Climbing Roses.

Otago Witness, Issue 2205, 4 June 1896, Page 8

Climbing Roses.

In the eager pursuit of mastive single blooms for the exhibition table are we not a little in danger of forgetting that roses are available for other purposes than thab of winning cups and medals, and that in a freer and more natural node of growth, and with » slightly wider selection of varieties, we may have roie blooms by the tußhel instead of in handf uls ? I think we are exposed to such a danger, and with » view to counteracting ib I want Co recall the thoughts of rosaritn readers— both exhibitors and non-exhi-Jbitors— to the claims and the charms 0! the timbers of the family. And what can be more

beautiful than a well-established climbing rose, throwing its growths of anything trom 6ft to 60ft over a rustic arch, round and abont a summer house, or hiding the bare face of a brick wall 0; wooden fence, and in summer time furnishing Its hundreds of blofsoms of glowing or chaste beauty and filling tho air with its perFume ? To ensure tho peifect success of climbing roses, however, more thsuordioary care must be bestowed upon their stations and planting. Unless it is quite certain that the natural soil is a thoroughly good loam, a hole niu>t bo dug for eaoh rose not less than 2ft across and lft deep, and the dug-out soil must be wheeled away to another part of the garden. If the least doubt exists es to the site being well drained, about , 6in of broken bricks, &q., must ba placed in the bottom of eaoh hole, and upon ! this mast be pltced a surfacing of fre^h out turf, with the grass side downwards. Next to j this thqre must be a layer of good rich dung, covered by two or three inches of the best loam 1 procurable, and upon this the roots of the tree must bs carefully spread out, each to its full length and in its ovm direction, no one being allowed to cross its neighbour. Immediately upon the roots there should ba spread a shovelful of loam only, and the hole afterwards filled cp with a mixture of sound, fresh soil and welldeoayed manure in the proportion of two-thirds and one-third respectively. The whole should be trodden firm, and the long shoots be at once secured to the arches, stakes, or walls, but the ties should be left loose, so as to allow for the trees settling down. Pruning, a'so, for climbing varieties, is quite a different matter from the sama operation when ordinary bush roses are concerned. The first season after planting, the weaker of the main stems should be cut back abaut one-half their length, the shorter ones being left about two-thirdß, and all side shoots removed entirely. When fully established, the main shoots will not need so much shortening, but the principal point to aim at is to prevent the growths becoming too crowded, To tbi< end it will be well every two or three years to cut out an old shoot right to the ground, so as to obtain a new ehoot from the base to lay in in the place of each one so removed. The chief object in the pruning of thia class is the production of a fresh crop of flowering side shoots the whole length of the main stems every year. There is sometimes a little difficulty in doing this ; the buds near the extremity of the branches pushing- freely into growth, bub the others remaining obstinately dormant, thus leaving the lower part of the tree bare and flower Jess. When this condition of things presents itself, tho best remedy is to unfasten the shoots and gently lay them level upon the ground. The check thus given I to the boo free flow of the sap will generally be found to result in the starting of the dormant eyes into growth. The next point in the care of this branch of fair Rosa's family to demand special attention is the feeding or manuring. Every year, upon the approach of winter, a good b&rrowful of the best manure obtainable should be spread upon the soil around each rcsa tree. This can be removed in the spring, if desired, and the surface lightly forked and made tidy, but it znuat ba supplemented by heavy and frequent supplies of liquid manure when growth is in full activity. Some care is necessary in this reepeob during the first aud second years of the rose's establishment, bub after this, if the' situation has been carefully prepared, it is difficult to overfeed. Even in the case of climbing roses, however, weak and often is a safer rule of application than strong and seldom. If the drainage of stables, &s., is not readily obtainable, the feeding may coneisb of good occasional surface dressings of good artificial manure well watered in. There has always been a good number of beautiful roses available as climbers, but during the last few years the list has been greatly added to by the introduction of three fine novelties. The first of these to demand mention is THE CRIMSON BAMBLER, introduced in 1893 by Mr Turner, of Slough. Thia in one of the most distinct and remarkable roses which have been introduced for many years. It belongs to the polyantha section, and its blooms are not only produced in the greatest possible profuiion, but they coma in clusters of graceful pyramidal form, not unlike welldeveloped trusses of a self-coloured zonal pelargonium. The individual blooms are ro&ebtelike in form, and as an additional charm the greater part of the glossy green foliage is retained through the winter. This rose will always be remembered as the first non-exhibi-tion variety to which the National Rose Society awarded the most important prize at ite disposal—viz., the gold medal — and thosa who have seen its long strong shoots covered from end to end with it 3 bvilliant crimson blooms will agree thab in thus honouring this fine rose the N.R.S. did honour to itself. CLIMBING PERLS DBS JARDINS is the next of the novelties. This a stronggrowing sport of the old tea rose of this name, bearing a profusion of flowers of the same colour, but (perhaps because of the increased floriferousness) free from the bad shape whioh so often disfigures it. So free is the growth of this variety, and so abundant and beautiful ita j blooms, that some growers consider that before I long it will displace even Maiechal Niel from tho position ib has so long held. The last of the three is CLIMBING NIPHETOS, which under glass often m»ke3 shoots 15ft, to 20ft long in a season. The familiar snow-whihe blooms are freely produced, but this variety is impatient of the knife, severe pruning rejulfc- j ing in great growth with few flowers. It is better adapted for a wall than for arches or the more exposed positions. * GLOIBB 3>B DIJON, the universal rose, is well adapted to this, as well as to almost every other form of culture, and pr< duces abundance of its familiar flowers during summer until frost cuts off the last bud?. Indeed, there are stories Jold of its yielding buds in every month of the 12 when it has had the protection of a wall. Of course MAUECHAXi NIEL— sometimes called " King of the Yellows "—is essentially a climbing rose, and in favoured positions yields flowers of unsurpassed loveliness out of doors. But it starts into growth co early in the year that its young shoots are, except in the most favourable situations, cut off by spring frosts, and it therefore is but seldom a success. CLIMBIKH DEVONIHNSIS yields, when successfully grown, beautiful buds and blooms, but it requires rather special treabnumt. The best plan appears to be to plant ib against the suuny end of a house, let it grow away till it has covered the space, and then withhold everything in the shape of extra nourishment, for if freely injured the growth and leafage will ba astonishing, but the bloonu will be conspicuous principally by their scarcity. WILLIAM ALLEN BICBARDSON is a free-growing variety, and produces plenty of buds of a charming tint of apricot colour ; and l'ldeal gives similar flowers, but of lighter tint and better shape. Of the bebter known H.P.s bhere have been introduced climbing forms of Captain Christy,

Charles Lefebvre, and Victor Verdier, which yield their familiar flowers in far greater numbers than in the ordinary form, but rather smaller. Among the Ayrshire, Boursalb, and evergreen sections many choica varieties might be named did spaca parmit, bub room must be made for the mention of * FBLICITH PERPETUE, which givoa clusters of beautiful little blossoms of a delicate creamy whiteness, admirably set off by the abundant dark green foliage, Lastly, it sometimes happens that for some unknown raason a climbing rose will fail to start off into ita expected vigour 0? growth. When this happens, and the second or third season finds it in the same condition, it is a saving of time to dig it out and replace it by another plant, even of the same variety.— J. B. ia Amateur Gardening.