ROSE TIME 



exposure to strong wind, will give the grower a ready 

 guide to their requirements. Dwarf, bushy, compact 

 plants like Paeonies will not need stakes, but tall colum- 

 nar growers, such as Michaelmas Daisies, will certainly 

 call for support. It is frequently better to fix three 

 stakes to one plant, and loop string round them, thus 

 enclosing the growths, than to use one stake and tie the 

 plant tightly round the middle. A little extra expenditure 

 in stakes is fully compensated for by the more graceful 

 and natural appearance of the plants. Herbaceous 

 plants that are growing in poor, shallow soil will be 

 greatly benefited by soakings of water and liquid 

 manure. One sometimes sees plants doing badly when 

 the soil is apparently moist and fertile. Before the 

 amateur seeks for some secret cause, let him note if there 

 are large trees, such as Elms, or a 

 large hedge, such as Laurels, near. 

 If so, he may safely assume that 

 the roots have got into the her- 

 baceous border, and are making 

 the most of the good things which 

 he has put there. The more freely 

 he manures, the more eagerly the 

 roots will come. One way of 

 coping with a difficulty of this 

 kind is to cut a trench between 

 the border and the hedge or trees, 

 and sever any roots which are 

 found. ^i*^' 44.— Disbudding Roses. 



Insuring fine Roses.— W\'&). the «• ^rSined''^"^'^' ^"*^ '° ^ 

 Rose season close upon us, we can 

 do a great deal to insure fine flowers 

 by thinning the buds and feeding the plants with liquid 

 manure. The flower buds generally come in clusters, 

 963 



June 

 16-30 



Small side buds to be re- 

 moved at the dark lines. 



