No. 31. Rosa Montezùma (Mexican-rose.) This is an esteemed variety, with large double flowers of a red colour, and when the flowers begin to fade they become darker; it is of a strong growing and hardy nature, much admired, and scarce.
No. 32. Rosa horténsia. The buds of this rose are very beautiful before expansion, and when fully expanded, are of a fine colour, assimilated to No. 8; flowers large in proportion to the growth of the plant.
These roses are all of a shrubby nature, and the finest flowering varieties that have come under our observation and culture. The China roses generally are not completely double, though going under the name of double flowers, and having the appearance of such. Those that are mentioned above as double and very double are those that are more double than No. 1, which is a rose that is generally known. The whole of them are much admired, and being now of great variety in colour, shade and aspect, constitute a valuable addition to the Flower-garden. A bed of varieties planted therein in good light rich soil, and well dressed by hoeing deep, raking, &c. during the early stage of their growth every season, will form an ornament varied in colour, unrivalled, and as yet not found in our Flower-gardens. Their nature agrees so well with our summer seasons, that it will not surprise us to see, in a few years, selections of them planted in rows or hedges, dividing the compartments in our gardens.
They are all hardy, but of those that are not perfectly so, we have mentioned the required protection. Any of them that have not been proved hardy in your collections, it would be extremely injudicious to leave them exposed the first winter after planting out. Caution is necessary on every unknown point; therefore, we would recommend to give them slight protection, by a covering of straw, mats, boxes, &c. and if they appear to withstand the winter in perfect safety, they will not need again to be covered.
The best season of the year for pruning them is about the first of this month. In doing so it is not advisable to shorten any of the young shoots, except in cutting off the injured parts, that being the wood most productive of bloom; but where there is old stinted wood, it should be cut out as close to the surface of the ground as the other parts of the bush will permit, with any other of the oldest wood that is too crowded. If the plants have been long established, dig in amongst their roots a little well decomposed manure, and stir and hoe them frequently during the summer.
CLIMBING ROSES.
No. 1. Rosa Champneyàna. This celebrated rose has a situation in almost every garden in our city, and forms a great ornament, flowering very profusely in immense clusters from May to November. Many of these having more than thirty buds upon them of a light pink colour, it is sometimes called "Pink Cluster." It is of rapid growth, and does well for covering arbours, fences, or any unsightly object. The foliage is of a lucid green, and the wood very strong in growth. This rose is at present one of the most abundant in flower, the easiest of cultivation, (growing in any exposure,) and in every respect is highly deserving of attention.
No. 2. Rosa blush Noisettià is very similar to No. 1. in habit; the flowers are lighter in colour, and a little larger; but the plant does not flower so profusely during the heat of the season. There is a variety of Noisettia in our gardens, known from this by the bud being more rounded, and another under the name of Charles 10th, which has fine large flowers of a dark blush colour.
No. 3. Rosa red Noisettià, or what we consider more properly Scarlet cluster. It is very distinct from any other of the Noisettias in habit. It is an excellent variety, and blooms abundantly; of a scarlet colour; forming a fine contrast with the two last, which are light in colour, and though not generally known is very desirable.