:7o 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



FloraJ Ekiitlon. 





1 ;^ 



I'eifi'ction climbing: rose. 19 feet iiigh. (Photo 

 by J. M. Hull, Hamilton, Ont.) 



acoouiiuodate the roots when fully- 

 spread ouit and extended. The plant 

 should be s«t in the center of the hole, 

 and its roots should radiate toward the 

 cipcurnfeTCiiee, Ike the spokes of a 

 wheel from the hub, which in this case 

 is the stem. The roots sihould not be 

 bunched or crowded in any way. Care- 

 less and igniorant methods of planting 

 are responsible for many failures. With 

 the hand fine soil should now be scat- 

 tered between and above the roots, and 

 the root fibres be straightened or rais- 

 ed, as necessary. If the plant is moved 

 upward and downward gently the soil 

 particles will sift between and settle 

 firmly around the roots. When these 

 are substantially covered the rem'ain- 

 ing soil may be filled in with the spade. 

 The surface should then be tramped. 

 After planting, a thorough watering 

 should be given. At this time it is 

 proper to shorten any growth that is 

 longer than two feet to this length. 



The depth to plant roses is about one 

 inch deeper than the old soil mark on 

 their stems. This mark is easy to de- 

 tect, as usually the portion below the 

 soil is a yellowish brown, while the 

 aerial portdons are green. If the plants 

 bear the swollen portion characteristic 

 of budded roses, plant them an inch 

 deeper than the "graft." 



Roses s'hould never be left exposed 

 to sun or wind. Should any drying of 

 the roots be apparent, they should be 

 immersed in water for a time before 

 planting. If received in a dried out 

 condition from the grower or agent, 

 the green aerial growth should be 

 carefully examined. If this shows 

 marked signs of bark wrinkling or cor- 

 rugation cut one or two of the most 

 prominent stems. Should a brown ring 

 be apparent just under the bark, it is 

 a bad sign and indicates decay of the 

 cambium or bark forming layer. 



AccoiHling to theiir vigor roses are 

 planted at greater or le.ss distance 

 apart. The weaker growing and less 

 vigorous hybrid teas may be planted 

 two feet apart. The strong growing 

 hybrid perpetuals three feet. If, how- 

 < vcr, that excellent method of culture, 

 namely, the bending down of the steins 

 .iiid securing them to stakes, is to be 

 j)ractised, four feet apart for hybrid 

 perpetuals is not too much. This 

 .method cannot be put into practice 

 until the second year after planting. 



The beds of fall planted roses must 

 be protected during winter. A cover- 

 ing of s'traw, strawy litter from the 

 stables, half decayed leaves, or even 

 hay, may be used. A heavy dressing 

 of rotted stable manure should not be 

 given the first year. The stems of the 

 plants should also be protected. Stra\v 

 or hay tied around or piled loosely 

 over these will suffice. The protective 

 covering should not be so heavy as to 

 entirely prevent the access of air to 

 root or branch (rotted manure does 

 not favor access of air to the roots). 

 A mulch is given to protect, not to 

 smother, and its purpose briefly is to 

 act as a non-conductor or insulating 

 agent. Between the straws or fibres of 

 the mulch a more or less neutral film 

 or cushion of air is always present. A 

 mulch acts like a thermos bottle. Sud- 

 den changes in extremes of heat and 

 cold are in degree absorbed by this 

 film. In winter the cold air does not 

 get in rapidly. The relatively warmer 

 air does get out readily. In spring 

 this condition is reversed, therefore the 

 mulch must be removed as early as 



possible consistent with safety. Fro.s! 

 will thus more quickly leave the 

 ground, and favor normal growth. 



Objection has been taken to the use 

 of straw as a protective muldi on the 

 ground that it harbors mice. If, after 

 the first lasting snow, precaution is 

 taken to lightly tramp the mulch ac- 

 cess of mice will be prevented, as they 

 cannot bui-row or even live in it after 

 it is hardened by frost. 



During fall, stable manure may be 

 forked into all well established beds of 

 roses if a fertilizer is necessary. A 

 sprinkling of bone meal will also be ol 

 great value, being of slow decomposi- 

 tion a fall application is to be preferred 

 to one in spring. These fertilizers may 

 be worked into the soil during Sep- 

 tember, October, or November. Mulches 

 for protection, however, should not be 

 given to any roses whether newly 

 pilanted or well estaiblished until frost 

 has lightly but permanently encrusted 

 the ground. When the surface of the 

 latter is in a frozen condition, mice 

 cannot burrow into it. So with a 

 frozen soil and frozen mulch they can- 

 not do much, if any, injury to the 

 roses. 



Sometimes it is necessary to proteer 

 the stem of climbing i-oses. These may 

 be taken from their supports, and be 

 laid in a bed of clean straw and lightly 

 eovered with same. They may also be 

 protected by covering them with two 

 thicknesses ' of burlap on ' their sup- 

 ports. Burlap lightly wound and tied 

 around hybrid perpetuals and hj-brid 

 teas is also a good protection wherever 

 possible to obtain it. 



Making the Garden Live Longer 



Geo. Baldwin, F.R.H.S. 



OF all the months in the year 

 November is the one in which 

 fresh vegetables and flowers 

 are most acceptable. Provided proper 

 care and attention has been given, 

 there is no reason why fresh vegetaibles 

 this year in November cannot be had. 

 Too many would-be gardeners sit 

 down as soon as the first frost comes 

 along, instead of having protection 

 material on hand. They thus lose three 

 or four Aveeks of good growing weath- 

 er. We must not be content to watch 

 plants and vegetables, on which we 

 have spent a lot of time during the 

 summer, get nipped. We must be 

 alert. We know pretty well when to 

 expect a frost from the weather fore- 

 easts in our local papers. Be prepar- 

 ed with burlap, old clothes, straw or 

 papers and use as frost shields to keep 

 the garden fresh through October and 

 most of November. 



"Gain time," should be a slogan of 



the amateur gardener. This can be 

 done with just a little forethought and 

 energy. Don't forget that after No- 

 vember 1st bulbs begin to deteriorate, 

 so that not a day shoiild be lost in 

 planting bulbs which were not planted 

 last month for outside growth. Re- 

 member that the longer time plants 

 have for rooting, the better the flow- 

 ers. This also applies to bulbs indoors 

 for Christmas blooming. If you have 

 some trees under which no grass Avill 

 grow, plant a lot of crocuses, daffodils, 

 snow-drops and sciUas. They will stay 

 there for years and multiply. This is 

 also the time to plant lily bulbs — do. 

 not wait until spring. 



If you want to force asparagus ant 

 rhubard for Christmas, get busy anc 

 maxe a bed in the cellar. Roots es-i 

 pecially for this purpose can be ob- 

 tained from the seedsmen. If you arel 

 eager to get the earliest of sweet peas,J 

 prepare a place for them now. 



