THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



Feb. which have been introduced during the past few years, 

 I~I4 there is no improved Mar^chal Niel ; it still stands 

 alone ; and this being so, there certainly ought not to 

 be any fear of its dropping out of the ranks. It is 

 really more suited for a cool conservatory than a heated 

 greenhouse, as winter warmth pushes it into growth 

 too soon ; and this is a point which its lovers should 

 bear in mind. It ought to 

 be dormant till March, then it 

 will bloom in April and May. 

 During those months a really 

 strong plant may give two or 

 three hundred flowers, as it 

 not only bears abundantly but 

 continuously. A deep root 

 run of turfy loam favours 

 strong growth. The cutting 

 back of long canes to the stock 

 after flowering is good, and it 

 is a pity that growers of the 

 Mardchal do not take their 

 courage in one hand, and a 

 sharp knife in the other, and 

 hack the plant right back 

 directly it goes out of flower. 

 It is pure butchery, of course. There is no nicely balanced 

 skill or delicate craftsmanship about it. Any pig-sticker 

 could make a neat job of it. And put in this brutally 

 plain way, the operation really does seem disagreeable. 

 You prune, so to say, by the lineal rod. You bare whole 

 yards of roof. You litter the place with a distressing 

 tangle of stems and leaves. When you have done, you 

 feel as guilty as if you had poked your walking-stick 

 through a picture (more than once I have dreamed that 

 76 



-Pruning Marshal 

 Niel Rose. 



a. Old branch to be cut out after 



flowering. 



b. The unripe tips of young 



branches to be cut off in 

 Spring. 



