July 15. 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



73 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



Drying Off Old Plants 



Xow that business has slacked up no time should be 

 lost in finishing up the planting, and if the plants in 

 the benches are to be run all over again they should be 

 allowed to dry off at once. Gradually withliold the 

 water until the soil is very dry and the plants are be- 

 gining to lose their leaves. The plants can then be 

 pruned, carefully lifted out of the old soil and planted 

 in where they are to grow for the coming season. If 

 they are to remain riglit in the old bench, in the old soil, 

 see that all tlie loose soil is removed from the top and 

 a good dressing of bonemeal applied, after which a 

 mulch of half manure and half soil can be applied, and 

 the plants started again. Eoses should never be pnmed 

 while they are wet, neither should they be cut back, as 

 our experience has been that they will not do nearly as 

 well as they would if they were properly dried ofE and 

 started again. 



Care After Planting 



As soon as a bench of the old plants is finished, see 

 that they receive a real good watering. With certain 

 soils it will be necessary to go over the benches twice in 

 order to make sure that the soil is wet all the way 

 through. If the soil hapjjens to be rather dry it will be 

 better to water the bench lightly several hours before 

 planting time. This will not only make it much easier 

 to (ijaut Init will be nuicli lietter for the plants, more so 

 if the day is bright and the sun very hot. Firm the soil 

 well around the roots so that there will be no air spaces 

 and the plants will be able to take up water and start 

 right off. Care should be taken to give the plants plenty 

 of water and keep them sprayed five or six times a day 

 until they start. Xeedless to say they should not be 

 soaking wet all the time but they should not be allowed 

 to dry out as much as they would be if they had started. 

 On cloudy days two or three sprayings will suffice and if 

 the plants are planted in a house with a lot of young 

 stock in full leaf one spraying in tlie morning will have 

 to do. As soon as they start, give water only when 

 needed and restrict the syringing to a quick syringe on 

 clear mornings. Make sure that the plants are not too 

 dry when syringing as the new leaves are very tender 

 and will burn easily. If only about four inches of soil 

 is used and it is of a porous nature and the old plants 

 are quite btishy, it will be as well to start right in and 

 water the whole bench instead of watering right around 

 the plants as is done with young stock and with old 

 plants under certain conditions. Make sure that the 

 surface of the benches is left rough enough after plant- 

 ing to insure proper distribution of water. If all the 

 lumps are crushed too fine the water is likely to run all 

 o\er the bench, soaking the soil too much in some places 

 and leaving it almost dry elsewhere. As soon. as time 

 permits, the old plants that were replanted slioald be 

 staked and tied. This will make all the new wood grow 

 in the right direction and save much time in tying biter 

 on. Plants tliat are grown right in the same benches 

 will not have to be cut away from the old stakes or wires 

 and can be retied whenever necessary. In stringing the 

 plants to wires be careful not to tie the slip knot too 



tight, for the wood will swell to twice the thickness be- 

 fore the season is half over and if tied very tight now 

 it will choke the jilants later on. 



Staking Grafted Plants 



As soon as time will permit, slake all grafted plants', 

 as it will be impossible to syringe them properly if they 

 are allowed to lie around loose. They break very .-easily, 

 so there is nothing to be gained by having them lie 

 around. If care was used in planting, tlie plants will 

 be away down on tlie bottom of the bench so that the 

 union of the graft and stock will be below the level of 

 the soil. Put the stake quite close to the plants, and tie 

 them straight to it, gently but firmly and without any 

 twisting, for this would surely damage the union and 

 the graft would take a long time to come to, if it should 

 happen that it did not break off altogether. Make sure 

 to get all the stakes on the same side of the plant, and 

 as straight as possible. It may be a little difficult at 

 first but as soon as a person gets accustomed to the work 

 it will come easy, then the finished job will look like 

 something. Tie all stakes securely with good cord so 

 that there will be no danger of their getting loose when 

 syringing later on and sliding this way or that, which 

 is verv annoving to sav the least. 



Saxifraga III 



(See Cover lUustratioD) 



Some of the robust growing species of sasifragas 

 have even a wider scope of general usefulness than the 

 Alpine classes treated in the previous notes. Tlieir 

 large evergreen foliage of substantial, almost leathery, 

 texture is decidedly ornamental. Preferring rather 

 moist situations they prove excellent subjects for shore 

 ]dantings of brook, pond and pool, thriving equally well 

 in partial shade as in the open sun. The best known 

 saxifragas in American gardens are those of the Mega- 

 sea type described in European standard works under 

 ^ifegasea or Bergenia. In bloom from early in April 

 until May, their large pink panicles add a desirable 

 diversity of floral forms and colors during the opening 

 days of a new season. At that time the human mind is 

 most appreciative; our eyes joyfully accept the early 

 liarbingers of spring in the garden even in compara- 

 tively modest array. I believe the saxifragas under 

 consideration in this note merit more space on our hardy 

 herbaceous borders than they have been given. Our 

 illustration showing a specimen plant of the well-known 

 Saxifraga cordifolia is calculated to demonstrate its 

 eft'ectivenoss in the rock garden. The species orbicularc, 

 speciosa, squarrosa and van Houttei in addition are not 

 only useful but simply indispensable, especially for 

 large rock gardens with water-course and pool. Our 

 native Saxifraga jX'ltata with handsome pink flowers 

 may be naturalized along water lines in pavk landscapes 

 or established in moist sections of the wild flower gar- 

 den where it requires little or no care. 



In conclusion I wish to call attention to the less con- 

 spicuous but nevertheless interesting Saxifraga sannen- 

 tosa and the shade-loving S. umbrosa for occasional 

 eraploraient. With tlie exception of samientosa, which 

 is not hardy in the north, plantations survive our win- 

 ters without injury. In order to retain the perfection 

 of the evergreen foliage I prefer to give plants a light 

 covering in December. Propagation is by divisions, 

 cuttings and sowing; Saxifraga isarmentosa also by 



runners 



Gleiiside, Pa. 



-^L/cJidAxi -^Ct&tA/ 



