Many are the races to which our summer gardens owe an almost endless variety of climbing roses; and each season adds to the bewildering number. The older types are the Ayrshire, the Evergreen, the Banksia, the Boursault, the Prairie rose, the Multiflora. And twenty-one years ago, the Wichuraiana from Japan was introduced, adding a totally new source from whence to derive precious and beautiful hybrids.

originated without doubt from the trailing white rose of our hedges and woodlands, Rosa arvensis. In the early years of last century many popular varieties were developed which are still welcome in our gardens, such as Alice Gray, Dundee Rambler, Ruga, Queen of the Belgians, Splendens or Myrrh-scented. And in 1835, the charming little double white rose, Bennett's Seedling or Thoresbyana, was discovered among some briars by Lord Manvers' gardener at Thoresby.

The parent of the Evergreen roses of our gardens was the climbing wild rose of Italy, Rosa Sempervirens. And the best known, and perhaps the most valuable of these, is the white FÉlicitÉ et PerpÉtue, named after the saints and martyrs Felicitas and Perpetua. This rose and several other varieties were raised in 1827 by Monsieur Jacques, the head-gardener at the royal gardens of Neuilly. They bloom in large clusters of small, very full, double flowers. Myrianthes renoncule, Leopoldine d'Orleans, and BanksiÆflora are white; Princesse Marie and Flora are pink, as is Williams' Evergreen. As all these keep their dark shining foliage until nearly the end of the winter, they are very valuable on screens and arches.

This persistent foliage is one of the great merits of the large white Banksian Fortunei, called in French catalogues Banks de Chine—a hybrid with the beautiful Rosa Sinica. Its handsome green leaves, as I write in mid-February, are as thick outside my window in spite of twenty degrees of frost a few weeks back, as they were in the autumn. It will throw shoots of immense length each year: clothing a wall summer and winter with its rich green foliage. It is much hardier than the Yellow and White Banksians. The flowers, large, full, white, and sweet-scented, grow singly, not in clusters, and are borne like those of the Yellow and White Banksians on the sub-laterals—i.e. the little flowering stems on the laterals of last year. This habit of growth is the reason of so many failures in getting the Banksian roses to flower. An old plant of the Yellow Banksian on the rectory at Strathfieldsaye had never been known to flower when the Rev. F. Page-Roberts came there. He, of course, discovered that it had been pruned hard in the usual way. And after proper attention for two years, it was last year a mass of bloom, to the surprise of all who saw it.[3]

The White Banksian was introduced by Mr. William Kerr in 1807, and named after Lady Banks. The yellow was discovered by Dr. Abel, in 1824, growing on the walls of Nankin. They are both natives of China: but require a warm position on a wall in most parts of England. The finest specimen I have ever seen was a very old plant of the yellow, growing some years ago inside the courtyard at Chillon. It was one of the most beautiful objects possible in summer, the grim walls being closely covered with a sheet of the delicate little blossoms.

This very beautiful class of summer-flowering climbing or pillar roses, is too often neglected in these days. They are the result of crosses between the Gallica, Centifolia, and Damask roses, and the China, Noisette and Bourbon. For size, form and colour, many of these roses are still unexcelled. And one regrets they are not more generally grown.

Whether the seed parent is the perpetual China, Bourbon, or Noisette, and the pollen parent the French or ProvenÇe rose, or vice versÂ, the result is that, though it grows vigorously, the hybrid does not flower in the autumn—with the one exception, the beautiful Gloire de RosamÈnes. One of the grandest of this class is Blairii No. 2 (Blair 1845), blush with rose centre, a very vigorous climber: but it should be remembered that if pruned it will not flower. This is also the case with the fine crimson Brennus or Brutus. Coupe d'HÉbÉ and ChenÉdolÉ are both good roses; while Charles Lawson for a brilliant crimson pillar rose, and the pure white Madame Plantier for bush or pillar, are not easily surpassed, as their flowers are borne in immense quantities. That very brilliant and effective single rose, Paul's Carmine Pillar, is also a hybrid; but its exact parentage is not known. Messrs. Paul & Son, of Cheshunt, write to me: "We believe it to be, as far as we can recollect, a hybrid with Boursault blood." This would explain its coming into flower so early.

It was, however, in 1893 that an extraordinary impulse was given to the culture of these roses, by the introduction of Turner's Crimson Rambler. Two roses which are now classed among the "Ramblers" preceded it by a few years; Allard's Daniel Lacombe, 1886, and the beautiful Claire Jacquier, 1888, raised by Bernaix of Lyons. But the advent of Crimson Rambler is really the starting point of that enthusiasm which has reigned ever since 1893 for the Rambler roses, and which has happily brought many of the old varieties mentioned above into favour once more. As many versions of the advent of this rose are extant, I wrote to Mr. Charles Turner to ask him its true history, and in his kind reply of February 17, 1908, he says, "The rose was brought from Japan with other plants by an engineer on board a trading vessel for a gentleman living near Edinburgh. It was grown there for some time, and eventually came into our possession."

This rose is so well known that, like good wine, it needs no bush of praise or description. And it was quickly followed by other Multifloras of varying types. In 1896 came Lambert's trio Euphrosyne, the so-called Pink rambler, Thalia, the White rambler, and Aglaia, the Yellow rambler; succeeded in 1897 by his HÉlÈne, pale rose with yellowish white centre. In 1898 Dawson brought out the Dawson rose, with clusters of semi-double soft-rose flowers. In 1899 came two notable additions—Paul & Son's Psyche; and Schmidt's Leuchstern—one of the most beautiful of the race. The latter grower's invaluable Rubin; Veitch's Electra; Paul & Son's Lion followed in 1900; and their Wallflower in 1901.

In 1903, Wm. Paul & Son brought out Waltham Rambler; B. R. Cant, the exquisite Blush Rambler; and Walsh of Philadelphia the Philadelphia Rambler. In 1904 came Lambert's Gruss an Zabern and Trier. In 1905 Cutbush's Mrs. F. W. Flight, considered by some the Queen of ramblers. And in 1906 Weigand's TaunusblÜmchen; and Soupert et Notting's beautiful Stella. Last year a rich feast was provided for those who delight in Ramblers, with Soupert et Notting's fine new Bar-le-Duc, offspring of their famous tea rose Souv. de Pierre Notting and Crimson Rambler; Schmidt's TausendschÖn, a cross between Crimson Rambler and a tea-polyantha; and Wm. Paul & Son's Kathleen, a single flower, rich carmine-rose with a white eye. And this year Soupert et Notting are sending out their new Bordeaux, a seedling from Crimson Rambler and the dwarf Polyantha Blanche Rebatel.

Meanwhile, in 1887, the parents of a new race of climbing roses had been brought to Europe. The Wichuraiana (Species) was introduced from Japan by CrÉpin, in 1887. Its small white single flowers with their quaint hay scent, borne late in the summer, its glossy evergreen leaves, and its vigorous creeping habit—for it will cover a large space on a bank in twelve months—proclaimed a new and valuable species. And in America, Manda was quick to see its value as the parent of a new race, by crossing it with tea roses. Ten years later, in 1897, he brought out Manda's Triumph; in 1899, the charming Gardenia, Jersey Beauty, May Queen, Pink Roamer, South Orange Perfection, Universal Favourite; and in 1900, Evergreen Gem, one of the very best. The next year Jackson and Perkins introduced the incomparable Dorothy Perkins. And Walsh, another American grower, followed in 1902 with DÉbutante, and in 1905 with Hiawatha and Lady Gay.

Meanwhile in France, M. Barbier had been devoting himself to these charming hybrids; and began his long list of beautiful varieties in 1900 with AlbÉric Barbier, RenÉ AndrÉ, and the single Wichuraiana rubra; to be followed by numbers of others.

One of the charms of these roses, and they have many, is that they are to all intents and purposes evergreen. Another is, that although they are not perpetual, i.e. flowering twice in the season, the hybrids often take after their parent the type Wichuraiana, whose flowering season is very late—last autumn I gathered a few flowers from it the third week in December. Therefore, many of them come into bloom just as the Multifloras are going over, thus prolonging the season of summer climbing roses till the end of August.

For every purpose they are of use. They may be planted to cover an unsightly bit of bank, or to climb over a stump, to wreath themselves into the branches of a tree, or to form a dense covering of shining leaves and innumerable flowers on fence or trellis or screen. They are even more charming on pillars and arches, when the full beauty of their blossoms can be seen from all sides; for while many have a pendant habit, the main flower heads, of Dorothy Perkins for instance, are carried erect above the pink foam of the laterals that clothe the graceful hanging shoots below.

A Wichuraiana hybrid—for choice the dainty rubra, Dorothy Perkins or Hiawatha—grown as a tall, weeping standard seven feet high, is an object of such beauty that if once seen it cannot be forgotten. Or these charming roses may be trained round a large balloon, in the same fashion as the Crimson Rambler in the Royal Gardens at Windsor, figured in "The Garden," December 30, 1905.

Planted on a terraced slope the Wichuraianas are most effective. In one instance, Gardenia, Evergreen Gem, AlbÉric Barbier and others were planted along a steep grass bank below a terrace walk. A flat shelf four feet wide had been cut half way down the bank, and there the roses were put in some ten or twelve feet apart. By the next summer they had joined hands; and whether from below, or looking down on them from the terrace above, the huge wreath with masses of flowers among the glossy foliage made a most exquisite display.

In fact there is no limit to the uses to which this delightful family may be put. And we may believe that there is no limit either to its future developments in the hands of the hybridists, whose patient research will, I have no doubt, give us before many years are over, perpetual flowering, evergreen Wichuraianas of every hue.