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Expert Opinions: Polyantha

The well-known dwarf rose, Hermosa, and the writer made their first appearance before the public at about the same time, and the former has graced our gardens for seventy-five years. It is reliable and hardy with but little protection, and is one of the best bedders today. The same may be said of the Clothilde Soupert, one of the largest-flowered forms of the Polyantha class, introduced in 1884. In 1880, Veuve Ducher introduced the charming dwarf Polyantha, Mlle. Cecile Brunner, the queen of the so-called Fairy rose class, hardy with slight protection, and admirable for corsage bouquets. Its miniature buds, so delightfully tinted, are admired by all, especially by the gentler sex. Who has not admired the Cherokee rose of the southern states, an escaped exotic, being the Chinese Rosa sinica, that has taken so kindly to the conditions offered as to thrive there on the waysides and fence corners? We of the North can have its counterpart, all except its evergreen foliage, in the extremely hardy Rosa spinosissima var. Altaica, from the Altai Mountains in Siberia. When in bloom, it is a charming sight in the purity of its single, pure white flowers. I cannot understand why this rose is scarce and hard to find, as in good soil it suckers rapidly and thus an increased stock is easily obtained.