34 FLOWER GARDENING 



gather up fallen twigs and other refuse ; then make 

 a pile of the rubbish in a suitable place for the 

 first spring bonfire. In your garden wanderings 

 look for the green spears of the snowdrops; if 

 they show, favor them by pushing aside a bit 

 their blanket of dead leaves. 



March is the best time for pruning all of the 

 roses but the teas, which can go until April. If 

 large blooms are wanted, cut the canes of hybrid 

 perpetuals back to within six or eight inches of 

 the grounds. Only a few "eyes" are required 

 and it is best to let the top one on each cane be 

 an outside one in order that the growth may be 

 outward and give a spread to the bush. Cut 

 off at the base all weak and dead canes; also any 

 that come from below the graft. Bushes of such 

 old roses as Madame Plantier, Damask and Har- 

 ison's Yellow need have only the dead wood cut out 

 unless the branches crowd each other too closely. 

 For the climbers the same, but weak side shoots, 

 dead cane ends and all wood that has lost its use- 

 fulness for blooming ought to be removed. Have 

 the wheelbarrow at hand to receive all cuttings 

 and dump them at once on the bonfire heap. When 

 pruning roses always wear gloves. 



There will also be some pruning of shrubs and 

 vines to do in March. The shrub rule is to prune 

 in spring only those that bloom late in the season 

 Hydrangea paniculata, for example. Live wood 

 taken from the spring-blooming shrubs, such as 

 forsythia, weigela and deutzia, only robs the sea- 



