CHAPTER VI. SUMMER ROSES
THESE ARE roses which bloom but once in the year; hence they have lost favor of late: for superb families of roses, fully equal in beauty, if not in hardiness, and endowed with an enviable power of renewing or perpetuating their charms,—of smiling in October as well as in June, and glowing in full effulgence even on the edge of winter,—have dazzled us into a forgetfulness of our ancient favorites.
Yet all the poetry of the rose belongs to these old roses of summer. It is they that bloomed in white and red in the rival shields of York and Lancaster; and it is they that, time out of mind, have been the no silent interpreters of hearts too full to find a ruder utterance.
For the rest, they are, in the main, very hardy, very easy of culture, and often very beautiful.
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Rosa Centifolia.—This is the family of the old, well-known, and deservedly admired Cabbage Rose. Its ancestors, as we have seen, grew on Mount Caucasus; though some have supposed that it is a native of the south of France: hence the name Provence, by which it is often known in England, though it is never so designated in France. The French, translating its Latin name, Rosa Centifolia, or the Hundred-leaved Rose, commonly call it Rose à Cent Feuilles. It is supposed to have been known to the Romans, and to have been one of their favorite roses; and it was introduced into England before the end of the sixteenth century, where at least, until these latter days, it has been greatly admired and prized. Recently, however, the introduction of the families of hardy, ever-blooming roses, has thrown the Cabbage and all its compeers into the shade. Nevertheless, it is one of the most desirable of flowers; and even those who are disposed to pass it by with slight regard will never deny that some of the progeny which have arisen from it are unsurpassed in beauty and attractiveness. It is remarkable among roses for the singular changes, in horticultural language called "sports," which it has assumed, and which, among other results, have given rise to the entire family of Moss roses, of which we shall speak in the next section.
The prevailing colors in this group are light. The Cabbage Rose is a somewhat weak grower in a heavy soil, though in a light soil it grows vigorously. As a general rule, it needs close pruning. The members of the family are numerous; but, besides the Old Cabbage, the following are the best: The Dutch Provence is remarkable for the size of its flowers, in which respect it even surpasses the Old Cabbage. The Unique Provence is probably a sport from the Old Cabbage; that is to say, an accidental variation of the flowers on some particular branch; which branch being propagated, the accidental features become permanent. The Unique Provence, which is pure white, has, in its turn, produced another sport, called the Striped Unique, the flowers being white, striped with lake; though they are very capricious in their coloring, sometimes opening pure white, and occasionally light rose. But a more remarkable sport of the Provence is the variety called the Crested Provence, Rosa Cristata, or, very commonly among us, the Crested Moss. It is not, however, a true Moss, as its stems are smooth. Its peculiarity consists in a curious and very beautiful mossy growth about the calyx. This growth is developed in proportion to the vigor of the plant: therefore it should be strongly manured and closely pruned, as should the whole race of Provence roses. Adeline, the Duc de Choiseul, the Stadtholder, and, above all, the Reine de Provence, are beautiful varieties of this group. To it also belong a sub-group of Miniature or Pompone roses, well suited for edging beds. They bloom early, and are exceedingly pretty and graceful. Among the best of them are the White Burgundy, the Dwarf Burgundy, De Meaux, and Spong.