114 ROSES FOR ENGLISH GARDENS 



therefore peculiarly susceptible to all kinds of un- 

 favourable weather influences. 



Frosts. — These may be divided into two classes — 

 the winter frosts and the spring frosts. Against the 

 former the protection provided cannot well be too 

 complete, whereas very moderate means will mostly 

 be sufficient to ward off injuries from spring frosts ; 

 and yet against the ill effects of these spring frosts 

 there is practically no remedy, unless it be syringeing 

 or spraying the frosted foliage with water very early 

 in the morning in order to thaw it before sunrise. 

 For at that season it is not so much the damage done 

 by the frost itself that has to be guarded against as the 

 sudden thawing of the frozen leaves by the sun shining 

 on them. Of course the reason why spring frosts are 

 so difficult to deal with as compared with winter frosts 

 is that in the one case the plants are clothed with 

 delicate young foliage, whereas in the winter it is only 

 necessary to protect the lower portion of the leafless 

 shoots. 



Early in December all the dwarf or bush Roses, 

 whether Hybrid Perpetuals, Hybrid Teas, Teas or 

 Noisettes, &c., should have the surrounding soil in 

 the beds drawn over the centre or crown of the 

 plants to the height of several inches. In other 

 words, they should be earthed up like potatoes. 

 This earthing up is generally confined to the Teas, 

 but no amateur will regret having given his other 

 dwarf Roses this extra attention should the winter 

 prove unusually severe, for there are comparatively 

 few varieties which will be found at pruning time 



