



Produced by David Widger from page images generously
provided by the Internet Archive







[Illustration: 006]

[Illustration: 007]

THE BOOK OF ROSES

By Francis Parkman

Boston

J. E. Tilton And Company.

1871.




INTRODUCTION

|IT IS needless to eulogize the Rose. Poets from Anacreon and Sappho,
and earlier than they, down to our own times, have sung its praises; and
yet the rose of Grecian and of Persian song, the rose of troubadours
and minstrels, had no beauties so resplendent as those with which its
offspring of the present day embellish our gardens. The "thirty sorts
of rose," of which John Parkinson speaks in 1629, have multiplied to
thousands. New races have been introduced from China, Persia, Hindostan,
and our own country; and these, amalgamated with the older families by
the art of the hybridist, have produced still other forms of surpassing
variety and beauty. This multiplication and improvement are still
in progress. The last two or three years have been prolific beyond
precedent in new roses; and, with all regard for old favorites, it
cannot be denied, that, while a few of the roses of our forefathers
still hold their ground, the greater part are cast into the shade by the
brilliant products of this generation.

In the production of new roses, France takes the lead. A host of
cultivators great and small--Laffay, Vibert, Verdier, Margottin,
Trouillard, Portemer, and numberless others--have devoted themselves to
the pleasant art of intermarrying the various families and individual
varieties of the rose, and raising from them seedlings whose numbers
every year may be counted by hundreds of thousands. Of these, a very few
only are held worthy of preservation; and all the rest are consigned to
the rubbish heap. The English, too, have of late done much in raising
new varieties; though their climate is less favorable than that of
France, and their cultivators less active and zealous in the work. Some
excellent roses, too, have been produced in America. Our climate is
very favorable to the raising of seedlings, and far more might easily be
accomplished here.

In France and England, the present rage for roses is intense. It
is stimulated by exhibitions, where nurserymen, gardeners, landed
gentlemen, and reverend clergymen of the Established Church, meet in
friendly competition for the prize. While the French excel all others
in the production of new varieties, the English are unsurpassed in
the cultivation of varieties already known; and nothing can exceed
the beauty and perfection of some of the specimens exhibited at
their innumerable rose-shows. If the severity of our climate has its
disadvantages, the clearness of our air and the warmth of our summer
sun more than counterbalance them; and it is certain that roses can be
raised here in as high perfection, to say the very least, as in any part
of Europe.

The object of this book is to convey information. The earlier
portion will describe the various processes of culture, training, and
propagation, both in the open ground and in pots; and this will be
followed by an account of the various families and groups of the rose,
with descriptions of the best varieties belonging to each. A descriptive
list will be added of all the varieties, both of old roses and those
most recently introduced, which are held in esteem by the experienced
cultivators of the present day. The chapter relating to the
classification of roses, their family relations, and the manner in
which new races have arisen by combinations of two or more old ones, was
suggested by the difficulties of the writer himself at an early
period of his rose studies. The want of such explanations, in previous
treatises, has left their readers in a state of lamentable perplexity on
a subject which might easily have been made sufficiently clear.

Books on the rose, written for the climates of France or England,
will, in general, greatly mislead the cultivators here. Extracts will,
however, be given from the writings of the best foreign cultivators, in
cases where experience has shown that their directions are applicable
to the climate of the Northern and Middle States. The writer having been
for many years a cultivator of the rose, and having carefully put in
practice the methods found successful abroad, is enabled to judge with
some confidence of the extent to which they are applicable here, and
to point out exceptions and modifications demanded by the nature of our
climate.

Among English writers on the rose, the best are Paul, Rivers, and
more recently Cranston, together with the vivacious Mr. Radclyffe, a
clergyman, a horticulturist, an excellent amateur of the rose, and a
very amusing contributor to the "Florist." In France, Deslongchamps
and several able contributors to the "Revue Horticole" are the
most prominent. From these sources the writer of this book drew the
instructions and hints which at first formed the basis of his practice;
but he soon found that he must greatly modify it in accordance with
American necessities. There was much to be added, much to be discarded,
and much to be changed; and the results to which he arrived are given,
as compactly as possible, in the following pages.

Jan. 1,1866.

[Illustration: 0018]

[Illustration: 0019]




CHAPTER I. OPEN AIR CULTURE


[Illustration: 0021]

|THE ROSE requires high culture. This belle of the parterre, this "queen
of flowers," is a lover of rich fare, and refuses to put forth all her
beauties on a meagre diet. Roses, indeed, will grow and bloom in any
soil; but deficient nourishment will reduce the size of the flowers,
and impair the perfection of their form. Of all soils, one of a sandy or
gravelly nature is the worst; while, on the other hand, a wet and dense
clay is scarcely better. A rich, strong, and somewhat heavy garden loam,
abundantly manured, is the soil best adapted to all the strong-growing
roses; while those of more delicate growth prefer one pro-portionably
lighter.

Yet roses may be grown to perfection in any soil, if the needful pains
are taken. We will suppose an extreme case: The grower wishes to plant
a bed of roses on a spot where the soil is very poor and sandy. Let him
mark out his bed, dig the soil to the depth of eighteen inches? throw
out the worst portion of it, and substitute in its place a quantity
of strong, heavy loam: rotted sods, if they can be had, will be an
excellent addition; and so, also, will decayed leaves. Then add a
liberal dressing of old stable manure: that taken from a last year's
hot-bod will do admirably. It is scarcely possible to enrich too highly.
One-fourth manure to three-fourths soil is not an excessive proportion.
Now incorporate the whole thoroughly with a spade, level the top, and
your bed is ready.

Again: we will suppose a case, equally bad, but of the opposite
character. Here the soil is very wet, cold, and heavy. The first step is
to drain it. This may be done thoroughly with tiles, after the approved
methods; or, if this is too troublesome or expensive, simpler means may
be used, which will, in most situations, prove as effectual. Dig a
hole about five feet deep and four feet wide at the lower side of your
intended bed of roses: in this hole place an inverted barrel, with the
head knocked out; or, what is better, an old oil cask. In the latter
case, a hole should be bored in it, near the top, to permit the air to
escape. Fill the space around the cask or barrel with stones, and then
cover the whole with earth. If your bed is of considerable extent, a
drain, laid in stone or tile, should be made under or beside the bed,
at the depth of three feet, and so constructed as to lead to the sunken
barrel. Throw out, if necessary, a portion of the worst soil of the bed,
substituting light loam, rotted leaves, and coarse gritty sand. Then add
an abundance of old stable manure, as in the former case.

In the great majority of gardens, however, such pains are superfluous.
Any good garden soil, deeply dug, and thoroughly enriched, will grow
roses in perfection. Neither manure nor the spade should be spared.
Three conditions are indispensable,--sun, air, and exemption from the
invasion of the roots of young growing trees. These last are insidious
plunderers and thieves, which invade the soil, and rob its lawful
occupants of the stores of nutriment provided for them.

A rose planted on the shady side of a grove of elm or maple trees is in
one of the worst possible of situations. If, however, the situation is
in other respects good, the evil of the invading roots may be cured for
a time by digging a trench, three feet deep, between the trees and the
bed of roses; thus cutting off the intruders. The trench may then be
filled up immediately; but, if the trees are vigorous, it must be dug
over again the following year. It is much better to choose, at the
outset, an airy, sunny situation, at a reasonable distance from growing
trees; but, at the same time, a spot exposed to violent winds should be
avoided, as they are very injurious and exhausting.

[Illustration: 0024]

Roses may be planted either in spring or in autumn. In the Northern
States, the severity of the winter demands some protection, when planted
in autumn, for all except the old, hardy varieties. Plant as early as
possible, that the roots may take some hold on the soil before winter
closes. October, for this reason, is better than November. The best
protection is earth heaped around the stem to the height of from six
inches to a foot. Pine, cedar, or spruce boughs are also excellent. When
earth alone is used, the top of the rose is often frost-killed; but
this is usually of no consequence, the growth and bloom being only more
vigorous for this natural pruning. Dry leaves heaped among or around the
roses, and kept down by sticks or pieces of board, or by earth thrown on
them, are also good protectors. In spring, plant as early as the soil
is in working order; that is to say, as soon as it is dry enough not to
adhere in lumps to the spade.

In planting, prune back the straggling roots with a sharp knife, but
save as many of the small fibres as possible. If you plant in spring,
prune back the stem at least half way to the ground; but, if you plant
in autumn, by all means defer this operation till the winter is over.
The ground around autumn-planted roses should be trodden down in the
spring, since the plant will have been somewhat loosened in its place
by the effect of frost; but this treading must not take place until the
soil has become free from excessive moisture. Budded roses require a
peculiar treatment in planting, which we shall describe when we come to
speak of them.

[Illustration: 0025]

Next to soil and situation, pruning is the most important point of
attention to the rose-grower. Long treatises have been written on it,
describing in detail different modes applicable to different classes
of roses, and confusing the amateur by a multitude of perplexing
particulars.

One principle will cover most of the ground: _Weaklygrowing roses
should be severely pruned: those of vigorous growth should be pruned but
little_. Or, to speak more precisely, _roses should be pruned in inverse
proportion to the vigor of their growth._

Much, however, depends on the object at which the grower aims. If
he wishes for a profusion of bloom, without regard to the size and
perfection of individual flowers, then comparatively little pruning is
required. If, on the other hand, he wishes for blooms of the greatest
size and perfection, without regard to number, he will prune more
closely.

The pruning of any tree or shrub at a time when vegetation is dormant
acts as a stimulus to its vital powers. Hence, when it is naturally
vigorous, it is urged by close pruning to such a degree of growth, that
it has no leisure to bear flowers, developing instead a profusion of
leaves and branches. The few flowers which it may produce under such
circumstances, will, however, be unusually large.

The most vigorous growers among roses are the climbers, such as the
"Boursaults" and the "Prairies."

These require very little pruning: first, because of their vigor; and,
secondly, because quantity rather than quality of bloom is asked of
them. The old and dry wood should be cut wholly away, leaving the
strong young growth to take its place, with no other pruning than a
clipping-off of the ends of side-shoots, and a thinning-out of crowded
or misshapen branches. In all roses, it is the young, well-ripened wood
that bears the finest flowers. Old enfeebled wood, or unripe, soft, and
defective young wood, should always be removed.

Next in vigor to the climbers are some of the groups of hardy June
roses; such, for example, as those called the Hybrid China roses. These
are frequently grown on posts or pillars; in which case they require a
special treatment, to be indicated hereafter. We are now supposing them
to be grown as bushes in the garden or on the lawn. Cut out the old
wood, and the weak, unripe, and sickly shoots, as well as those which
interfere with others; then shorten the remaining stems one-third,
and cut back the side-shoots to three or four buds. This is on the
supposition that a full mass of bloom is required, without much regard
to the development of individual flowers. If quality rather than
quantity of bloom is the desideratum, the pruning both of the main stems
and of the side-shoots must be considerably shorter.

Roses of more moderate growth, including the greater part of the June,
Moss, Hybrid Perpetual, and Bourbon roses, require a proportionally
closer pruning. The stems may be cut down to half their length, and
the side-shoots shortened to two buds. All the weak-growing roses, of
whatever class, may be pruned with advantage even more closely than
this. Some of the weak-growing Hybrid Perpetuals grow and bloom
best when shortened to within four or five buds of the earth. The
stronggrowing kinds, on the contrary, if pruned thus severely, would
grow with great vigor, but give very few flowers.

The objects of pruning are threefold: first, to invigorate the plant;
secondly, to improve its flowers; and, thirdly, to give it shape and
proportion. This last object should always be kept in view by the
operator. No two stems should be allowed to crowd each other. A mass of
matted foliage is both injurious and unsightly. Sun and air should have
access to every part of the plant. Six or seven stems are the utmost
that should be allowed to remain, even on old established bushes; and
these, as before mentioned, should be strong and well ripened, and
should also be disposed in such a manner, that, when the buds have grown
into shoots and leaves, the bush will have a symmetrical form. In young
bushes, three, or even two, good stems are sufficient.

Pruning in summer, when the plant is in active growth, has an effect
contrary to that of pruning when it is in a dormant state. Far from
increasing its vigor, it weakens it, by depriving it of a portion of its
leaves, which are at once its stomach and its lungs. Only two kinds of
summer pruning can be recommended. The first consists in the removal of
small branches which crowd their neighbors, and interfere with them:
the second is confined to the various classes of Perpetual roses, and
consists merely in cutting off the faded flowers, together with the
shoots on which they grow, to within three or four buds of the main
stem. This greatly favors their tendency to bloom again later in the
summer.

When old wood is cut away, it should be done cleanly, without leaving
a protruding stump. A small saw will sometimes be required for this
purpose; though in most cases a knife, or, what is more convenient, a
pair of sharp pruning-shears, will be all that the operator requires.

[Illustration: 0029]

When roses are trained to cover walls, trellises, arches, or pillars,
the main stems are encouraged to a strong growth. These form the
permanent wood; while the side-shoots, more or less pruned back, furnish
the flowers. For arbors, walls, or very tall pillars, the strongest
growers are most suitable, such as the Prairie, Boursault, and Ayrshire
roses. Enrich the soil strongly, and dig deep and widely. Choose a
healthy young rose, and, in planting, cut off all the stems close to the
earth. During the season, it will make a number of strong young shoots.
In the following spring cut out half of them, leaving the strongest,
which are to be secured against the wall, or over the arbor, diverging
like a fan or otherwise, as fancy may suggest. The subsequent pruning
is designed chiefly to regulate the growth of the rose, encouraging the
progress of the long leading shoots until they have reached the required
height, and removing side-shoots where they are too thick. Where a
vacant space occurs, a strong neighboring shoot may be pruned back in
spring to a single eye. This will stimulate it to a vigorous growth,
producing a stem which will serve to fill