CHAPTER XII 



FOURTH WEEK IN MARCH 



IN the conservatory the pot roses are in blossom, and the 

 climbing roses under the roof are very beautiful. They 

 are kept quite free from blights by constantly syringing 

 the young growths, but this must now cease for a while, as 

 moisture quickly injures their delicate petals, and vaporising 

 must be resorted to (should green fly make its appearance) 

 until the blossoms are over, when syringing (always using 

 tepid or lukewarm water) can again be safely carried out. 



The principal pruning of climbing roses should be done as 

 soon as the blossoms are over, cutting away each year some 

 of the older wood and training the young growths in its 

 place. 



Marechal Niel, Reine Marie Henriette, and a few other 

 fine roses require severe pruning. The shoots which have 

 borne flowers should be shortened (as soon as the blooms are 

 over) to half their length, soon after which new growths will 

 start from the base of the plant, when the older wood should 

 be entirely cut away, leaving only the strong shoots starting 

 from just above the collar, i.e., the point where roots and 

 stem meet. These strong growths should be carefully and 

 separately trained under the glass (and at about i foot from 

 it) in a horizontal position, when the result will be a mass 

 of fine roses the next season. Old wood, when allowed to 

 remain, only weakens the plant, and as this rose often makes 

 shoots many feet in length, it is a mistake to fail to cut back 

 the old wood yearly. 



The roses in the borders (dwarf varieties) should be pruned 

 during the last week of March or the first in April, accord- 



107 



