PRUNING ROSES. 63 



French, moss, alba, Provence, damask, and Austrian 

 roses require close pruning ; that is, the wood of the 

 year before is cut back to within an inch or two of the 

 two years old wood, leaving on these shoots only two or 

 three eyes, which will throw out as many shoots, with 

 bloom. To make the plant conical, prune the centre 

 shoots closer than the outer and lower ones ; they will 

 then grow in advance of the sides, and thus make the 

 plant pyramidal in shape. The vigorous growers may 

 have more moderate pruning : for the strong shoots six 

 inches, the weaker ones four. 



Hybrid China and hybrid Bourbons require care in 

 pruning, as with them pruning their long /ampant 

 shoots may spoil the flowering. These rampant growers 

 may be thinned out ; the strong shoots should be left 

 two feet or more in length, and the weaker one foot or 

 eighteen inches. With some kinds it is necessary to 

 leave the strong shoots their full length, while with 

 those of moderate growth the sprays may be about six 

 inches or a foot. These vigorous growers will often 

 decline after a few years ; when they do so it will be 

 advisable to prune closer. It may be well even to 

 prune quite close, and force the tree to make new wood 

 and a better form. In a healthy tree cut back, new 

 eyes will form, even in quite old wood. 

 " Austrian briars require different pruning from any 

 other roses. The Harrisonii must only be thinned out, 

 and their sprays just tipped. The Persian yellow must 

 be pruned in quite close every alternate year, to keep 

 it from exhausting itself. 



Hybrid perpetuals, damask perpetuals, perpetual moss 

 and Bourbon roses should be pruned some time in 

 March. These roses are very numerous, and present 

 wide differences in habit. Those of a dwarf and mode- 

 rate growth may be pruned down to two or three eyes, 

 and all weak and crowded shoots removed. Those of 

 more robust growth may be thinned out the same : the 

 strong shoots may be cut to six or eight inches long, 

 and the smaller ones to four or five. 



The tea-scented, Noisette, and China roses may be 



