as well say here, while protesting against the
neglect into which the hardy June roses have fallen, that, of the
so-called Perpetuals, a great many are undeserving of the name. Some,
even with tolerably good treatment, rarely show a flower after the
June blooming; and none will put forth freely and abundantly in autumn,
without more pains in the management than most persons are willing to
bestow.
The French Rose has been known in England since the close of the
sixteenth century. It is very prolific, and innumerable seedlings have
been raised from it. Some of these produce flowers exceedingly double,
of the most vivid color, and remarkable even now for the symmetry of
their forms. Among the rest is a great variety of marbled, striped, and
spotted roses, which, though curious and interesting, are certainly less
beautiful than the "self-colored" sorts.
The varieties of this rose formerly catalogued and cultivated might be
numbered by hundreds. Of these, it is needless to mention any but a few
of the best and most distinct.
Boula de Nanteuil is a rose of the richest crimson-purple, with a
centre, at times, of a vivid red. It varies, however, very much in
different seasons, and, while sometimes splendid in coloring, is
occasionally dull and cloudy. Grandissima is of a deep purplish-rose,
very large and double. Kean closely resembles it. Adele Prévost is of
a silvery blush. Blanchefleur is white, with a tinge of flesh-color.
Cynthia is of a pale rose. The Duchess of Buccleugh is of a dark rose.
Ohl is of a deep crimson and scarlet, and, when grown in perfection, is
one of the finest roses in existence. La Reine des Français is also of
a bright crimson. Perle des Panachées is white, striped with rose;
and Oeillet Parfait is white, striped with light crimson, much like a
carnation. D'Aguesseau, Gloire de Colmar, Latour d'Auvergne, Triomphe de
Jaussens, Letitia, Napoléon, Duc de Valmy, and Transon Goubault, are all
excellent roses of this family.
"To grow them fine for exhibition, as single blooms or 'show-roses,'
the clusters of buds should be thinned early in June, taking at least
two-thirds of the incipient flowers from each: manure should also be
laid round their stems on the surface, and manure-water given to them
plentifully in dry weather. With this description of culture, these
roses will much surpass any thing we have yet seen in this country.
"Although the varieties of this group are summer roses only, their
period of flowering may be prolonged by judicious pruning; and for this
purpose two trees of each variety should be planted, one to be pruned in
October, the other early in May, or just when the buds have burst into
leaf: these will give a regular succession of flowers. In pruning, cut
out with a sharp knife all the spray-like shoots, and then shorten to
within six or eight buds of their base all the strong shoots (by such I
mean those that are above fifteen inches in length): the weak shoots
cut down to two or three buds. This is the pruning required by the Alba,
Damask, and Hybrid Provence roses....
"To raise French roses from seed, they should be planted in a warm, dry
border sloping to the south, in an open, airy situation: the shade of
trees is very pernicious to seed-bearing roses. The following kinds *
may be selected, as they bear seed freely: The Tuscany Rose, a very
old variety, with rich, deep crimson, semi-double flowers; also Ohl and
Latour d'Auvergne. The two latter should have their flowers fertilized
with the pollen of the Tuscany Rose, and some fine crimson roses will
probably be raised. The Village Maid and Oillet Parfait are the most
eligible to raise striped roses from: if their flowers are deficient in
pollen, they should be fertilized with those of Rosa Mundi."--_Rivers_.
* Some of the roses recommended for seed-bearing are old
varieties, which may be procured from any old-fashioned
English rose-nursery.
_Rosa Indica Hybrida_.--This class has been divided by some writers
into three; viz., Hybrid China, Hybrid Noisette, and Hybrid Bourbon.
The division seems to us needless, for the reason that all these, on
analysis, resolve themselves into hybrids of the Chinese Rose, since
both the Noisette and the Bourbon owe their distinctive character
to their Chinese parentage. The hybrids of the Noisettes are usually
inclined to bloom in clusters: those of the Bourbons are distinguishable
by their large, smooth, and thick leaves.
This class, then, may be defined as the offspring of intermarriage of
the French and other June roses with the Chinese Rose and its hybrids.
It has, however, none of the ever-blooming qualities which distinguish
the China roses. It is remarkable, as a class, for vigor of growth, in
which, strange as it may appear, it surpasses, in some cases, both its
parents. Most of the Hybrid China roses are, moreover, perfectly hardy
even in the climate of the Northern States; and they are admirably
adapted for forming pillars. For this purpose, they should be planted in
a very deep and rich soil. If the soil is naturally poor, dig it out
to the width and depth of three feet, and replace it with a mixture of
strong loam and old manure. Some of the Hybrid Chinas thus generously
treated, and trained and pruned in the manner recommended in a former
chapter, will form most gorgeous decorations of a garden; for in the
size of the flowers, in beauty of form, and brilliancy of color, some
of the varieties are unsurpassed. Every autumn, the surface of the soil
around the stem should be covered with manure to the depth of several
inches; and this should be allowed to remain throughout the summer,
renewing it as often as necessary, after a previous forking-up of the
soil, which this covering or "mulching" enriches, at the same time that
it keeps it moist and cool.
The following are among the best of this family of roses: Beauty op
Billiard, of vigorous growth, and bright-scarlet and crimson flowers.
Brennus, or Brutus, is a superb rose, of great size, and strong, rapid
growth. Blair, No. 2, is particularly adapted for a pillar rose; its
bloom being very profuse. The color of its flowers is pink or blush.
George the Fourth is an old rose raised some forty years ago by the
excellent English cultivator, Mr. Rivers. Its bright crimson color and
its neat foliage make it very attractive, though it is less double
than some other varieties. The Duke op Devonshire is of a lilac-color,
striped with white, and perfect in form; its petals overlapping with the
greatest regularity. Charles Duval is of a deep pink; Charles Lawson,
of a vivid rose. Chenedolé is regarded by many as the best rose of the
class; for its color is the brightest and clearest crimson, and its
flowers are large and very full. Inferior roses, however, are frequently
sold under its name, especially in I this country. Coupe d'Hébé is
remarkable both for the perfection of its cup-like form, and for the
delicate rose-color of its petals. Its growth is very vigorous; and,
like most of its kindred, it is perfectly hardy. General Jacqueminot is
a large purplish-crimson rose. It must not be confounded with the Hybrid
Perpetual of the same name. Fulgens is of a deep crimson. Triomphe de
Bayeux is white, and an excellent pillar-rose. Madame Plantier is
also white, but very distinct from the last; for, as it sprang on the
mother's side from the Noisette, it blooms in dusters. Its individual
flowers are surpassed by those of one or two other white roses; but
the extraordinary profusion of its bloom, its graceful habit, its neat
foliage, and its hardy, enduring nature, make it, on the whole, the best
rose of its color in cultivation. Paul Perras is Bourbon on the mother's
side, as is also Paul Ricaut. The first is of a pale rose, the second
of a bright crimson. Vivid is a seedling of the English rose-grower, Mr.
William Paul. Its flowers are not large, but they are of the most vivid
crimson; and the vigorous habit of the plant makes it very suitable
either for a pillar or a trellis.
"When grown as large standards, these roses require peculiar pruning. If
their shoots are shortened too much, they will grow vigorously, but give
no flowers. They should, therefore, be thinned out, so that the head of
the tree is not at all crowded, and then be shortened to within twelve
buds of their base: a crop of fine flowers will then be produced. This
is the pruning to be done either in the early part of November or in
February: we will call it the winter pruning. * There is another mode
of pruning these roses, partly in summer, which will be found highly
eligible. Thin out the shoots in the winter, and leave a selected number
of those that are most vigorous nearly their full length, merely cutting
off their tips: these will be loaded with blossoms so as to make the
trees quite pendulous. As soon as the blooming season is past, shorten
them all to within six inches of their base. They will immediately
put forth strong shoots, which, while in a very young state, thin out,
leaving those that are the most vigorous. These shoots treat in the
same manner the following year. By this method of pruning, a pendulous,
graceful head is formed, instead of a stiff, formal one, so common to
standard roses. In pruning these roses, when trained as pillars, the
spurs from the shoots fastened to the stake merely require thinning out,
so as not to be crowded, and then shortened to within five or six buds
of their base. Trained as pillar-roses, they give flowers often too
abundantly; so that they are small and ill-shaped: it is, therefore,
often a good practice to thin the flower-buds as soon as they can be
distinguished.
* These directions, it will be remembered, are for the
climate of England. The November pruning will not do here;
indeed, it will require much precaution to make even the
hardy roses succeed as standards.
"I shall now proceed to give a list of those roses, from which, in
combination with others, choice seedlings may be raised.
"The Duke of Devonshire, in a very warm and dry soil, will produce hips
in tolerable abundance; and, as it is inclined to be striped, it would
possibly form a beautiful combination with some striped rose, which
should be planted with it.
"Riego, which partakes of the Sweet-brier, might be made the parent
of some beautiful brier-like roses by planting it with the Splendid
Sweet-brier.
"General Allard, a hybrid rose, from which Monsiem Laffay raised his
perpetual rose, Madame Laffay, is much inclined to give a second series
of flowers. This rose should be planted in a very warm border, or
trained against a south wall with Bourbon Gloire de Rosomènes; and,
if carefully fertilized with it, some beautiful crimson autumnal roses
would probably be originated. Chênedolé may also be subjected to
the same treatment. What a fine autumnal rose one like it would
be!"--_Rivers._
[Illustration: 0142]
_Rosa Spinosissima._--The original Scotch Rose is a wild dwarf rose,
common in Scotland and the north of England. As it bears seed in great
abundance, as these seeds vegetate freely, and as the Scotch gardeners
have taken pride in multiplying and improving this native growth of
the soil, the number of varieties is nominally immense. Many of them,
however, are scarcely to be distinguished the one from the other. The
flowers are small, and exceedingly numerous. They bloom earlier than
most roses, and show various shades of crimson, rose, white, and
yellow,--or rather straw-color; for the yellow Scotch Rose is apparently
a hybrid. They are useful for covering banks and forming clumps where
masses of bloom are required. Nothing can exceed their hardiness, and
they increase abundantly by suckers. A list of named varieties of the
Scotch Rose would, from their multiplicity, and want of distinctness,
be even more unsatisfactory than the florist's lists of pansies or
verbenas. The following, however, are good:--
La Neige is pure white, and very double. Guy Mannering is of a deep
blush. Sulphurea, Lady Balllie, and the Marchioness of Lansdowne, are of
a pale straw or sulphur color. The Yellow Scotch is of a deeper yellow
tint. Flora, Daphne, Erebus, Venus, and the Countess of Glasgow, are of
deep shades of rose and crimson.
"Scotch roses, when grown into beds and clumps as dwarfs, are beautiful;
and in early seasons they will bloom nearly a fortnight before the
other summer roses make their appearance. This, of course, makes them
desirable appendages to the flower-garden. They bear seed profusely;
and raising new varieties from seed will be found a most interesting
employment. To do this, all that is required is to sow the seed as soon
as ripe, in October, in pots or beds of fine earth, covering it with
nearly an inch of mould: the succeeding spring they will come up, and
bloom in perfection the season following.
"The aim should be to obtain varieties with large and very double
crimson flowers: this can only be done by slightly hybridizing; and to
effect this it will be necessary to have a plant or two of the Tuscany
Rose trained to a south wall, so that their flowers are expanded at the
same time as the Scotch roses in the open borders: unless thus forced,
they will be too late. Any dark-red varieties of the Scotch roses, such
as Venus, Erebus, or Flora, should be planted separately from others,
and their flowers fertilized with the above French Rose. Some very
original deep-colored varieties will probably be obtained by this
method. Sulphurea and one or two other straw-colored varieties may be
planted with the Double Yellow Austrian Brier; and most likely
some pretty sulphur-colored roses will be the result of this
combination."--_Rivers_.
_Rosa Lutea_.--This is a small family of roses, very distinct in all its
characteristics; a native of Southern Europe and of some parts of the
East. It is seldom that any seedlings have been obtained from it, as
its flowers, even in the single varieties, are usually barren. They may,
however, be made productive by fertilizing them with the pollen of other
varieties. Its stems are spiny, and of a reddish or brownish color. Its
leaves are small, and its growth somewhat straggling. The colors of its
flowers are copper and yellow in various shades. It should not be pruned
too closely; but the shoots may with great advantage be pinched back
in midsummer, thus causing them to throw out a great number of lateral
shoots, and correcting the loose and straggling habit of the bush. The
bloom, with this treatment, is very profuse.
The best known roses of this family are five in number. The Single
Austrian Yellow and the Single Austrian Copper may be regarded as the
original types of the species. William's Double Yellow is an English
seedling of a pale-yellow color. Harrison's Yellow is an excellent
yellow rose, originated in America. It is very vigorous in growth, and,
on the whole, the best yellow rose for general cultivation. The Persian
Yellow, however, is of a much deeper hue, and is unrivalled in its way.
It is one of those roses which are feeble on their own roots, but grow
very vigorously either on the Dog Rose or on the Manetti stock. It is
said to have originated, as its name imports, from Persia.
A moist soil, and a dry, pure air, are essential to the growth of all
this family of roses.
"No family of roses offers such an interesting field for experiments
in raising new varieties from seed as this. First we have the Copper
Austrian, from which, although it is one of the oldest roses in our
gardens, a double flowering variety has never yet been obtained. This
rose is always defective in pollen; and consequently it will not bear
seed unless its flowers are fertilized. As it will be interesting
to retain the traits of the species, it should be planted with and
fertilized by the Double Yellow: it will then, in warm, dry seasons,
produce seed, not abundantly; but the amateur must rest satisfied if he
can procure even one hip-full of perfect seed.
"The beautiful and brilliant Rosa Harrison, however, gives the
brightest hopes. This should be planted with the Double Yellow Brier: it
will then bear seed abundantly. No rose will, perhaps, show the effects
of fertilizing its flowers more plainly than this; and consequently, to
the amateur, it is the pleasing triumph of Art over Nature. Every flower
on my experimental plants, not fertilized, proved abortive; while, on
the contrary, all those that were so, produced large black spherical
hips-full of perfect seed. The Persian Yellow does not seem inclined
to bear seed; but it may be crossed with Rosa Harrison, and, I trust,
with some good effect."--_Rivers_.
[Illustration: 0146]
_Rosa Sulphurea_.--This beautiful rose is difficult of cultivation both
in England and in this country, though in Italy and the south of France
it grows and blooms luxuriantly. Its original species is found growing
wild, and yielding single flowers, on the Himalaya Mountains, and also,
it is said, in Persia. Only two varieties are in cultivation,--the
Double (called also the Yellow Provence) and the Dwarf Double. The
climate of the Southern and Middle States is far more suitable to them
than that of the North; though it is more than probable, that, with
careful and judicious treatment, they would do well even here. They need
a rich diet, and a sunny and airy situation, to induce them to expand
their flower-buds, which are provokingly apt to fall before opening.
They are also very liable to the attacks of insects. The difficulty
of the cultivation of this rose is greatly to be lamented, since it
surpasses even the Persian Yellow in beauty.
"Various situations," says Mr. Rivers, "have been recommended. Some
have said, 'Plant it against a south wall;' others, 'Give it a northern
aspect, under the drip of some water-trough, as it requires a wet
situation.' All this is quackery and nonsense. The Yellow Provence Rose
is a native of a warm climate, and therefore requires a warm situation,
a free and airy exposure, and rich soil: a wall with a south-east or
north-west aspect will be found eligible. Give the plants surface-manure
every autumn, and water with manure-water in May; prune with the finger
and thumb in summer, as recommended for the Persian Yellow. *
* M. Godefroy, a French nursery-man, has cultivated it as a
pillar-rose, in a free and open situation, with much
success. Manuring as above, and summer pruning, are
indispensable.
"At Burleigh, the seat of the Marquis of Exeter, the effect of situation
on this rose is forcibly shown. A very old plant is growing against the
southern wall of the mansion, in a confined situation, its roots cramped
by a stone pavement: it is weakly, and never shows a flower-bud. In the
entrance-court is another plant, growing in front of a low parapet wall,
in a good loamy soil, and free, airy exposure: this is in a state of the
greatest luxuriance, and blooms in fine perfection nearly every season.
"Mr. Mackintosh, the gardener, who kindly pointed out these plants
to me, thought the latter a distinct and superior variety, as it was
brought from France by a French cook a few years since; but it is
certainly nothing but the genuine Old Double Yellow Rose.
"In unfavorable soils, it will often flourish and bloom freely if budded
on the Musk Rose, the common China Rose, or some free-growing hybrid
China Rose; but the following pretty method of culture I beg to suggest:
Bud or graft it on some short stems of the Rosa Manetti. In the autumn,
pot some of the strongest plants; and, late in spring, force them with a
gentle heat, giving plenty of air. It will now also be very interesting
to plant trees of this variety in orchard-houses: this seems to me to
be the exact climate required by it. By this method, the dry and warm
climate of Florence and Genoa may, perhaps, be partially imitated;
for there it blooms in such profusion, that large quantities of
its magnificent flowers are daily sold in the markets during the
rose-season.
"The following extract relative to this rose is from the quaint old
book, 'Flora, Ceres, and Pomona, by John Rea, Gent., 1655,' showing
that budding and double-budding of roses and trees is no new idea: 'The
Double Yellow Rose is the most unapt of all others to bear kindly
and fair flowers, unless it be ordered and looked unto in an especial
manner. For whereas all other roses are best natural, this is best
inoculated upon another stock. Others thrive and bear best in the sun,
this in the shade. Therefore the best way that I know to cause this rose
to bring forth fair and kindly flowers is performed after this manner:
First, in the stock of a Francford * Rose, near the ground, put in a bud
of the Single Yellow Rose, which will quickly shoot to a good length;
then, half a yard higher than the place where the same was budded, put
into it a bud of the Double Yellow Rose; which growing, the suckers must
be kept from the root, and all the buds rubbed off, except those of the
kind desired; which being grown big enough to bear (which will be in the
two years), it must in winter be pruned very near, cutting off all the
small shoots, and only leaving the biggest, cutting off the tops of them
also, as far as they are small; then in the spring, when the buds for
leaves come forth, rub off the smallest of them, leaving only some few
of the biggest, which by reason of the strength of the stock affording
more nourishment than any other, and the agreeable nature of the Single
Yellow Rose (from whence it is immediately nourished), the shoots will
be then strong, and able to bear out the flowers if they be not too
many, which may be prevented by nipping off the smallest buds for
flowers, leaving only such a number of the fairest as the tree may be
able to bring to perfection; which tree should stand something shadowed,
and not too much in the heat of the sun, and in a standard by itself,
rather than under a wall. These rules being observed, we may expect to
enjoy the full delight of these beautiful roses, as I myself have often
done by my own practice in divers trees so handled, which have
yearly borne store of fair flowers, when those that were natural, not
withstanding all the helps I could use, have not brought forth one that
was kindly, but all of them either broken, or, as it were, blasted.'"
* This is the Frankfort Rose, a variety of Rosa Gallica,
with very double flowers, one of our oldest garden-roses.
_Rosa Rubignosa_.--This is the Eglantine of the poets, celebrated in
song by bards known and unknown to fame, from Milton down to the rustic
rhymer offering the trib-. ute of his untutored Muse to the charms of
some village beauty.
Nothing is easier than its cultivation; but, to our mind, it loses half
its attraction when transplanted from its native road-side or thicket
into the garden. From its perfect hardiness and free growth, it is
sometimes used as a stock for budding or grafting. The fragrance of its
leaves readily distinguishes it from other species.
Most of the named varieties under this head in the catalogues
of nursery-men are hybrids; sometimes, as in the case of the
Double-margined Hip, or Madeline, retaining little trace of the
Sweet-Brier. Among the best are the Monstrous Sweet-Brier, the Carmine,
the Celestial, the Splendid, the Scarlet, the Rose Angle, the Royal, and
the Superb.
[Illustration: 0151]
_Rosa Alpina_.--This familiar climbing rose is easily known by its long
shoots, nearly or quite free from thorns, and the reddish tinge, shaded
into green, which marks the stems of most of the varieties. Its parent
is a native of the Alps, and it is perfectly hardy. The flowers grow
in clusters. In the Old Red Boursault, they are semidouble, and
indifferently formed; but some of the other varieties show great
improvements both in shape and color. They are excellent climbing or
pillar roses, and require less sun to develop their flowers than most
other species. Like other climbing roses, they should be primed but
little, though the old stems should be well thinned out.
_Amadis_, or the Crimson Boursault, is of a deep purplish-crimson,
with large semi-double flowers. The Blush Boursault is, in its flowers,
larger and more full than most others of the species. They are of a
deep flesh-color, passing into a lighter shade towards the edge. It can
scarcely owe its qualities to the Boursault race alone, but seems to be
a hybrid of some of the Chinese roses. When in perfection, it is much
the best of the group, but requires a warmer and brighter aspect than
the others. It is, however, perfectly hardy. This variety is also called
Calypso, De l'Isle, The White Boursault, and Florida. Inermis Elegans
and Gracilis are the only other varieties of the group that need be
mentioned here.
[Illustration: 0152]
_Rosa Arvensis Hybrida_.--The origin of the Ayrshire Rose has been
the subject of some discussion among botanists and cultivators. It is
generally supposed, however, to have sprung from the seed of a wild
trailing rose common in Great Britain and in Western Europe, the flowers
of which had been impregnated by accident or design with the pollen of
some other species. The Ayrshire roses are known in Europe for their
astonishing vigor of growth; some species, it is said, growing nearly
thirty feet in a year,--an achievement which we never knew them to equal
in this country. Their growth, however, is very rapid; and, when once
established, their long, slender shoots quickly possess themselves of
every object near them. As may be gathered from their name, most of them
originated in Scotland. In Europe, these roses are valued as standard
weepers, since, when budded on tall stocks, they form huge heads of
pendulous foliage and bloom. Doubtless they would succeed as well or
better in our Southern and Middle States; but in the North they would
probably require, in common with other standard roses, a careful
protection against the changes of the seasons.
Bennett's Seedling and the Dundee Rambler have white flowers; those of
the last being not fully double. The Countess of Lieven is creamy-white
and semidouble. Splendens is white, edged with red; and the Queen of
the Belgians is of a cream-color. The Ayrshire Queen is of a dark
crimson-purple, and less vigorous in growth than the rest. Ruga is of a
pale flesh-color. Like the last, it is a hybrid, probably between the
Tea Rose and one of the Ayrshires; for it has much of the fragrance of
the former.
"I have a steep bank of a hard white clay," says an English writer,
"which, owing to a cutting made in the road, became too steep for
cultivation. About sixteen years since, this was planted with Ayrshire
and other climbing roses. Holes were made in the hard soil with a pick,
two feet over and two feet deep; some manure mixed with the clay, after
it had lain exposed to frost to mellow it, and climbing roses planted.
This bank is, when the roses are in bloom, a mass of beauty: I have
never seen any thing in climbing roses to equal it. On another bank,
they are gradually mounting to the tops of the trees: none of them have
ever been pruned. Ayrshire roses, as articles of decoration in places
unfitted for other ornamental climbers, are worthy of much more
attention than they have hitherto received."
The following extract from the "Dundee Courier" of July 11,1837, will
give some idea how capable these roses are of making even a wilderness a
scene of beauty:--
"Some years ago, a sand-pit at Ellangowan was filled up with rubbish
found in digging a well. Over this a piece of rock was formed for the
growth of plants which prefer such situations, and amongst them were
planted some half-dozen plants of the Double Ayrshire Rose, raised in
this neighborhood about ten years ago. These roses now most completely
cover the whole ground,--a space of thirty feet by twenty. At present
they are in full bloom, showing probably not less than ten thousand
roses in this small space."
[Illustration: 0155]
_Rosa Sempervirens_.--This is a climbing rose of very vigorous growth,
a native of the middle and south of Europe. The garden varieties
originated from it bloom in clusters of small and usually very double
flowers, of which the prevailing tints are light, varying from delicate
shades of rose and pink to a pure white. They are not absolutely
evergreen, but only partially so, retaining their bright, glossy leaves
till spring, provided they are planted in shady and sheltered places,
as under trees, or in the angles of walls, but dropping them in open
situations. In England they have come into great favor as pillar-roses,
and for covering walls, banks, or unsightly objects in the garden or
on the pleasure-ground. Budded on tall stems of the Dog Rose, they
form pendulous standards of magnificent proportions; rivalling, in
this respect, the Ayrshire. Whether such standards would be equally
successful in the Northern States, is, to say the least, doubtful.
Most of the varieties of the Evergreen Rose now most in esteem were
originated in the gardens of Reuilly, near Paris, by M. Jacques,
gardener to King Louis Philippe. One or two are crossed with the
Musk Rose; whence they acquire a fragrance in which their own race
is deficient. Bankslæflora is one of these. It has small double white
flowers. Félicite Perpétuée, in spite of its preposterous name, is one
of the most beautiful of climbing roses; and trained as it sometimes is
in European gardens, drooping in graceful festoons from pillar to pillar
on supporting wires, or mantling some unsightly dead trunk with its
foliage of shining green and its countless clusters of creamy white
flowers, it forms one of the most attractive objects imaginable.
Thin out its shoots; but do not prune them, since, if they are much
shortened, they will yield no flowers whatever. Give it a rich soil,
with autumnal top-dressing of manure; a treatment good for the whole
group, and, indeed, for all climbing roses. Donna Maria has pure white
flowers. Its growth is less vigorous than others, its foliage light
green, and it blooms in large clusters. Myrianthes Rénoncule has
flowers of a pale peach-color, drooping in large clusters, and in form
resembling a double ranunculus. Rosa Plena is of a bright flesh-color,
large and double. Princesse Marie is reddish-pink. Fortune's Yellow is
a native of China and Japan, and is sometimes included in this class.
It is of a bright fawn-color, with a tinge of copper; beautiful under
shelter, but will not bear a winter exposure in the Northern States. It
is of comparatively recent introduction. Rampante blooms profusely in
clusters of pure white. Flora is of a bright rose; Leopoldine d'Orléans,
white, tinged with rose; and Spectabilis, rosy-lilac.
While some of this race are perfectly hardy, others will require
protection against a Northern winter. The ease of their culture, their
rapid growth, and their admirable effect where masses of flowers and
verdure are desired, will commend them all to favor in the Middle and
Southern States.
"I know of no rose idea," says Mr. Rivers, "prettier than that of a
wilderness of evergreen roses, the varieties planted promiscuously, and
suffered to cover the surface of the ground with their entangled shoots.
To effect this, the ground should be dug, manured, and thoroughly
cleaned from perennial weeds, such as couch-grass, &c., and the plants
planted from three to five feet asunder. If the soil be rich, the latter
distance will do. They must be hoed amongst, and kept clean from weeds
after planting, till the branches meet: they will then soon form a
beautiful mass of foliage and flowers, covering the soil too densely
for weeds of minor growth to flourish. Those weeds that are more robust
should be pulled out occasionally; and this is all the culture they will
require. For temples, columns, wire-fences, which they soon cover with
beauty, and verandas, their use is now becoming well known. One of the
most complete temples of roses is that at the seat of-----Warner, Esq.,
Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire; and the prettiest specimens of festooning
these roses from one column to another by means of small iron chains
(strong iron wire will do) may be seen at Broxbourn Bury, near
Hoddesdon, the seat of-------Bosanquet, Esq.
"... About six or eight years ago, I received, among others, some very
stout short stocks of the Dog Rose: they were not more than two feet in
height, but stouter than a large broom-handle, the bark thick and gray
with age. They were planted, and grew most luxuriantly. I was for
some little time at a loss what varieties to bud them with; for, be it
remembered, all stout and old rose-stocks require to be worked with very
strong-growing sorts of roses, to take off the abundance of sap, and
keep them in a healthy state. At last, in a mere freak of fancy, I
had them budded with some varieties of the Evergreen Rose (_Rosa
Sempervirens_). They grew most luxuriantly; and after a year or two,
not being trees adapted for sale, they were planted in a sloping bank of
strong white clay, and left to grow and bloom as Nature dictated: not a
shoot was ever touched with the pruning-knife.
"One of these trees is on a stem a trifle more than two feet in height,
and it has been these two or three summers past a picture of beauty.
When in full bloom, the ends of its shoots rest on the ground, and it
then forms a perfect dome of roses: nothing in rose-culture can really
be more beautiful. It will be at once seen with what facility such
stout, short, old rose-stocks can be found in any hedge. They may be
planted in the kitchen-garden, budded with the above-mentioned sort,
and, to give variety in color, with some of the following kinds,--all
varieties of Rosa Sempervirens, Myrianthes, Jaunâtre, Adelaide
d'Orléans, and Spectabilis. Every bud will succeed, as no roses grow
more freely; and, after remaining one season from budding in their
'nursery,' some nice places must be found for them on the lawn, where,
unpruned, unchecked, they will, with all the freshness of unassisted
Nature, annually delight the eye of the lover of flowers." *
* This will do for the Southern States. Unhappily, it will
not do in New England.
[Illustration: 0159]
_Rosa Multiflora_.--The parent of this family belongs to Japan and
China. With few exceptions, we cannot recommend them to Northern
cultivators for growth in the open air, as they bear our winters but
indifferently, and, in some cases, are killed outright. Russelliana,
or Scarlet Grevillia, blooms in large clusters of a rich, dark lake,
changing to various shades of red and lilac, so that the cluster
presents a curious diversity of hue. As it is extremely vigorous in
growth, it would make an admirable pillar or climbing rose, were it
but a little more hardy. It would, no doubt, succeed if the pillar were
protected during winter by fastening around it a covering of pine or
spruce boughs. These exclude sun, but not air; so that the rose is not
exposed to the dangers from dampness which attend a compact mass of
straw soaked by rain and snow. As Russelliana bears pruning better than
most climbing roses, it may be grown as a bush; in which state it
has flourished here for a number of years without protection. De la
Grifferaie may also be grown as a bush with perfect success as far North
as Boston. It gives a great abundance of blush and rose-colored flowers,
forming a high mound of bloom. Laura Davoust forms an admirable
greenhouse stock for rafter roses. Indeed, it is well worth a place for
its own sake. Its small double flowers of bright pink and flesh-color,
changing to white, are produced in large and graceful clusters,
beautiful from the varieties of shade which they exhibit. Carmin
Velouté, Alba, and Coccinea are also good varieties of this family, the
value of which is greatly diminished by the imperfect hardiness of many
of its members.
[Illustration: 0161]
The following are roses of doubtful parentage, several of them
much esteemed abroad; though, for the most part, they have not been
sufficiently tried here to establish their merit and their hardiness in
our Northern climate. All those named below bear an English winter.
Madame d'Arblay, or Wells's White, is of a light flesh-color, and its
growth is exceedingly vigorous. The Garland is of a light fawn-color,
changing to white, and blooms in large clusters of double flowers,
which turn to pink before fading. Sir John Sebright has small semidouble
crimson flowers, a color valuable in a climbing rose, because not very
common. Menoux is also crimson. Indica Major is of a pale blush. Among
others under this head may be mentioned Astrolabe, Bengale Formidable,
Queen, and Clair. The last, however, is but a moderate grower for a
climbing rose.
"Among climbing roses, but few can be found that will bear seed in
England, the Ayrshire roses excepted, from some of which it is probable
that some fine and original climbers may be raised. A most desirable
object to obtain is a dark crimson Rosa ruga: this may possibly be
accomplished by planting that favorite rose with the Ayrshire Queen, and
fertilizing its flowers very carefully with those of that dark rose. It
is remarkable, that although these roses are both hybrids, from species
apparently very remote in their affinities, yet both of them bear seed,
even without being fertilized. The Blush Ayrshire, a most abundant
seed-bearer, may also be planted with the Ayrshire Queen, the Gloire de
Rosomènes, the Double Yellow Brier, Single Crimson Moss, Celina Moss,
the China Rose Fabvier, and its flowers fertilized with the pollen of
these roses: if any combination can be effected, pleasing results may
reasonably be hoped for. To make assurance doubly sure, the anthers
of the Ayrshire Rose should be removed from some of the flowers with
which the experiment is tried."--_Rivers_.
[Illustration: 0162]
_Rosa Banksia_.--This very beautiful and very singular family more
resembles in bloom a double Spiraea prunifolia, dwarf almond, or
Chinese plum, than a rose. Its shoots are long, flexible, and graceful,
and its foliage of a deep, polished green. In the flowering season,
each shoot is like a pendulous garland of white, yellow, or rose-colored
blossoms, small in size, and countless in number. It is not hardy here,
or even in England; but it is one of the few once-blooming roses that
are worth training on a greenhouse rafter. We have found it to succeed
in a house without fire, with the protection of straw placed around it
in winter. It will then bloom in the spring.
This rose is a native of China, and was named in compliment to Lady
Banks. In Italy and the south of France it grows to perfection, climbing
with an astonishing vigor, and covering every object within its reach.
According to the French writer Deslongchamps, there was in 1842 a
Banksia Rose at Toulon, of which the stem was, at its base, two feet
and four inches in circumference; while the largest of the six
branches measured a foot in girth. Its foliage covered a space of wall
seventy-five feet wide, and about eighteen feet high; and it sometimes
produced shoots fifteen feet long in a single year. It flowered in
April and May; from fifty to sixty thousand of its double white blossoms
opening at once, with an effect which the writer describes as magical.
This remarkable tree was then about thirty-four years old. Deslongchamps
also describes another Banksia Rose at Caserta, in the kingdom of
Naples, which climbed to the top of a poplar sixty feet high, killed
it with its embraces, and mantled its lifeless form with its rich green
drapery, and its flowery garlands and festoons of white.
Banksian roses must not be shortened much; for, if they are, they will
not bloom. The branches may be thinned out, however, to any degree
necessary. The strong, thick shoots of overgrown proportions, and often
but half ripened, which they sometimes make towards the end of summer,
should be cut out, as they draw too much life from the blooming part of
the plant. The same rule will also apply to many other species. These
gross and immature shoots occur in many roses, both in the open ground
and under glass; and, as they rarely produce good flowers, they should
not be suffered to rob the rest of the plant of its nourishment.
The Double White Banksia is the best known, and one of the most
beautiful. Jaunâtre Pleine is of a primrose yellow. Jaune Serin is of a
bright yellow. Fortune's Banksia has double white flowers, much larger
than usual with the species, and is greatly admired. The Yellow Banksia
is of a bright yellow, small, and very double. Rosea is of a bright
rose, double.
The Banksia is frequently used in greenhouses and conservatories as a
stock for other climbing roses; and, in many cases, answers well.
[Illustration: 0165]
_Rosa Rubifolia_.--This native rose has been much improved by Mr. Feast
and others, and now has many varieties, some of which are evidently
hybrids. The single variety is in itself very attractive; blooming in
clusters, which last a long time, and exhibit a pleasing diversity of
shade, since the flowers grow paler as they grow old. For our own part,
we prefer the parent to most of its more pretending offspring.
All of this family are held in great scorn by transatlantic cultivators.
Perhaps the climate of England is unfavorable to them; perhaps national
prejudice may color the judgment; or perhaps the fact that a less
rigorous climate permits the successful cultivation of many fine
climbing roses which cannot well be grown here may explain the slight
esteem with which these coarse children of the prairies are regarded.
Coarse, without doubt, they are, except those into which another element
has been infused by hybridization, accidental or otherwise: and yet our
climate forbids us to dispense with them.
The Queen of the Prairies is among those best known and most desirable.
Individually, its flowers are as void of beauty as a rose can be.
Sometimes they are precisely like a small cabbage,--not the rose so
called, but the vegetable,--and they are as deficient in fragrance as in
elegance. Yet we regard this rose as a most valuable possession. It will
cover a wall, a pillar, a bank, or a dead trunk, with a profusion of
bloom, gorgeous as a feature of the garden landscape, though unworthy
to be gathered or critically examined. It is perfectly hardy, and of the
easiest culture. Those who can make no other rose grow rarely fail with
this. The Baltimore Belle is a notable exception to every thing we have
said in disparagement of the Prairie roses. It is evidently a hybrid of
some tender, ever-blooming variety, apparently one of the Noisettes;
and derives, from its paternal parent, qualities of delicacy and beauty
which are not conspicuous in the maternal stock. At the same time, it
has lost some of the robust and hardy character of the unmixed Prairie.
In a severe New-England winter, its younger shoots are often killed
back. It shows a tendency to bloom in the autumn; and a trifle more
of the Noisette blood infused into it would, no doubt, make it a
true autumnal rose. Some florists use it for spring forcing in the
greenhouse; for which the delicacy of its clustering white flowers,
shaded with a soft, flesh-color, well fits it. When the worthy Rivers,
patriarch of English rose-growers, pronounced sentence, ex cathedra,
against the whole race of Prairies,--"I will dismiss them with the
remark, that none of them are worth cultivating,"--he included in
his decree of excommunication one of the prettiest climbing roses in
existence.
Anna Maria has very double flowers of pink and rose. Linnæan Hill Beauty
bears white and pale blush flowers. Miss Gunnell is pale pink, with a
tinge of buff. It is one of the best, though not equal to the Baltimore
Belle. Mrs. Hovey has large white flowers; President, deep pink;
Triumphant, deep rose; Superba, light pink. Among other sorts are the
King of the Prairie, Eva Corinne, Jane, and Seraphim, all excellent for
general effect, but not to be classed with the roses suitable for the
bouquet or the drawing-room.
The Prairie roses might, no doubt, be greatly improved by hybridizing.
Thus, by fertilization with the pollen of the Musk Rose, we should
probably obtain an offspring with some of the delicacy and fragrance of
that species. Again: by applying the pollen of some vigorous, hardy
rose of deep and vivid color, we should improve the color of the Prairie
without impairing its hardiness. Hybrid China Paul Ricaut would probably
answer well for this experiment. The Baltimore Belle bears seed
occasionally; but is so uncertain and capricious in this respect, that
it will require no little perseverance in the hybridist.
[Illustration: 0168]
[Illustration: 0169]