IV PLANTING 71 
important place; if that be killed the whole plant is 
destroyed: but if even an inch of sound wood is 
alive at the very bottom, though all the rest be 
killed, the Rose will probably grow up again as 
strong as ever. 
In very severe frosts and on low-lying grounds 
there is, however, great difficulty in keeping 
standard Teas alive during the winter. Leaves or 
earth, the most efficient protectors, seem impossible 
of application ; and as the best Tea Rose blooms are 
produced on standards, heavy losses are often 
experienced by exhibitors. Digging the standards 
bodily up, and, after laying them carefully in rows 
in the earth, covering them with boughs or soil, has 
been tried and recommended. For the weakly 
erowers, such as Comtesse de Nadaillac, Princess of 
Wales, or Cleopatra, if on strong stems, this may 
answer fairly well; but for the stronger sorts with 
large heads, such as Marie van Houtte and Anna 
Olivier, it seems a pity to lose the advantage of 
established plants. I have tried half-measures, with 
great success so far as the frost was concerned ; 
this consisted of digging the rows of plants up, or at 
least loosening them, on one side only, then bending 
and pegging them down flat on the ground and 
covering them first with straw and then with earth. 
Though completely uninjured by severe frost, they 
did not do so well afterwards as I hoped they 
would, but it was an exceptional season, and I 
should try it again but that I have found a higher 
spot for my standard Teas, where, with due protec- 
tion of their heads, they have survived severe frost 
without having to be moved. 
Maréchal Niel is very hable to injury from frost, 
