5 JUNE 1947, Page 18

In My Garden

The quaint briar-rose pteracanthus is worth growing, in spite of the pettiness of its flowers, for its date as well as its red, diaphanous thorns. This year with me it preceded any other rose by a month at least. The resurrection of frost-shattered bushes has continued almost into June. The last is a St. Johnswort bush that had been quite given up, and an apparently dead rose-bush or two put forth ruddy shoots at great speed. What late roses we shall enjoy, come August and September!

W. BEACH THOMAS.