IN PERFECTION

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 127, 26 November 1923, Page 7

IN PERFECTION

ROSES AT BOTANICAL GARDEN

Year by year the Wellington Botanical Garden is increasing in attractiveness under the care of the Director of Parks; and Reserves, Mr. J. G. MacKeniie, who, in addition to beautifying the existing garden-area, is steadily extending 1 the cultivated portions of the reserve.' Residents and visitors to the'city have now an opportunity of seeing the-gar-dens at their best. The grandly-grown' roses that have been recently seen oit" the show benches at Wellington and' the" Lower Hutt Flower Shows during the past week are brought prominently be-' for the public, and rightly so, for all must wish to see the higher degree 'of beauty and culture that the best flowers are capable of. There are whole classes' of roses, however, that are seldom.exhibited at shows, and yet-are those that probably give the ordinary personl th«: most pleasure—roses that give no anxious thought as to whether they will be.up to a certain standard on one speciaday. Ihese are generally known as gar--den roses—the intimate and well-loved friends of every day. Some of the old-, est are still among the tjest. A visit to the rose garden at the Botanical Garden shows them now i n all their beaii.ty; all colours, shades, and varieties showing to perfection in a galaxy of colf" r. . Tlle single-flowered dwarf rose;' Irish Elegance," colour apricot scarlet, a favourite of the ladies for deco-:' rativs purposes, has a bed all to :"it-' self near the entrance. Alongside it is a bed of "Irish Fireflames," with ■ long buds of orange splashed with crim-; son. This was introduced to commerce in 1910, and is already taking the place of "Elegance/ 1 that was introduced some eight years earlier. Then follow beds each of one variety and all a mass'of bloom. "Lady Hiliingdon," a beautifulyellow; "Mrs. Herbert Stevens," a purewhite, showincr hundreds of buds; "Couri 1-" tess of Gosfdrd," shell pink; "Lieut, Chaure," introduced by the great French: grower, Pernet Duche'r, in 1910 its'vigorous upright habit with flowers of ideal: form and colour velvety crimson red- atonce commands attention, and so 'on. Many old favourites, from "Carolina Tcstout," introduced by the same French" grower av;ay back in 1830, and stillprominent, to "K. of X.," a rose" of£ marvellous beauty, a semi single rose ofabsolutely purest colour, named as" a: tribute .of respect to a genuine British soldier by tho raiser, Alex. Dickson This was awarded the National Rose Society Gold Medal. They are air there There are also the "Charles E. Shea-" pink; the "Lady Pirie," apricot; the "Betty" with the lon^ pointed buds; the "General Mac Arthur," a niass of crimson. Theve nra thirty or ■.forty rose beds, all the plants doinn-r well, and all gorgeous. "Hu::h Dickinson," the best crimson roso for exhibition, beddiri'V, standards, or pillars, lias a fence ftttv yards long all (o itscif, onJ its beauty has to be scon tn be realised. Paul's scarlet climber is ot.lionic «n. tii*'summer house, showing scarlet ajru'nst the creen. In tho new ground -near the sweet pens a number of standard-or tree" rise's flank the path, and show up well. Those who intend planting, canr.it do better ~rhnn visit the gardens within' the next few i'uvs to sea what > is the best of ". its kind for every purpose. These roses are worth a spocinl visit by all; who love the Queen of Flowers. "* ■' '