The Himalayan Briar, Rosa Brunonis,
is sometimes classed with the Musk roses: but this is an error, as it is a distinct species, and is also only summer flowering. With its double variety, it is a beautiful rose for pillar, arch, or pergola; the white flowers are very sweet and borne in clusters. But it should be planted where it can get plenty of sun to ripen the wood.
The Macartney Rose, R. bracteata,
was brought from China in 1795 by Lord Macartney. The handsome shiny evergreen foliage and large solitary white flowers with a mass of golden stamens, make it a beautiful object. It does best, as do its hybrids, on a wall in a warm dry position: but it will not flower until it is thoroughly established. Maria Leonida is a hybrid of the early nineteenth century, very beautiful when its very full white flowers, slightly flushed in the centre with pink, open properly. But they need plenty of sun and a sheltered position to do so in perfection. Rosa Lucida and Lucida plena are two rose-coloured hybrids with handsome reddish foliage.
With the Noisettes, Musk, and Macartney roses, we have only touched the fringe of autumn flowering climbers. And three most important classes remain to be noticed. These are—
Climbing Hybrid Perpetuals, Teas, and Hybrid Teas.
Among the Hybrid Perpetuals there are several line climbing roses, as well as climbing sports of well-known dwarfs, which are valuable to this class. While roses of specially vigorous growth, but not usually counted as climbers, such as Magna Charta, Margaret Dickson, Pierre Notting, and others, make admirable pillars.
But it is among the Tea and Hybrid Tea roses that we find our richest harvest of autumn flowering climbers. Some of these are pure climbers, such as the noble Gloire de Dijon and its descendants; and Cheshunt Hybrid, Reine Marie Henriette, Reine Olga de Wurtemberg, Belle Lyonnaise, etc. Many of these and others do grandly as tall standards, making fine heads covered with bloom. And many more can be grown as isolated bush roses, planted out singly with plenty of space round them. Gruss an Teplitz, Gustave Régis, Mme. Jules Gravereaux, the exquisite Lady Waterlow, and Cooling's Apple Blossom, are specially suited to this form of growth.
In the following lists of these three groups of roses, I have, for convenience sake, placed Teas and Hybrid Teas together.