H2 JOTTINGS OF A GENTLEMAN GARDENER 



and not in April, as is so often done by amateurs. Holes are 

 dug, and the roots of the roses carefully spread out. They 

 are then covered with soil and made very firm by treading. 

 They should be at least 2 ft. apart each way and preferably 

 3-3* ft. 



In the spring they should be mulched with short manure, 

 and in the following autumn should have 4 ozs. of basic slag 

 per square yard forked in. The following spring some short 

 manure should be forked in round their roots, and they can 

 again be slightly mulched. If this is done, they need not 

 be disturbed for many years. 



The pruning of dwarf roses requires care and trouble. 

 We prune all our roses, except climbers, hard in the spring, 

 late March or early April, cutting out a large quantity of 

 the new wood produced during the previous summer. 

 Some people prune weak growers slightly, and strong 

 growers very hard indeed, and they get good results. 

 Generally speaking, all dwarf roses do better with hard 

 pruning, but any study given to individual plants during 

 the summer months will be well repaid if the information 

 gained is used at pruning time. 



All suckers from both climbers and dwarfs should be 

 removed at once. A " sucker " is a shoot appearing from 

 below the graft, or below the ground. Suckers weaken the 

 plants very considerably. 



Roses on their own Roots : It will be well to explain 

 what is meant by roses on their own roots. Most of the 

 roses we plant are grafted on a stock, generally briar ; 

 but many do tolerably well if grown without being grafted, 

 namely on roots formed from their own growth. Quite 

 good plants are possible, especially climbers, if grown from 

 cuttings. 



There are many ingenious ways of striking rose cuttings 

 quickly. The best seems to be that of putting short 

 growths cut below a joint and 6-12 ins. long, into a large 

 glass jar of water. The jar is placed in a very sunny 

 window, and turned round each morning. The water must 

 be changed every day, or it will go bad. After some weeks 



