TIMARU GARDENS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21210, 3 December 1938, Page 10

TIMARU GARDENS

Display Of Roses 2000 in Bloom / Some 2000 roses of over 120 varieties are at present making a beautiful display at the Timaru Gardens, where they are arousing rhe admiration of rose enthusiasts in particular and flower lovers generally. Ranging from pale pinks to rich deep reds, contrasted with glorious creams and yellows, the choice blooms defy adequate description. Among the choice varieties pointed out to a “Herald” representative by the curator, Mr A. W. Anderson, yesterday afternoon were the Tony Spalding and Miss Fielding, a new red rose which was raised recently at Feilding, North | Island. Mrs E. Willis, which was introI duced in New Zealand in 1910, is another attractive pink. Anne F. Mayery, a striking Nasturtium red, is also an interesting vareity. A triangular bed of the beautiful apricot Comtesse is also the envy of the rose enthusiast. Queensland Beauty is a newcomer to New Zealand this year, its name indicating its place of origin. A square bed of the Kaven Poulsen, which was introduced to New Zealand in 1933, is another attractive variety. McGredy’s Yellow and McGredy’s Peach, the latter having been introduced in 1933. were two other varieties of beautiful form and substance. Canon Petrie, a beautiful deep red. is another New Zealand-raised rose which should attract much attention among enthusiasts. Origin of Species Mr Anderson mentioned that although some writers believed that the first cultivated roses had been introduced into the British Isles by the Romans, it was more generally thought that the first cultivated roses were the Damask Rose which was brought to i England about 1280. In 1277 a son of I Henry 111 of England was sent to I Provins, Siene-et-Marne, France, with | some troops to avenge the oeath of a [ Mayor of that city who had been killed in a riot. He remained there for several years, and was thought to have taken back to England with him specimens of the Damask Rose which had recently been brought to France from Syria by the Comte d’Brie et Champagne on his return from the Crusades a few years before. This son of Henry 111 became the Earl of Lancaster and adopted his new rose as his badge. He was so proud of it he had it incorporated in the Great Seal of State. The White Rose of York had arrived in a very different way, commented Mr Anderson. Edward I merely adopted the White Rose of his mother, Eleanor of Provence. It was generally believed that the White Rose of th? Stuarts, and afterwards of the Jacobites, was brought to Scotland by Mary Queen of Scots, on her return from France after the death of her first husband, the Dauphin, eldest son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici. Early Varieties Although there were records of nine varieties of roses growing in London in 1596 and 24 varieties in 1685, continued i Mr Aanderson, it had not been until the beginning of the last century that the garden rose, as it was known today, began to take definite form. The results up to that time had been so haphazard, the cross pollination so accidental, that any new varieties had simply developed from the few kinds they had in their gardens. These were the Damask and Provence Roses which had been introduced so many years before; the French rose, R. Gallica, and the Hundred-Leaved Rose which had been introduced about 1569, the China Rose introduced in 1718 and some of the 16 wild British roses which had been brought under cultivation. The year 1812 saw the advent of the Perpetual or Cabbage Rose which was found growing in the Gardens of the Palace of St. Cloud, and it was generally believed to be a cross between the Cabbage and China Rose.

Later Development Up to that time all roses had been single flowering, with the exception of the China Rose which flowered in the autumn as well as early summer. The result of crossing the Damask with the French and the China roses gave the race of roses which flowered in both summer and autumn. At first growers had no name for this race, but it finally became known as the Hybrid Perpetual, but these so called Perpetuals were not at all perpetual in comparison with the modern roses. Some of these old Hybrid Perpetual roses were still in cultivation to-day, perhaps the best known variety being Frau Karl Druschi.

Things still went on m a rather haphazard manner until 1876 /hen the National Rose Society of England came into being. It was very quickly realised that if varieties of roses were to be obtained, a definite line should be taken and some encouragement given to the raiser. The Rose Society thereupon instituted the award of a gold medal to encourage the development of new and superior varieties. Tire work of the Society soon bore fruit, as Henry Bennett, one of the most prominent of the early raisers commenced to work on scientific lines. By crossing a Tea Rose with a Hjbrid Perpetual, Bennett evolved a Hybrid Tea Rose and the recognition of this as a distinct class could be dated from 1890. The Viscountess of Folkstone, which appeared in 1890, was the first Hybrid Tea to achieve popularity. In 1890 Caroline Testout appeared and it was still one of the most popular of the old Hybrid Teas. There could now be no question that this class had become the most popular garden rose, rhe crossing of a small Japanese variety, Rosa Wichurians, with one of the old Hybrid Perpetuate by an American raiser named Perkins, resulted, in 1901, in the production of the well-known rambler, Dorothy Perkins, which he named after his daughter. The latest type of garden rose to be developed was the Dwarf Polyanthus which really came into prominence with the introduction of Kirsten and Elsie Poulsen which were raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1924. The number of varieties now numbered many thousands. In Shakespeare’s day the number of varieties did not reach two figures, and in 1902, 7000 varieties, each with its own name, were grown in M. Graveau’s garden near Paris. The stream of new varieties realised by the

raisers continued, and between 150 and 200 new varieties were placed on the market every year. Scent Retained Questioned in regard to the contention that the modern rose had lost its scent, Mr Anderson remarked that personally he did not think so. At the present time there were plenty of roses with scent for those who wished to have them. As a general rule the public wanted colour first, and as a result of this demand the raiser, who had his living to make, must supply what was required of him. Mr Anderson named over 20 varieties of new roses, introduced between 1916 and up to 1934, which were fragrant blooms. Among them Dame Edith Heler and Mrs A. R. Barraclough (1926) were very fragrant, while Madame Butterfly (1920) and its two supports, Rapture and Lady Sylvia (1926) were all sweetly scented. Among the yellow shades Mrs Beatty (1926), Lady Forteviot (1928), Golden Dawn (1929) and Barbara Richards (1930) were all fragrant roses, and in lighter shades Clarice Goodacre (1916) and Abol (1927) were both delightfully scented. The list of roses raised since the Great War showed conclusively that scent had not been overlooked by the raisers of. the modern rose.