The two roses in my garden that most often hold the attention of rose lovers or other visitors are the dainty beauties Rosa rouletti and the blended-color polyantha called Baby Doll or Tip Top.
Both are hardy, appealing in color, form, and size, easily grown, and not difficult to increase by cuttings.
Rosa Rouletti
Rosa rouletti (R. Chinensis minima) is a wee one that M. Correvon, a Swiss rock garden specialist, once found growing in a window garden somewhere in the Alps.
It had been known previously, but for years, the bud had been out of circulation in some hideaway.
Now, little Rosa rouletti is a popular rock garden jewel, making a lovely edging for a border where its bigger sisters are planted. The plants are only six Indies high and bloom almost all summer.
The tiny double flowers are pink and a perfect rose shape, less than an inch in diameter. Buds about the size of a grain of wheat develop, slowly produce a colored tip and then open fully. They last several days with the very faintest suggestion of fragrance.
The foliage is small in comparison to the flower. It is deep green, perfectly formed, and, in my garden, a stranger to the disease. Rosa rouletti is also at home in a 6-inch pot.
With proper care—such as any rose would appreciate—the plants in my garden have prospered for years.
Baby Doll
With its delightful blend of yellow and pink blooms of Talisman shades, Baby Doll measures up just as well, in my estimation.
Each bud is pointed and graceful, opening into blossoms an inch or more in diameter, fully centered, and appearing as baby sisters to our beloved Talisman.
Usually, four to eight blossoms are produced in a cluster, just like a lovely natural corsage. The stems are erect and not so prickly as in many other small roses. The foliage is graceful and plentiful with an endurance not found in many other “tinies.”
The bush may grow about 3′ feet high, fully caned, healthy and sturdy, surviving even under neglect. But no rose should be carelessly neglected! This “baby” is practically ever-blooming and shows a show blue ribbon.
Other Polyantha Roses
Other polyantha roses may be found in catalogs—Gloria Mundi. Orange King, Ideal, Cecile Brunner, and others.
Among the miniatures are crimson Oakington Ruby and pink Rosa gallica pumila. These two very dwarf roses are slightly larger than Rosa roulette.
Why not start your acquaintance with this small fry by adopting the two hardy little fellows mentioned above and observing how temperamental they can be?
44659 by Lillian P. Seale