Evening star., 1938-07-23

Ihey cover what used to be the grape
arbor, and the fences and the garage
with green foliage and with roses.
They trail over the garden gates, the
arches and pergolas, climb the porches
and are finding their way across the
front of the houses of some of those
who love this flower. While the most
luxuriant blooms of these Australian
climbers are in the spring, scattered
roses are produced during the summer
with many fine specimens in the
fall.
Australia Is one of the few coun-
tries which have no native or wild
roses. The English who settled it
took their homeland roses with them
to this new country These perished
for lack of hardness, but the English
must have roses wherever they 90.
SO Allster Clark imported the hardy
rose gigantea from India to Aus
tralia. and with the help of other
hardy varieties over period of years
developed from them more than 100
new rose varieties, particularly suited
to growth condition in Australia.
X X \ X
HAVING propagated something new
and fine, Mr.. Clark, like all good
rosarians, wished to share his find
with others who would appreciate it.
In July, 1927, supply of bud wood
of these varieties arrived at the Breeze
Hill gardens, Harrisburg, Pa. That
garden, being unprepared to handle
the job of trying out all of these new
roses in America, shipped part of the
bud wood to DR.. Whitman Cross in
Washington. These arrived at Nam
jemoy (his rose garden established in
1929 on August 2, 1927. A later ship
ment came on June IA, 1928. These
proved to be red-letter days for the
rose movement in this area.
While the eminent rosarian to
whom these Australian roses came on
the above dates was unprepared with
understood on which to bud these new
arrivals, being a good soldier he made
a determined effort to save and per-
petuate these rose visitors from far
away. His efforts were in the main
successful. Several Of these new sorts
had to be budded on the canes of the
climbing roses then growing at Nam
jemoy and so were saved over that
critical first summer and winter. The
following summer they were rebudded
on multiflora understood 1t was in
this way that race of climbing roses,
particularly suited to the climate of
Washington, was saved to grace our
gardens and homes.
Some II or more of the Australian
varieties received in these shipments
first summer and winter here. For
several years the six above mentioned
varieties attracted but little attention
outside the garden in which they
grew and bloomed. But their proven,
like their propagation, wished to share
them with Others Members of the
newly-formed Potomac Rose Society
saw them at Nanjemoy and wished
some of the same for their own gar
dens. To accomplish this the subject
of rose budding was taken up at the
meetings Of that Society and discussed
at length. In order to start the bud
ding movement, DR.. Cross in the spring
of 1888 ordered an extra supply of
Japanese understood for Nanjemoy
and planted them there. When these
had reached the budding stage they
were assigned in lots of 25 each to
several of the members. Bud wood
from the best in DR.. Cross rose garden
was supplied, as was personal instruc-
ton in the art of successful budding.
Some Of the buds inserted. particularly
those by the instructor, took" The
plants themselves continued to be
cared for by the regular force at
Nanjemoy and in the fall of the fol-
lowing year those to whom the original
understood was assigned took home to
their own gardens new rose plants of
the finest varieties growing at Nanje-
moy and a better knowledge of how
successful budding of roses was ac-
complished.