Book published Apr 1915 by J.B. Lippincott Company.

Authored by George Clifford Thomas Jr.

22 favorite votes.  

First edition: 1914

Outdoor uses for roses in the Mid-Atlantic States of America where, the author says, the extreme temperature in winter does not often go below zero and the summer heat seldom exceeds 95 degrees, based upon the author's own experience. In addition, the author suggests roses for gardens farther north and south.
As part of his testing program, Thomas imported from three hundred to a thousand new rose varieties a year. He says it is almost impossible to find many roses that are absolutely perfect for the Mid-Atlantic climate. The winters are more severe and the summers hotter than the conditions to which imported roses and their forbears have been accustomed, so that many of the roses which flourish in Europe are worthless with us. Thomas intended this book to serve as a guide for Americans to select those roses which will give them the best results. To this end, he tested every variety found in the best European catalogues and compiled several lists with his results.
His first list is the 16 Best All-Round Roses. These are roses that he found to be the best adapted in terms of beauty and usefulness to outdoor growing. There is a color photograph and description and cultivation advice for each variety. They are: 'Frau Karl Druschki', 'Madame Jules Bouche', 'Antoine Revoire' [sic], 'Ellen Wilmot', 'Killarney', 'Jonkheer J.L. Mock', 'Mme. Leon Pain', 'Lady Alice Stanley', 'Robert Huey', 'General MacArthur', 'Laurent Carle', 'Gruss an Teplitz', 'Harry Kirk', 'Duchess of Wellington', 'Betty', and 'Mrs. A.R. Waddell'.
Thomas lists his choice of climbers separately because, at that time, there wasn't any good, all-round climbing rose which blooms through spring, summer and autumn with great reliability. He also provides general cultural advice from planting to pruning climbers.