We will begin alphabetically, therefore I will first say a few words regarding the pink-flowered anemone japonica. Though the white variety (alba) is to be seen in every garden, the older kind is not grown half enough; perhaps this is owing to the peculiar pinkish shade of the petals, a colour that will harmonize with few others, and might be termed æsthetic; it should be grown in a large clump by itself or mixed with white; it flowers at the same time as A. j. alba, and equally approves of a rich and rather heavy soil, and also likes a shady place. Both kinds spread rapidly.

Aquilegias, or columbines, are most elegant plants, generally left to the cottage garden, though their delicate beauty fits them for the best positions; they do well on borders, and generally flower about the end of May; in a light soil they seed freely, and spring up all round the parent plant. Asters, the botanical name for Michaelmas daisies, are beautiful flowers for a small garden if the right sort are chosen; those that take up a great deal of room should be discarded where space is an object, and such kinds as A. amellus bessaribicus, planted instead; this is perhaps the finest of the genus, and is first-rate for cutting. It is only two feet high, of neat habit, and bears large, bright mauve flowers with golden centres very freely, from the beginning of August right into October. A. ericoides is another one of neat habit, and is only half a foot taller than the last; it bears long sprays, covered the whole way up the stem with tiny white flowers and mossy foliage. Some of the novi-belgii asters are also very good and easy to grow. One of the most effective and beautiful plants in the summer months is bocconia cordata; it has delicate, heart-shaped foliage of a clear apple-green, silvered beneath, and creamy flower-spikes which measure from three to five feet in height; though so tall, it is eminently fitted for the town garden, for it is not a straggling plant and rarely requires staking. At Hampton Court Palace it is one of the most striking things in the herbaceous border during July.

The hardy campanulas are good things to have, and in their own shade of blue are not to be beaten; of the taller varieties, the blue and white peach-leaved kinds are the handsomest, and come in very usefully for cutting. C. carpatica and C. c. alba are shorter, being only one foot high; they flower continuously, and look very well in a bed with the double potentillas, which are described further on.

Coreopsis grandiflora is handsomer than the old lanceolata, and bears large bright yellow flowers, which are very handsome when cut and bloom for a long period.

It is difficult to imagine what we should do without delphiniums (larkspurs) in the hardy flower-border; they are absolutely invaluable, and seem to have almost every good quality, neither are they at all difficult to grow; some of their blossoms are of an azure blue, a rare colour in nature; then they can be had of a Cambridge blue, purple, white, rose, and even red; the last, however, is a fickle grower and not to be recommended, save for the rockery. Though one may give 21s. and even more per dozen for them, beautiful kinds can be had for 10s.; these plants run from two to five feet high in good soil, but need plenty of manure to do them really well, as they belong to the tribe of “gross-feeders.”

The erigerons are useful plants to grow, very much like the large-flowered Michaelmas daisies, except that they come in earlier and are of a dwarfer habit; they may be had in orange as well as blue shades.

The funkias are grand plants, grown chiefly for their foliage, which is sometimes green margined with white, or green mixed with gold, and in one kind the leaves are marbled blue and green; they set off the flowers near them to great advantage. In the early spring slugs attack them; these must be trapped and killed (see Chap. VIII.).

Why are the old Christmas roses seen so little, I wonder? Grown in heavy soil and cold aspect they do beautifully, and bring us their pure white flowers when little else is obtainable outside. One thing against them in this hurry-skurry age is the fact that they increase so slowly; this makes them rather expensive too. Good plants of helleborus niger maximus may, however, be bought for half-a-crown; this variety has very handsome leaves, and is all the better for a little manure.

A flower that everybody admires is the heuchera sanguinea, a rare and lovely species; it has graceful sprays of coral-red flowers, borne on stems from one to two feet high, which generally appear in June, and are first-rate for cutting. Lobelia fulgens is a brilliantly beautiful species, not to be confounded with the dwarf blue kinds; these tall varieties have quaintly-shaped red flowers, and narrow leaves of the darkest crimson; the roots are rather tender, and much dislike damp during the autumn and winter.

Lychnis chalcedonica is one of the unreasonably neglected plants; it has bright scarlet flowers, a good habit, and grows from two to three feet high; it must have a sunny position and prefers a sandy soil.

Some of the new hardy penstemons are lovely, and flower during the whole summer; they look very well in a round bed by themselves, and do not require much looking after; they are rather too tender to withstand our damp winters without protection, therefore the old plants should be mulched, after having had cuttings taken from them, to be kept secure from frost in a frame.

The winter cherry, or Cape gooseberry (physalis alkekengi) is a most fascinating plant; its fruit is the attraction, and resembles Chinese-lanterns; they appear early in September, and make quite a good show in the garden. When bad weather comes, the stalks should be cut, hung up to dry for about a week, and then mixed in vases with dried grasses and the effect is very pretty. Care must be taken when asking for this plant under the English name, as there is a greenhouse plant so termed which is quite different, and, of course, will not stand frost. A dozen plants cost about 5s.; do not be persuaded to get the newer sort—franchetti—the berries are larger, but coarse and flabby, and not nearly so decorative.

Polemonium richardsoni is a very pretty plant, its English name being Jacob’s ladder. The flowers are borne in clusters, and are pale sky-blue in colour with a yellow eye: the foliage is fernlike in character and very abundant. This plant likes a shady nook, which must not be under trees, however, and if well watered after its first bloom is over in June, it will flower again in autumn. The double potentillas are glorious things for bedding, and are most uncommon looking. Their flowers are like small double roses in shape: generally orange, scarlet, or a mixture of both: the leaves, greyish-green in colour, resemble those of the strawberry. Unfortunately, these plants require a good deal of staking, but they are well worth the trouble.

The large-leaved saxifrages, sometimes called megaseas, merit a good deal more attention than they receive. For one thing they begin flowering very early, holding up their close pink umbels of flowers so bravely in cold winds: then their foliage is quite distinct, and turns to such a rich red in September that this fact, added to their easy cultivation, makes it wonderful that they are not more grown. I remember, on a dreary day in mid-February, being perfectly charmed by the sight of a large bed of this saxifraga ligulata, completely filling up the front garden of a workman’s cottage in one of the poorest roads of a large town. The flowers are particularly clean and fresh-looking, and having shiny leaves they of course resist dust and dirt well.

Tradescantias and trollius are two good families of plants for growing on north borders; the first have curious blue or reddish-purple flowers, rising on stiff stalks clothed with long pointed leaves, and they continue in flower from May till September. The trollius has bright orange or lemon-yellow cup-shaped blossoms and luxuriant foliage. It flowers from the end of May for some weeks. Both these plants grow about two feet high.

Violas or tufted pansies are very pretty, and extremely suitable for the ground work of beds, especially where these are in shade, though they will not do under trees. Cuttings must constantly be taken, as one-year-old plants flower more continuously, and have larger blooms and a more compact habit than older plants, besides which they are apt to die out altogether, if left to themselves.

These are but a few of the wealth of good things to be made use of, for, when once real enthusiasm is awakened, the amateur who wishes to have a thoroughly interesting garden will only be too eager to avail himself of all that is best in the horticultural world.

CHAPTER V

Hanging plants are great adjuncts where the structure is lofty, and open-work iron pillars, when draped with some graceful climbing plant, are a great improvement. Where there is but little fire heat, considerable care will be needed to choose something which will look well all the year round. We will suppose that the frost is merely kept out; in the summer, such a house can be bright with plumbago, pelargoniums, salvias, and indeed all the regular greenhouse flowering plants, as, except in hot-houses, no artificial heat is then necessary anywhere. In winter, there is more difficulty, for all the climbing plants which are in conspicuous positions must be nearly hardy; of these, the trumpet flower (bignonia), swainsonia, passion-flower, choisya ternata, myrtle and camellia, are the best; these are nearly evergreen, and consequently look ornamental even when out of flower.

Plants suitable for hanging baskets are the trailing tradescantias, the white campanula, lobelia, pelargonium, and many ferns. For the pot plants there are hosts of things; freesias, cyclamen, marguerite-carnations, primulas, Christmas roses, arums, azaleas, kalmias, spireas, chrysanthemums, narcissus, roman hyacinths, and so on. Many late-flowering hardy plants, will, if potted up, continue in bloom long after the cold has cut them off outside.

Cactus plants, too, ordinarily grown in a warm green-house, will even withstand one or two degrees of frost when kept perfectly dry, dust-dry, in fact. During winter in England it is the damp that kills, not the cold; bearing that in mind, we shall be able to grow many things that hitherto have puzzled us. All those delicate iris, half-hardy ferns, and tiresome plants that would put off flowering till too late, why, a cold conservatory or greenhouse is the very place for them!

Green-houses are altogether easier to manage than conservatories, and therefore are the best for amateurs. There cuttings may be struck, plants repotted, fuchsias, geraniums, etc., stored, and tender annuals reared. A lean-to greenhouse should face south preferably, and the door should be placed at the warm end, that is, the west, so that when opened no biting wind rushes in. When the summer comes, a temporary shading will be necessary; twopennyworth of whitening and a little water mixed into a paste will do this. About the middle of September it should be washed off, if the rain has not already done so; for if it remains on too long the plants will grow pale and lanky.

ARTIFICIAL HEAT. The Rippingille stove before referred to must be placed at the coldest end, and only sufficient warmth should emanate from it just to keep out the frost, unless it is intended to use it all day. It is well to remember that the colder the atmosphere outside, the cooler in proportion must the interior be. Even a hot-house is allowed by a good gardener to go down to 60° or even 55° on a bitterly cold night, as a great amount of fire-heat at such times is inimical to plant life, though it will stand a tremendous amount of sun-power. Several mats or lengths of woollen material, canvas, etc., stretched along outside will save expense, and be a more natural way of preserving the plants.

One great advantage that a greenhouse has over a conservatory is this: that any climbers can be planted out, whereas tubs have to be used where the floor is tiled. Cucumbers and tomatoes do very well in a small house, and an abundance of these is sure to please the housekeeper. Seeds of the cucumber should be sown about the first week in March on a hot-bed; if in small pots all the better, as their roots suffer less when transferred to where they are to fruit. Do not let the shoots become crowded, or insects and mildew will attack them. In the summer, “damp down” pretty frequently and give plenty of air, avoiding anything like a draught, however. “Telegraph,” though not new, is a reliable cucumber of good flavour and a first-rate cropper. Tomato seed should be sown about the same time and the plants treated similarly, giving plenty of water but no stimulant in the way of guano till they have set their fruit, which can be assisted by passing a camel’s hair brush over the flowers, and thus fertilising them. Of course, out of doors the bees do this; their “busyness” materially aiding the gardener.

As to storing plants, a box of sand placed in a dry corner where no drip can reach it, is best for this, burying the roots of dahlias, etc., fairly deep in it, and withholding water till the spring, when they may be taken out, each root examined, decayed parts removed, and every healthy plant repotted. The pots should be placed under the shelves till they shoot forth, when they can be gradually brought forward to the light. This reminds me that the dark parts of a greenhouse should never be wasted, as, besides their use in bringing up bulbs, ferns can be grown for cutting, and such things as rhubarb, may be readily forced there. Frames are very useful and fairly cheap, though it is best to get them set with 21-oz. glass, or they will not last long. Seedlings may be brought up in them with greater success than if in a greenhouse, and a supply of violets may be kept up in them during the coldest weather. The mats they are covered with during the night must never be removed till the frost is well off the grass, say about 11 a.m., as a sudden thaw makes terrible havoc.

The great point to remember when about to indulge in a greenhouse is this: unless sufficient time and trouble can be given to make it worth while, it is better to spend the money on the outdoor department, which to a certain extent takes care of itself. Where there is leisure to attend to a greenhouse, however, few things will give more return for the care spent on it.

CHAPTER VI

A spade is a daily necessity, however. Has not one of our most learned divines exalted the art of digging by his commendation thereof, and who shall say him nay? It is expedient to wear thick boots, however, during this operation, not only on account of the earth’s moisture, but also because otherwise it is ruinous to our soles. To preserve the latter, a spade with a sharp edge should never be chosen, but one which has a flat piece of iron welded on to the body of it. Digging is good because it breaks up the earth, and exposes it to the sun and also to the frost, which sweetens and purifies it; care must be taken however, in doing it, as so many things die down in the winter and are not easily seen. The ordinary hired gardener is very clever at burying things so deep that they never come up again!

Most people abhor weeding, yet if done with a Dutch hoe it is rather pleasant work, as no stooping is required. After a few showers of rain the hoe runs along very easily, and the good it does is so patent that I always think it very satisfactory labour indeed. These hoes cost about 1s. 6d. each.

Raking is easy work, and very useful for smoothing beds or covering seeds over with soil. English made, with about eight or ten teeth, their cost is from two to three shillings. One of the most necessary implements is a trowel, in particular for a lady, as its use does not need so much muscle as a spade; their price is from 1s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. each.

Where there are many climbers a hammer is wanted, not a toy one of German make; these are sometimes chosen by amateurs under the mistaken idea that the lighter the hammer the lighter the work. One of English make, strong and durable, is the kind of thing required, and costs about 2s. or 2s. 6d. Wall-nails, one inch long (the most useful size), are 2d. a pound, and may be had at any ironmongers. The shreds of cloth may be bought too, but anyone who deals at a tailor’s can procure a mixed bundle of cloth pieces for nothing, when there is the light labour of cutting them into shreds, work of a few minutes only.

In choosing watering-cans, see that they are thoroughly good tin, as a strong can will last for years; moreover, when it begins to leak it will bear mending; they cost from 3s. upwards, the roses should be made to take off as a rule, and a special place assigned to them on the shelf of the tool-shed, as they readily get lost. Syringes, much used for washing off insects, are rather expensive, consequently are not to be found in many small gardens; a more fortunate friend will sometimes lend one, as there is a good deal of freemasonry amongst people who indulge in the hobby of gardening.

A thing everyone must have is a thermometer, in greenhouses they are indispensable; the minimum kind are the most useful, telling one as they do exactly the degree of frost experienced during the preceding night. They may be bought at a chemist’s for 1s. each, and must be re-set every day; the aforesaid chemist will show any purchaser the way to do this—it is quite simple.

Raffia, or bass, for tying flower-sticks, and labels are minor necessities which cost little, though sticks may run into a good deal if bought prepared for staking. Personally, I dislike both the coloured kinds (never Nature’s green) and the white. Both show far more than the unobtrusive sticks obtained by cutting down the stalks of Michaelmas daisies, for instance. Galvanised iron stakes last practically for ever, and if they are of the twisted kind, no tying is required, greatly lessening labour. It is a curious fact that though arches made of iron set up electrical disturbance and injure the climbers, these stakes seem to have no bad effect whatever. At the end of the autumn they should be collected, and stored in a safe place till summer comes round again. Thin ones suitable for carnations, etc., may be procured from A. Porter, Storehouse, Maidstone, for 1s. a dozen, carriage paid. The thicker ones can be made to order at small cost at any ironmonger’s.

A handy man can often make frames himself, especially if they are not required to be portable, and really these home-made ones answer almost as well as those that are bought. Good frames can sometimes be had at sales for an old song, and only require a coat of paint to make them as good as new.

Here I will end my list, only reiterating that, however few tools you may have, it is foolish to get any but the best.

A summer-house need not necessarily be bought ready-made. I have seen many a pretty bower put together in the spare hours of the carpenter of the family. There is one advantage in these home-made summer-houses, that they are generally more roomy than those which are bought, and can be made to suit individual requirements.

HOW TO COVER A SUMMER-HOUSE. Of course, it is more necessary to cover these amateur and therefore somewhat clumsy structures with creepers, but that is not difficult. Even the first summer they can be made to look quite presentable by planting the Japanese hop. The leaves are variegated, and in shape like the Virginia creeper. Messrs. Barr, of Long Ditton, Surrey, told me it grew 25 feet in one season. It can be had from them in pots, about the first week in May, for 3s. 6d. a dozen. Then there are the nasturtiums, always so effective when trained up lengths of string, with the dark back-ground of the summer-house to show up their beautiful flowers. If the soil in which they grow is poor and gravelly, the blossoms will be more numerous. The canary creeper is another plant, which is so airy and graceful that one never seems to tire of it. Get the seeds up in good time, so that when planted out they are of a fair height, else so much of the summer is lost.

There are so many uncommon climbing plants which should be tried, notably eccremocarpus scaber, cobea scandens, and mina lobata. The last two are annual, and the first can be grown as such, though in mild winters and in sunny positions it is a perennial. It flowers whenever the weather will let it, and its blossoms are orange-yellow in colour, very curious and invariably noticed by visitors. Reliable seeds of all three can be had from Messrs. Barr, at 6d. a packet. The cobea bears pale purple bell-shaped flowers, and is a quick grower. Mina lobata is generally admired, and though of a different family bears a slight resemblance to an eccremocarpus, both in the shape of its flowers and in the way they are arranged on the stem. It is only half hardy. Clematis jackmanni and montana are good for this position too. Jackmanni is the well-known velvety purple kind, and must be cut down to the ground every autumn, and well mulched; that is because it flowers on the new growth of each year. Montana, however, flowers on the wood of the previous year, and therefore must be cut back about the end of June, if at all, as May is the month it blooms.

The Dutchman’s pipe, or aristolochia sipho, is not to be altogether recommended, as its huge leaves always seem to make small gardens appear smaller still, which is not desirable; otherwise, it is a splendid plant for covering summer-houses, as it is a rapid climber. It is wise to plant some of the decorative ivies as well, so that, if the flowering plants fail, it will not be of so much consequence. The varieties with pointed leaves are exceedingly elegant, and are much more suitable than the common sort for decorating churches and dwelling-house, and cost no more to buy.

FRAGRANT ODOURS. At the base of the summer-house there should be quantities of sweet-scented plants, as this will make the time spent there all the pleasanter. There are lavender, rosemary, thyme, bay, sweet peas, stocks, and mignonette, besides the oak-leaved geranium, tobacco plant, marvel of Peru, and, of course, roses, though the latter do not give off scent quite so much as the other plants mentioned.

The position of the summer-house is important. I have seen some divided, but where there is no partition it should generally face west. It is delightful on a fine evening to sit and watch the clouds change from glory to glory, as the sun gradually sinks to its rest, and the stars gleam out in the darkening sky.

CHAPTER VII

THE ADVANTAGES OF TEAS. For many reasons Tea Roses are the best for small gardens, as they like the shelter found there. They flower more continuously and in much greater profusion, are not so troubled with green fly, and are far more decorative in habit of growth and colour of leafage than most of the other species. In their particular shades of colour they cannot be equalled, though for cherry reds and dark maroons we have to look to the Hybrid Perpetual, at least, if we want flowers of fine form, and also for that lovely fresh pink of the Captain Christy type (though this is now termed a Hybrid Tea by rosarians). The name Perpetual is apt to give a false idea to those who are not experienced. Most of these roses are not at all continuous, many only lasting six weeks or so in bloom, and some even less, if the season is hot; that is one great reason why they are being superseded by Teas, at least in the suburbs of London and the South of England. In the Midlands and North the hardiness of the H.P.’s is greatly in their favour.

Teas will stand the closeness of a garden surrounded by houses and trees much better than the Perpetuals, which are very apt to become mildewed in such positions. Of course, many remedies are given for this, but often they are worse than the disease; flowers of sulphur, for instance, to take the best-known remedy, disfigures the whole plant terribly.

Teas are much the best for planting in beds which are very conspicuous, for, as I said previously, they are always ornamental. Where standards are placed down each side of the lawn, it is rather a good plan to place all the Hybrid Perpetuals on one side and the Teas on the other, giving the greater amount of sun to the latter.

GOOD CLIMBERS FOR WARM WALLS. When covering a very hot wall, too, it is best, in the South of England, to stick to the tender roses, as the others become almost burnt up. I will name here five of the best climbing Tea roses for a south or west wall. William Allan Richardson the beautiful orange variety so much admired; Bouquêt d’or, a daughter of Gloire de Dijon, but prettier in the bud than the old variety; Madame Berard, fawny yellow, very floriferous; L’Idéal, and Gustave Regis. L’Ideal is a most beautiful rose, its colouring almost defying description—a peculiar yellow, streaked with red and gold, like a Turner sunset. Gustave Regis, though often classed as a bush rose, easily covers a low wall, and is one of the best kinds there are, as it is covered with bloom the whole of the season. The buds make lovely button-holes, and are creamy yellow, long, and pointed. They are just like water-lilies when fully open, and on a warm sunny day exhale a perfectly delicious fragrance, unlike any other rose with which I am acquainted.

Another good climbing tea-rose is Duchesse d’Auerstadt. Though introduced as long ago as 1887, this variety is not often heard of, perhaps on account of its shy blooming qualities. This however need deter no one from growing it, as its lovely foliage makes it quite a picture at all times: bronze, crimson, rich metallic green, its shoots and leaves are a pleasure to look at. Its flowers, too, when they come how splendid they are! great golden goblets full to overflowing with the firm, rich petals and with a scent to match; they are indeed worth waiting for! Anxiously is each bud watched, for they take so long to come to perfection that the anxiety is not ill-founded. I have known a bud take four weeks to come out, but then it had to stand a lot of bad weather, and came through it safely after all. All these rose-trees may be had from Benjamin R. Cant & Sons, Colchester, at 1s. 6d. each. This firm always sends out good plants, with plenty of vitality in them, and as these old-established rose-nurseries are by no means in a sheltered spot, you may be sure of each tree being hardily grown and thoroughly ripened, great points in their future well-being.

CLIMBERS FOR COOL WALLS. East, or better still E.S.E., is a good aspect for Hybrid Perpetual and Bourbon roses on walls. I have frequently noticed that they have a great dislike to the very hottest of the sun’s rays, and that is the reason I have advised those places to be reserved for Teas. Some good climbing varieties for cool aspects are:—Mrs. John Laing, a satiny pink of lovely form and sweet scent. Jules Margottin, cherry-red, globular in shape, sweet-scented and very floriferous. Prince Camille de Rohan, one of the best dark roses to be had, as they are generally so difficult to grow—it is blackish-maroon in colour, and flowers abundantly. Boule-de-neige, a Bourbon, with white flowers in great abundance. Madame Isaac Pereire another Bourbon; it is a quick grower and most abundant flowerer, the flowers are bright rose crimson. Souvenir-de-la-Malmaison, one of the best Bourbons we have; does particularly well on cold walls, even on those facing north. Its flowers are very large, somewhat flat in form, and blush-white; it blooms abundantly in autumn, and is rarely subject to blight.

CLIMBERS REQUIRE VERY LITTLE PRUNING. It is a case chiefly of cutting out all dead wood, and snipping the decayed ends of those that are left. When planting rose-trees of any description, choose mild and if possible calm weather, for it is better to keep the trees out of the ground a few days rather than plant them in frosty weather. The soil should be friable, so that it crumbles fairly well, and when the plant is in position it is advisable to cover the roots with potting-soil for two or three inches. Spread the roots out like a fan, and be sure not to plant the tree too deep. Look carefully for the mark showing the union of graft and stock, and be careful not to cover this with more than two inches of soil. Tread down the soil well to make it firm, and thus induce the rose-trees to make fresh roots. In planting out climbers, carefully tack all loose shoots to the wall or fence behind it, else the wind may do much harm. When all is finished give a good mulching of strawy manure, which should be dug in when March comes; and if there is a likelihood of frost, protect the branches with bracken or any light covering.

BUSH ROSES OF THE H.P. TYPE. I will now give a few of the best Hybrid Perpetuals of the bush type; many of the varieties I shall name, however, make very good standards though they are more expensive. The “dwarfs,” as rosarians call them, only cost from 9d. to 1s. each at Messrs. Cant’s, except in the case of novelties; and where these are concerned, it is well to wait a year or two, as they rapidly go down to the normal price. Duke of Teck, bright carmine scarlet, of good form, and occasionally blooms in the autumn. Dupuy Jamain, one of the best H.P.’s ever introduced, the flowers are almost cherry-red in colour, sweet-scented, and come out in succession the whole of the summer: it is a quick grower, and does well in a somewhat shady position. Heinrich Schultheis flowers of a true rose-pink touched with silver, very prettily shaped and exceedingly fragrant. Unfortunately, this variety is subject to attacks of mildew, though this does not seem to affect the beauty of the flowers but spoils the leaves.

Baroness Rothschild, a faultless rose as regards form and colour, which is a beautiful pale pink, but utterly devoid of scent, a serious fault in my opinion. Comtesse de Bearn, large, dark, and very floriferous. Madame Gabriel Luizet, light silvery pink, quick growing, and free blooming. Ulrich Brunner, always given an excellent character in the catalogues, and indeed it is a good rose, cherry-red in colour, sweet-scented, and of fine form: it rarely ails, mildew and rust passing it by altogether. It is exceedingly vigorous, and makes therefore a good pillar-rose. Pride of Waltham, a rose little heard-of yet most lovely; its blossoms are of the brightest pink, sweetly scented, and beautifully cupped. Charles Lefèvre, beautiful crimson with dark shading; also very good at Kew (and continuous). Abel Carrière, another dark maroon of fine form, and Queen of the bedders, producing carmine flowers so freely that it must be disbudded; it is subject to mildew.

So many roses formerly classed as Hybrid Perpetuals are now called Hybrid Teas. The dear old La France is one that has undergone this change; it is a rose no-one should be without, and should be grown both as a standard and a bush; its silvery pink flowers have a most exquisite scent and perfect shape (that is, when nearly wide open; it is not a good button-hole variety). Another Hybrid Tea rose that has come to the fore lately is Bardou Job, a splendid bedding variety, with flaming roses almost single in form, but produced in prodigal profusion; it pays for feeding. Queen Mab is a somewhat similar rose but has apricot flowers, tinted pink and orange, borne in the same generous manner. It is a china rose; neither of these kinds attain a great height, nevertheless beds entirely composed of them are exceedingly effective and may be seen some distance off; they require very little pruning.

PILLAR ROSES. Having mentioned pillar-roses, I will add a few more names especially calculated to do well in such positions; perhaps one of the best is Paul’s Carmine Pillar, with its sheets; of lovely flowers covering the stems the whole way up, with plenty of healthy foliage to set them off. When better known, I should imagine it would be a rival even to Turner’s Crimson Rambler, magnificent as that is when grown to perfection. At Kew recently a bed of the Carmine Pillar was quite one of the sights of the garden. A close investigation of the bed in which they were planted revealed the fact that every alternate rose-tree was a Gloire de Dijon, but each one was a sorry failure, and instead of scaling the heights, crouched low at the foot of its iron stake, as though unwilling to compete with the other blushing occupants. The “glories” were not very youthful either, that one could see by their thick hard stems; plenty of time had evidently been given them to do the work, but for some unknown reason they had shirked it. I have known several cases of this sort with the much-loved “glory de John,” as the gardeners broadly term it. Madame Plantier is a good white pillar-rose, doing well in any situation, and Cheshunt Hybrid is also most accommodating, and blooms well even in poor soil, though it well repays good cultivation. Its flowers, cherry-carmine in colour, are large and full, and the petals are prettily veined and curl over at the edges. The foliage is rich, and the tree never seems attacked by any disease; it is a Hybrid Tea. Aimée Vibert, a noisette, is very good as a pillar-rose and extremely hardy: it also does well on arches; the flowers are small and white, with pink tips to the petals; it is very free, and flowers continuously.

ROSE HEDGES. Hedges of roses are quite as effective as pillars, and make a very pretty screen for two-thirds of the year. The ever-green roses are best for this purpose, and of these Flora is by far-and-away the nicest rose. It has sweet flowers, small, full, and of the loveliest pink; they are borne in clusters, each one looking just ready for a fairy-wedding bouquet. They have a delightful scent, too, their only fault being their short duration; in one summer they will grow from five to ten feet, and are so free-flowering as almost to hide the leaves. Dundee Rambler, Ruga, Mirianthes, and Léopoldine d’Orléans are all equally suitable for hedges.

DWARF TEAS. I will now name a list of the best dwarf Tea-roses; to begin with, Alba Rosea is a dear old rose-tree, moderate in growth, bearing numbers of flesh-white blossoms, good in form though small in size. These have a faint, sweet scent, and are very pretty for cutting. One day last August, I cut a whole branch off with about six open flowers upon it, and put it in a tall vase just as it was; they arranged themselves, and were much admired. The tree is decidedly dwarf and moderate in growth, and the leaves are very dark green, thus making a beautiful foil to the roses. Catherine Mermet is somewhat of the same type, but the flowers are larger and more deeply flushed with pink; it is a good green-house rose. Madame de Watteville resembles a tulip, having thick firm petals of a creamy-white colour, distinctly edged with pink. It is a strong grower and free in flowering. Madame Hoste is a pretty lemon-yellow colour, one of the easiest to grow in this particular shade; the flowers are of good form, and if well manured are large and full; it has a sweet scent. Madame Lambard is a rose no one can do without, it is so free-blooming and continuous; the colour is not constant, sometimes being mostly pink, at others almost a fawn, but as a rule it is a blend of those two shades.

Marie van Houtte is another indispensable variety; the roses are lovely in form, of a pale lemon-yellow colour, each petal being flushed with pink at the edges, and the whole having a soft bloom, as it were, over it. This carmine-marking, however, is not constant; weather and position seem to have a good deal to do with it. Meteor is one of the darker Teas, being carmine-crimson shaded with blackish-maroon; the roses are not full though of good shape, consequently they look best in bud. This tree wants feeding to do well, and is not a vigorous grower. Grace Darling is a gem which everyone should have; the blossoms are large, full, perfect in shape and exquisite in colour, which is generally a peachy-pink, the reverse of the petals being a rich cream, and, as these curl over in a charming manner, the effect is unique and extremely beautiful. The foliage is abundant, of a ruddy tint, and keeps free from blight; indeed, this entirely fascinating rose has only one fault, it is altogether too unassuming.

A bright, pink rose of fine form is the Duchess of Albany; it is often called a deep coloured La France, as it is a “sport” from that famous rose. The Marquis of Salisbury is another dark tea-rose; it is small but well-shaped though thin, and the blooms are abundant; it is strictly moderate in growth, being somewhat like the Chinas in habit. A fine rose in a warm summer is Kaiserin Friedrich, as it has large, very full, flowers, which take a good deal of building up; it appears to dislike cold and rainy weather.

Sunrise is a new kind that is making a considerable stir in the rose-world; its flowers vary from reddish-carmine to pale fawn, and the tree has glorious foliage.

THE TIME TO PLANT. October and November are the best months to plant rose-trees, except in very cold parts; February is then a safer time, especially for the tender sorts. Their first season they require a great deal of looking after; their roots have not got a proper foot-hold in the earth, and this means constant watering in dry weather. At blooming-time, an occasional application of guano does a great deal of good, making both flowers and leaves richer in colour. Dead blooms, too, must be sedulously cut off, as, if left on, the tree is weakened.

PRUNING. Do a little pruning in October, though March and April are the chief months. In the autumn, however, the shoots of rose-trees should be thinned out, the branches left can then be shortened a fourth of their length with advantage, as the winter’s howling winds are less likely to harm them. Standards especially require this, as when “carrying much sail” they are very liable to be up-rooted.

When the spring comes, look the trees carefully over before commencing operations, remembering that the sturdier a tree is the less it needs pruning. The knife must go the deepest in the case of the poor, weak ones. Always prune down to an “eye,” that is an incipient leaf-bud; if this is not done the wood rots.

Evergreen roses need scarcely be touched, save to cut out dead branches and snip off decayed ends.

For Teas and Noisettes also, little actual pruning is necessary. H.P.’s require the most. As a general rule for roses, if you want quality, not quantity, prune: hard, but to enable you to “cut and come again,” only prune moderately.

Dis-budding is a certain method of improving the blooms if it is done in time. It is little use to do it when the buds once begin to show colour; start picking off the superfluous ones when they are quite small, and the difference in size and shape is often amazing.

CHAPTER VIII