176 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



Home Grounds, Ornamental Shrubbery. 



At this season of the year, it is not difficult to collect a great 

 quantity of leaves. Leaves have been blown into ditches and sheltered 

 places and can be gathered very rapidly. They will be found very useful 

 as a covering about ornamental shrubbery, roses and bulbs, one of 

 Nature's own and best protections. 



A heavy mulch of leaves or fine litter will be found a great protection 

 to the root system of ornamental plants. In Nebraska, our winters ara 

 likely to be very dry and this soil cover lessens the soil evaporation and 

 the danger that the ground will freeze dry during the winter. 



Eoses. 



Tea roses and half hardy roses may be protected by first making a 

 mound of earth, sod or other material over which to bend the rose bush. 

 Over this florists usually cover with soil. In many places sods can be 

 procured and a covering of sods will not blow away. 



Tea roses may also be cut back half, leaving them perhaps 12 to 18 

 inches in height. They may then be boxed in and covered with leaves 

 or fine chaffy straw or old hay. With this amount of protection, they 

 usually winter safely. 



An excellent method of growing tea roses is to make a border 4 to 6 

 feet in width by 6 to 8 feet in length, according to the grounds. A 

 border of this character will contain 15 to 20 roses, giAang a choice 

 assortment of varieties. This border may be surrounded by boards 12 

 inches high and filled in with leaves or short straw, giving adequate 

 protection. 



In exposed and trying locations, it is often times judicious to take 

 down climbing roses, wrap in burlap, or cover on the ground with leaves, 

 old hay or litter to lessen the trying evaporation of our wintry winds. It 

 is apparent to anyone that the animal which has a comfortable stable 

 during the winter, comes out in better condition in the spring than the 

 one exposed to winds of winter. 



While our hardiest varieties of roses may endure the evaporation of 

 our trying winters, they will however, come through stronger and give 

 better results the coming season if they can receive a fair measure of 

 protection during the winter. In the spring time, the soil protected 

 by a suitable mulch will be found in much better condition than that 

 which has been exposed to the evaporation of our trying winters. 



Tlie Lawn. 



The lawn needs shelter during the winter, first it should have a 

 considerable growth of its own grass allowed to remain through the 

 winter instead of being cut late in the fall by the lawn mower. Second, 

 a mulch of any vegetable matter, leaf mold, leaves, rich manure applied 

 in early winter will prottect the grass roots from the trying, arid 

 winter's cold and bring the lawn through in condition to give a much 



