The Canadian Horticulturist. 445 



WINTER PROTECTION OF ROSES. 



Our object in covering roses during winter is principally to prevent a too 

 rapid thawing of the frozen buds and wood ; i6' to 20° of frost will not injure 

 the H. P. roses during their winter resting period. It is the action of the sun's 

 heat upon the frozen wood nd buds which does the injury, so that whatever 

 method we adopt for covering our roses in winter, it should be such as will 

 prevent severe freezing of the wood and buds, and, if frozen, to prevent rapid 

 thawing. 



During the winter, while going through the garden of a neighbor who has a 

 few hundred roses, I noticed he had carefully wrapped or thatched each rose 

 bush with straw. The method has a neat appearance, and certainly answers 

 the purpose well, for his roses now (May 10) are in excellent condition. This 

 method of vdnter protection, however, occupies more time than rose growers 

 on a more extensive scale would care to give to the work, nor is it at all neces- 

 sar)-, for equally good, or better, results are obtained by more simple methods, 

 the work at the same time being done much more rapidly. 



The method we adopt here at Widenethe is the same as practiced by Mr. 

 Henr)' W. Sargent nearly half a century ago, and satisfactory results are always 

 obtained, 



Protective Methods. — About November 20, or before the ground is 

 frozen, the rose growths are shortened, leaving about 18 inches of the current 

 season's growth. Soil is then thrown up around each plant, the mound being 

 made sufficiently high to cover at least six to eight inches of the current season's 

 wood. Our roses being planted from 3^4 to 4 feet apart, there is no difficulty 

 in obtaining sufficient soil for this purpose. 



The close pruning, too, which is practised here, facilitaties this method of win- 

 ter protection. After the roses are earthed up, the rose beds are given a good 

 mulching of half rotted cow manure ; this serves the double purpose of protect- 

 ing the roots, which, after the removal of so much soil, will be near the surface, 

 and also by being dissolved by the thawed snow, supplies the necessary food in 

 an available form for the plants to take up when they commence to grow in the 

 early spring. 



This method of wintering roses should recommend itself to all gardeners in 

 private gardens, there being no straw or leaves to litter the lawn. It is easily 

 and quickly done, and there is nothing to displease the eye or make the garden 

 unsightly. 



The same cannot be said for the heaps of leaves and brush one can so often 

 see used for covering rose beds. 



Hybrid Perpetuals. — In wintering the Hybrid Perpetual roses, it is quite 

 unnecessary to go to the trouble of pegging down the shoots and then covering 

 with a foot of leaves. The earthing up method will be found equally satislactory 



