ROSE REFLECTIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIX, Issue 13, 26 March 1913, Page 39

ROSE REFLECTIONS.

(By ARTHT’R MOORE, Hunter’s Hill New South Wales.) Synonymous Roses.—Some day I hope to publish a list of synonyms under which a number of roses may be grouped. At

present, however, I wish to call attention to the fact that the English National Rose Society has at length recognised that Lady Gay is synonymous with Dorothy Perkins. I have often been asked the question myself, “Are they synonymous or not?” and hitherto my answer has been: “The only difference that I can see is that Lady Gay is slightly the larger.” The question is now set at rest. The Society has also pronounced the following hybrid-wiehuraianas as synonymous, viz.:—Christian Curie. Dorothy Dennison, and Godiva. The hybridtea roses Lady Faire and Joseph Lowe are also gazetted as identical for show purposes.

Rose Natalie Bottner.—l have now grown this variety for two seasons, and confess that I cannot understand any sane person pronouncing it as synonymous with the Yellow Frau Karl Druschki of Rodut's production. Shortly put, Xatalie Bottner is nothing more or less than an even coloured Perle von Godesberf. a yellow rose of creamy tints that never varies very much. The Yellow Druschki on the other hand is an improved edition of Drusehki in form ami character of flower, with a primrose yellow colour that at times is golden yellow shaded, after the fashion of Perle des Jardins. The growth of the two plants is entirely dissimilar, the first-named having the character of Kaiserin. whilst the latter is an improved Druschki. When I say an improved type. 1 mean that it has more tea fibre and a better branching habit. Personally. I doubt if the critics who have compared the merits of the two roses in this State have ever seen Xatalie Bottner at all. for as far as. I can find out my- plant is the only one in Sydney; at any rate, the only one that has been bloomed as yet. I have been asked to say where the Yellow Druschki came from, and in reply to several correspondents who want to know I can only repeat what has already appeared in these columns. The Yellow Drusehki was listed as such first of all by Prior and Son in their catalogue for 1910-11. and again last season in their 1912 catalogue. Tn addition I have seen the original letter written by Prior and 'Son to Messrs. Alexander Dickson and Son, stating that the plant is a seedling from Frau Karl Druschki. and that it was raised by Rodut. The Yellow Druschki has obtained three champion medals at Sydney Shows in its first spring, and I venture to prophesy that it will be very prominent this autumn. Rose Sunburst.—From Pernet-Dueher and the progeny of unnamed seedlings. 1 have seen a large number of plants and blooms of this Rose, and have no hesitation in saying that I think it is one of the finest things we have had for many a day. In the extremely trying weather we have experienced in Sydney since budding time set in. it was not to be expected that Sunburst would be seen at anything like its best, but everywhere 1 go I find the nurserymen loud in its praises as a good grower and a clean doer. The colour is a brilliant primrose yellow, and. although it has not yet had time to show us any of its calibre in size. I am satisfied that Mr. E. G. Hill, when he described it to me as a giant Rose, was not very far out in his delineation of its qualifications. Xo one who grows Roses at all can afford to be without Sunburst, ,and if you want it this season bespeak your plants at once, for when once shown, as It must be in the autumn, there will be a phenomenal run on it. If I wore asked to describe Sunburst I think I would sum it up shortly as a yellow William Shean. probably related to Mme. Charles Monnier. Rose Frau Margarethe Midler. From Poulsen, and obtained by crossing M. Joseph Hill with Liberty. A very good rose, and one of groat promise. Tn colour dark rose, with a brighter edging. Although not possessing a growing pedigree, this novelty has done exceptionally well as a maiden in the nursery, and unless something untoward happens T think it will be an acquisition. Rose George Dickson. This very much .advertised rose has not. as far as I can hear, shown n bloom of any sort since its arrival. Its growth is verv suggestive of the 11.1’., and it will. In all probability, not he seen at all until next spring. Still the rose comes with such a blowing of trumpets that one cannot afford to lie without it. especially when the coloured plate issued by Alexander Dickson and Son, its raisers, is regarded. As a rule these plates are not only a most artistic production, but they are also a fairly

good representation of the.goods they advertise. The plate in question shows a verv massive bloom of perfect form, and ii’i richness of its crimson tints it approaches our old friend Camille de Rohm It has that smooth edge in its petal, characteristic of Avoea 1 can , sl v no more about George Dickson. Me „hall all no doubt grow it, because «e cannot do without it, if it is as goo l as it appears to lie, ILL’, or 11.1., whicher it prove to be. . Ito.-e Kim' George V.—Hugh Dicksons Hold Medal Rose at the Festival of Empire in London in 11*12. Ag > mower, but hitherto but a ,shy blooniei. hl fact, 1 have only seen one bloom of Kin" George V., and only so, fai heaid Of one Other. The Hower that I saw was. nothing to speak of, but under the exKtino conditions that was not to be wondered at. There is plenty of colour and plenty of .substance in the rase, and because it i.s the champion of the year ill England it will no doubt sell well. \t the same time, it belongs to the shy blooming class, if not to the H.P. Rose Mrs. Sam Ross.—A gold medal rose raised by Hugh Dickson. In shape Mze, growth, and character one of the best of the year, but to my mind its colour scheme lacks distinction. ie raisers themselves confess their mabilitv to properl v describe the dominating tints, so if I say that it appears to me to lie a mixture of bull and straw colour. I hope I shall not be accused of lack of imagination. It is not a rose that will commend itself when thrips abound. Rose Mme. Charles Lataud.—F rom Pernet-Dueher, and the progeny of a seedlim' crossed with Marquise de Sinety." No rose has promised more and done less than Marquise de Sinety, for attractive as it is in bloom, it has no size, and verv poor growth. Mme. Charles Lataud, however, would appear to have incorporated most of the good qualities of its ancestor, and if anything its colouring appears to me to be enhanced. The growth on maiden plants is all that one could desire, but the shape of the bloom, which is globular, is opposed to latter day ideals of what a tip-top rose should lie. This is accounted for bv the fact that on the Continent the globular form of flower is still in evidence, and naturally tastes have to he catered for there as elsewhere. It may get into the exhibition trays, but there are other roses from the same raiser that T like much better. Rose British Queen—From -S. McGredy and Son, of Portadown. Probably’ the grandest white rose ever raised. Perfeetlv distinct in form from all the white roses yet in commerce. and yet reminiscent of them all. A paradox of a rose in that way 7. It erows and it blooms. It produces flowers of lovelv texture, its form is perfect, and so far as 1 can see—and T have i*ern some hundreds of blooms-— there is no malformation to be discovered. One hears all sorts of predictions almut this rose, as you meet the growers. Some go as far -as to say- it will supplant Fran Karl Drusehki, and others think there will Im no more need for Xiphetos. Another thinks that it will eclipse Alollv Sharman Crawford, and so practically every white comes under review and comparison. _ I'.vervbodv agr<M*s. however, that it gie.it. Fmdish writers consider that this rose should have undoubtedly 7 gained a gold medal and point out the conditions demanding the presence of pot-grown plants as pre-historic and unnecessarily restrictive. If ■’ committee of the indues had visited Portadown, it is slid, the? would not have hesitated a second. Later in the year, when thev did go, there was no one so sore as these same judges. . . . Rose Burgermeister Christen.—Raised bv’ Bergmann, and a seedling from Mme. Caroline Te-tout. Tn effect a carmine coloured edition of its parent. Appears to have all the same characteristics of this grand old rose, but is perhaps a trifle freer. My plant is on its imported stock, and it naturally militates against earlv productiveness. Rose Mrs. Muir Maekean.--From McGredy and Son, and a rose of exceptional merit. In colour bright carmine crimson without shading, shape and form right, and habit good. Tt personifies the modern type of rose, and being very free blooming will become a favourite.’ It is fragrant also, an attribute that is rather wanting in most of this seasqn's novelties. T class this as distinctly a good rose. Rose Frau Oberburg.Tmcister Piseq.— From Jacobs, without n pedigree. Lambert sent me this novelty and thought

it valuable. To me it appears a useful garden rose of the creamy yellow type. It comes fairly large, and has something of a Marechai Neil appearance, but whilst of upright growth, full, and line form, it is somewhat capricious in flowering. Anyway, its name is enough to kill it, even if it were the best of good things. It will probably be known as “Piseq” should it get into general use. The name has even puzzled Alexander Dickson and Son. for I see they wrongly list it as “Piecq.” Earl of Gosford. —From McGredy and Son, and sent out as an H.T. In colour dark crimson, heavily shaded. A strong grower, but, I am sorry to say 7 , so far rather shy in bloom. Has a lovely scent, and is said to lie a seedling from Victor Hugo. Will probably not be seen at its best until next season, and may be has too much H.P. blood to be ever free blooming.

Comte G. de Roehemur.—From Schwartz. This raiser has not sent out many novelties of recent years, but his

type of rose is well established as free bloomer,s, if somewhat light in body 7 . Comte de Roehemur is no departure from type. In colour a good scarlet, tinted with vermilion; the centre copies bright red, and the edge of petals rosy white, giving the bloom a quaint appearance. It is very 7 vigorous and free flowering, and has a delightful scent. As a good garden rose of the Schwartz style, it is well worth growing. Rose Colonel Gruau.—Perdriolle, who raised this rose, spells the name as shown here. Other people, however, appear to know better, and it is listed everywhere as Colonel Gruan. It is a seedling from Senateur Maurice Faure (put out last season) and Reine Marie Henriette. The flower is large, and in colour pink, with a vivid red centre, after the fashion of Rhea Reid. Senateur Maurice Faure belongs to the Pernetiana tribe, being from a seedling crossed bv Rodophile Gravereaux, and f

am bound to say has so far displayed none of the disabilities of the blend. Indeed, it has been a most consistent and free bloomer. Colonel Gruau appears to have inherited free flowering propensities, and. being very vigorous in growth, will probably succeed as a pillar plant when established. I like the novelty, and think it will prove a useful garden rose.

Rose Mrs. Richard Draper.—A gold medal rose from Hugh Dickson. One of the type of rose made famous by Soupert and Notting when they produced Grand Due Adolf de Luxemberg. In other words, Mrs. Richard Draper is a bi-coloured flower. One side of the petal is reddish pink, and the other a silvery flesh colour. It is evidently a good exhibition rose, and is said to have good lasting qualities. The flowers are very large, full and of good formation, but gold medal to the contrary notwithstanding, the general appearance of the rose is on the commonplace side, and I could name a dozen with equal claims to distinction.

Rose Nerissa.—-From Paul and Son. This firm has lately obtained notoriety for bad growers. It is therefore pleasant to meet a plant of their breeding that has any 7 pretension to vigour. Nerissa is nothing out of the ordinary in itself so far as colour is concerned, but it is a fair-sized bloom of creamy

yellow, white, and pink confection, conceivably at times good enough for the exhibition tray. Promising, but nothing extraordinary. Rose Ophelia.—Another from Paul and Son, which has also broken the sequence of bad growers. A good-shaped bloom of medium size, in colour salmon y 7 ellow, with a soupcon of rosy pink about it, vigorous in growth, and set up on good stems. A garden rose of some merit. Rose Climbing Richmond.—Put out by Alexander Dickson as a sport from Hill and Co.’s well-known variety 7. One does not expect to see a bloom from a rampant grower on maiden plants, and, excepting that it grows like a climber nothing can be said for this sport as yet. Richmond .is, so Mr Hill tells me, a seedling from Lady 7 Battersea crossed by Liberty, and is a brilliant coloured crimson, of none too much body, in the garden. The climbing sport now introduced cannot, in my opinion, be much of an advance on Francois Crousse, which is a recognised variety of much the same brilliant hues. It is significant that Francois Crousse is not now catalogued by the introducers of this sport. Paul and Son are putting ou£ a salmon-coloured sport of Richmond this season, but so far as 1 know it has not come to Australia.

Rose Mainau Lyly.—From Soupert and Notting, and raised by crossing Mme. Melanie Soupert with Mrs Peter Blair. One would have expected a yellow from such a cross, but the flower is quite distinctively of Malmaison colouring. It comes very large, and is of good form, and is vigorous in growth. I should class it as one of the really good roses of the year for garden purposes, and may be tit at times for exhibition. Rose Miss Marion Manifold.—No attempt to review the novelty roses to be put out this season would be complete without reference to Miss Marion Manifold, raised by Adamson, gardener to Mr Manifold. As I have before written, there is some little mystery about its pedigree, but I believe it owns J. B. Clark as its seed parent, and, judging from blooms sent me from Victoria by Mr S. Brundrett, who has the sole output for 1913, I am tolerably certain that its pollen parent is Souvenir de la Malmaison. The vast majority of my readers, however, will not care how the rose was raised, and, except to those who are very “keen,” the fact that no authorised pedigree is forthcoming will not matter. The question is, “Is it a good Rose?” To that I can answer most unhesitatingly, that it has already obtained the medal from the Victorian Rose Society, and that from what I have been told by those who have seen it in bloom, and who are competent to judge, it is “a regular Tip-Topper.” The blooms sent me by Mr Brundrett disclosed a very fine rose of great depth of petal. Unfortunately the colour had suffered in transit, but there was quite sufficient there to show me that it possesses all that is required to make it a most valuable addition to our crimson roses. Indeed, so far as I have seen —excepting Alfred Williams’ red coehet Arthur Moore, which I am not certain will be issued this season —I put Miss Marion Manifold unhesitatingly first in this season’s crimson roses—George Dickson and King George V. given in. The latter may be, and no doubt are, very fine flowers when you get them, but how often and when will they bloom? Miss Marion Manifold is of climbing growth, and may be looked to to produce bloom in quantity, and to be always with us. On its day perhaps either of the English Roses may be better, but take it, day in, and day out, Miss Marion Manifold should give you better results. I advise those that want it to book their orders at once, for Mr Brundrett tells me the demand is very large. This suggestion should appeal to those living outside Victoria who have not seen the flower and do not know just what they are going to get.

Rose Mrs. Arthur Moore.—This is a seedling of my own raising, obtained by crossing Victor Hugo with C. J. Grahame. A limited number of plants can be obtained from Mr S. Brundrett, of Moonee Ponds, and also from Mr Rosen, Epping, N.SAV. The colour of this rose is brilliant crimson, shaded coppery scarlet. T do not know any rose of precisely the same tints which are very brilliant. The plant is almost free from thorns, and the growth is good without being so vigorous as to be said to be H.P. I cannjot vouch that the plant will be a conspicuous success as an autumn bloomer, d maybe, later on. it will be classed as an H.P. It has had no opportunity of showing what it can do with me, as every bit of growth has been used for propagating purposes. A friend and namesake of mine who has a plant tells me he thinks it very fine, and it is a continuous bloomer with him, but there is always the suspicion in my mind that it will throw back to the H.P, type. It is not extra large, but the shape is refined, and it is quite up to show size. Victor Hugo was in its day a great rose, and if I have succeeded in obtaining a seedling that will grow well, something has been achieved, for were it not for the old rose’s bad growth it would still be in general cultivation. The Best Six.—Tt is difficult to place the six best in their actual order of merit, but I am confident that the six I now name include the best of the imported roses that have so far bloomed in Australia. I personally place them: — (1) Sunburst. (2) British Queen. (3) Mrs. Sam Ross. (4) Mme. Charles Lataud. (5) Frau Margarethe Moller. (fi) Helvetia. At the same time the two roses which have not hitherto bloomed come with such a huge reputation from the Old

that it is impossible to pass (1) George Dickson, (2) King George V. It will be gathered from what I have sfeo written elsewhere that I strongly advocate the claims of roses of Australian origin, viz.: — (1) (Arthur Moore. (2) Mies Marion Manifold. (3) Mrs. Arthur Moore.