r8 97 . 



• * ' GARDENING. 



307 



ROSA SPINOSISSIMA ALTAICA. 



gathered and sent into market, or to the 

 town house tor ball or festival. 



SOIL AND LOCATION. 



There is so much to be said on the sub- 

 ject that it is difficult to decide where to 

 begin. It is an axiom, however, that 

 poor soil will not produce good roses. 

 The most fertilespot in the gardenshould 

 be selected for the rose beds, and be sure 

 that they are not close to trees, as they 

 not only rob them of the needed sunlight, 

 but are a continual drain upon the soil. 

 A belt of evergreen trees on the north 

 side of the garden, a house, or anything 

 which protects from bleak winds is of the 

 greatest benefit. The finest rose garden 

 which I have as yet seen, viz.: that of the 

 Hon. Jos. S. Fay, at Wood's Holl, Mass., 

 is protected on all sides by trees and 

 buildings; the soil is a rich deep loam, 

 and the result is shown each year in the 

 number of prizes carried away at the 

 Boston rose show. Due credit should be 

 given, however, to the gardener in charge 

 for his skid and care. Above all things, 

 be sure that the soil is well dreined; a 

 cold, wet soil is a sure invitation to every 

 form of disease to which the rose is heir. 



It may seem tiresome to go over the 

 dry details of planting, but these must be 

 attended to very carefully; no amount of 

 care bestowed afterwards will make 

 amends for slipshod work at the start. 

 The soil should be dug to the depth of at 

 least one foot, or better still, if the top 

 soil is of a sufficient depth, it could be 

 trenched; if, however, the top soil is only 

 a foot deep and the sub-soil is clayej', it 

 is better to dig it only to the depth of a 

 spade. A coating of three inches of well 

 rotted cow manure should be dug in and 

 thoroughly incorporated with the soil, 

 and a sprinkling of pure bone meal is a 

 very valuable adjunct. It is well to bear 

 in mind in forming the bed that it should 

 not be too wide, it shoald be of such a 

 width that it can be cultivated and the 



flowers gathered without tramping on it 

 continually. 



TIME FOR PLANTING. 



There is a proper way to do most 

 things and next in importance is the 

 proper time, in fact they go hand in 

 hand. In a country as large as ours it is 

 of course out of the question to name one 

 time for planting suitable for the varying 

 conditions of climate. The best time, if 

 dormant roses are to be planted, is when 

 the ground is free from frost in the spring, 

 and it is dry enough to cultivate Roses 

 are late ripening in the fall and it is ques- 

 tionable if it is wise to plant immature 

 plants. Pot-grown plants that have had 

 a rest during winter are unquestionably 

 the best to set out, as they are in condi- 

 tion to take root in the soil and grow 

 without check after being planted; these 

 need not be set out until about May 1 . 

 The method of planting varies with the 

 stock to be planted. If budded or grafted 

 roses, they should be planted so that the 

 junction of the stock and cion is say two 

 to three inches below the surface of the 

 soil, the object being to prevent, as far as 

 possible, the growth of the stock to the 

 detriment of the rose which has been 

 budded on it. Planted in this way, roots 

 will be emitted from the rose where it has 

 been budded, and as the stock buds event- 

 ually die, the plant lives in addition on 

 its own roots and no further trouble from 

 "suckers" will behad. If thestock grows 

 its shoots should be pulled off as soon as 

 they first appear, and the appearance of 

 the briar upon which roses are budded or 

 grafted is so different from the rose itself 

 that there is no trouble in distinguishing 

 them apart. The roots should be spread 

 out and some fine soil put into the hole 

 over them, firming it well, then adding 

 more, and so on until the hole is filled 

 level with the surrounding surface; do not 

 heap it in carelessly and then firm it, as 

 the chances are that it will be loose at 



root, where above all it should be firm. 

 After planting is completed give each 

 plant a good watering and it is better to 

 leave a saucer-like depression around each 

 plant so that the water will descend to 

 the very centre of the plant. 



If many plants are to be set out, be sure 

 that the roots are not left exposed to the 

 sun while waiting to be planted, a very 

 short exposure will rob them of much 

 vitality. Keep them covered with a bag 

 that is saturated with water, and it is 

 good practice to dip the roots in a tub of 

 prepared puddle before taking them out 

 to be planted. What is said here about 

 roots, watering and planting, applies to 

 dormant roses on their own roots, as well 

 asbudded or grafted ones, in fact, it ap- 

 plies with even greater force. If the 

 plants are pot-grown, rub off the "shoul- 

 der" of the ball of soil, tap it gently with 

 the knuckles, or a light stick, to loosen it 

 slightly and then insert it in the ground 

 a little deeper than it was in the pot, 

 firming the soil well around it afterwards 

 and water after being planted. 



PRUNING. 



An important operation connected with 

 planting is pruning, w-hich is better done 

 immediately after being planted. A prun- 

 ing shears is best for this purpose, as if a 

 knife is used the plant is likely to be 

 loosened in the soil. Only general instruc- 

 tions on this all-important operation can 

 be given. Right here it is well to say 

 that if any of the roots are bruised they 

 should be cut away to the sound part, 

 and if any are of immoderate length they 

 should be shortened back before planting. 

 The strength of a shoot will determine 

 how far it should be cut back; if very 

 strong, cut it back to four or five eyes 

 from the main stem, if weak to the second 

 or third eye, and let the topmost eye be 

 on the outside of the shoot wherever pos- 

 sible. If the branches are crowded and 

 the shape of the plant necessitates it, 

 drive in a sharp-pointed stake — not too 

 large — and spread them by tying, or cut 

 enough away to ensure against over- 

 crowding as they grow. Those directions 

 apply mainly to hybrid perpetual roses, 

 the tea or monthly roses only require a 

 shortening back of the main shoots, 

 severe in the case of soft, immature wood, 

 and less so on well ripened shoots, and 

 the cutting completely away of all light 

 spray wood, which will only produce 

 foliage and no flowers. When the plants 

 bloom and the flowers are cut off, either 

 for use or after they fade, it is better to 

 cut back to the second eye as they are 

 more apt to flower again than if a greater 

 portion of the flowering shoot was 

 allowed to remain on the plant. 



The distance at which to plant varies 

 somewhat according to the class and 

 variety; but as a general rule it is sate to 

 say that the hybrid perpetuals may be 

 planted eighteen to twenty inches apart, 

 hybrid teas fourteen to sixteen inches and 

 the tea or monthly roses twelve inches. 

 The climbing roses it planted on a trellis 

 or fence should be planted about six feet 

 .apart. 



OWN ROOT AND BUDDED ROSES. 



The much mooted question of the rela- 

 tive value of roses on their own roots 

 and budded roses, I would answer by 

 sayirg: whenever you can get roses on 

 their own roots take them in preference 

 to the others. Some sorts, however, can 

 hardly be had on their own roots, such 

 as the Baroness Rothschild type and the 

 Persian Yellow. Some of the hybrid teas 

 do better on briar stock, but all the tea 

 or monthly roses do well on their own 

 roots and can be obtained easily in this 



