6o HOW^ TO GROW ROSES 



Do not attempt any planting operations with the ground frozen 

 or the thermometer below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Roses from 

 pots, when shipped with soil on the roots, may be planted as 

 late as you hke, even during the summer. In this, as in others 

 of hfe's enterprises, they who are forehanded usually reap the 

 richest harvest of bloom. 



Treatment on Arrival. — Think of your roses as hving crea- 

 tures, even though they be asleep (dormant) when you first get 

 them. Unwrap them with the greatest care, never expose the 

 roots to the drying action of the spring winds for a moment. 

 A plant with bare roots exposed to the dry air is hke a fish 

 out of water. Untie the bundles so as not to break, bark, or 

 bruise either root or branch. Should the plants, through delay 

 in transit, come dried out, as occasionally happens, soak the balls 

 of earth and roots in water; if the stems also have dried out, 

 bury the whole plant in damp earth for three or four days till 

 the shriveled branches regain their natural plumpness. If you 

 cannot plant the roses when they arrive, "heel them in" in the 

 garden until you are ready to plant them. This is done by dig- 

 ging a trench deep enough thoroughly to cover all roots and 

 even lower branches of each bundle of roses. Then spread 

 out and cover the roots with plenty of soil which should be 

 packed, even tramped, so as to leave no air-pockets about 

 the roots. 



A lovely spot in the famous Roseraie de I'Hay near Paris 



