102 ROSES FOR ENGLISH GARDENS 



in gardens at the present time as dwarf plants. All 

 the weak and moderate - growing varieties must be 

 pruned hard each year, and also all plants, with few 

 exceptions, intended for the production of extra 

 large flowers. But those Roses which have been 

 planted for the decoration of the garden, or for the 

 production of cut flowers, need not be so -severely 

 dealt with, while those planted as Rose bushes will 

 require comparatively light pruning. 



Hybrid Perpetuals. — The first year after planting 

 all the dead, sappy and weakly shoots should be cut 

 clean out, and those remaining left from three to six 

 inches in length, whatever the variety may be. This 

 hard pruning is necessary the first spring, but in the 

 following years it need not be so severe. The dead, 

 sappy, weakly and worn-out shoots should, as before, 

 be cut clean out, also some of the older ones and 

 any others where they are too crowded, more par- 

 ticularly those in the centre of the plant. The object 

 kept in view should be an even distribution of the 

 shoots allowed to remain over the entire plant, except 

 in the centre, which should be kept fairly open to 

 admit light and air. In pruning, the shoots may be 

 left from three inches to one foot in length, according 

 to the condition of the wood, the strength of the 

 plant, and the object for which the blooms are 

 required. Provided that the frosts of the previous 

 winter months will allow, that the plants are suffi- 

 ciently strong, and that the shoots are not permitted 

 to become in any way crowded, the upper shoots 

 may be as much as three feet above the ground. In 



