NEW ROSES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14889, 31 January 1914, Page 5

NEW ROSES.

Writing in the "Gardeners' Chronicle," a rose-grower analj-ses the new roses sent out during tbe last three years. Quite a number of these new roses are to be found in New Zealand rose gardens, proving how up-to-date our rose enthusiasts aro. The following criticism will have more than passing interest, and Now Zealand growers may make comparisons with their own experiences:— Georgo Dickson (H. T. A. Dickson, 1012) is a rose on which many exhibitors are building their hopes for the coming season. Tlio colour is a deep crimson, with a curious velvety veining. It is of strong growth, readily pushing up fresh shoots"; and thero can be but little question but that the flower is of fino form. My plant has not produced many flowers, and seems to havo suffered badly from mildew. I have had it in a bed of Victor Hugo, and have managed to keep this Latter fairly free- from disease, but the autumn shoots of George Dickson, almost like those of a hybrid perpetual, havo sufspite of some atteution and I havej. noticed a similar defect in a neighbouring nursery..-' My impression, which may. bo'altered next year, is that it will prove chiefly an exhibition rose. . Lady Hillingdon (T. Lowe and Shawyer,. 1910).-—Few roses, and still fewer tea roses; havo saikd into the immediate popularity attained by Lady Hillingdon, and beautiful as it is at the shows, I profer it in tho garden in a well-grown bed. where the dark and claret-tinted foliage sets off so well tho orange colour of the flowers. Its parentage is stated as Papa Gontier — Madame Hoste, and we seem to trace the former parent in .the lovely buds and rather loosely r ouilt character of the flower: -1 think it looks better in a bed than in a border—perhaps there is no yellow rose which makes so charming a*bed. Its chief weakness is in its stalk, which is hardly stiff enough to carsy the flower well; not because the flowers are heavy, but because the stalks are weak. Another defect is that sometimes a number of the flowers may como of a rather uninteresting fawn colour, particularly in bad weather, instead of the lovely golden orange, we want to see. I fancy both of these defects aro a little moro marked in my garden than in that of some of my friends, and from the vigour with which Lady Hillingdon seems to grow on a chalk subsoil, I am thinking of'giving my plants a good dressing of lime this winter. It is very free flowering and continuously in bloom. It is purely a decorative rose. Mrs Herbert Stevens (T. McGredy, 1910). —This is a most beautiful decorative rose for cutting, and putting in vases or for wearing. The flowers are very pointed, the buds being nearly pure white. It is too thin for exhibition, except in the decorative classes, though now and again a large flower may be. had from a "maiden plant. Tho chief beauty of this flower lies m its form and outline. For decoration of the garden, it is not first-class. The foliage is sparse and the growth rather thin'and spindly, while the flowers are pendulous. It suffers badly from mildew, and in spite of the statement to the contrary in the N.R.S. catalogue, my own experience is that it is somewhat tender and my plants in front of a south wall have done better than those in the open garden, while, perhaps, these on short standards have been more satisfactory than the dwarfs. Nevertheless, the flower is so lovely that space should be found for it somewhere, though not in a pla<-e where a great effect from the S_Hage and flowers in the bed is desired. Mrs Foley Hobbs (T. A. Dickson. 1010). This is one of the best exhibition roses of recent years. In a ballot of now roses of the past five years, recently taken among members of the council of the N.R.S., Mrs Folev Hobbs headed tho list of exhibition roses. It is a fine, strong grower, of moderately branching habit. Tho colour ;s creamy-white, sometimes with a tinge of pink in the centre, and •is most beautiful in form, while the petals are of good substance. It is very free flowering, right into the autumn, though the late flowers are smaller than those of early summer. Its chief defect seems to lie in the tendency of manfe o r the early flowers to come with hard, green centres, just as those of Mrs Myles Kennedy are apt to do. 1 .noticed this more often on dwarfs than on standards. This ' will bo serious if it occurs often, but j a perfect flower is so beautiful that we may pardon a tew bad ones. Melody (H. T. A. Dickson, 1910). Under glass and early in the year, this is a deep saffron-yellow, which is very beautiful, but later in the season the flowers have very much lost this colour, and come at times nearly white. 1 took a fancy to this rose greatly, I think, from its name, which i* a great improvement on those whicb most roses, unfortunately, have to bear, and T planted eight or nine nlants of it.jThcy have made nice, bushy little shrub*-, and -flowered with .tolerable freedom,

but have suffered somewhat, though perhaps not very badly,- from mildew. Ita loss of colour as the season progresses.* if it proves useful, will, I fear, present it making a first-class yellow rose for garden purposes, and it may be best under glass.