CHAPTER XVI 



HOW AND WHERE TO GROW ROSES 



THE rose is pre-eminently the " sweetest flower that blows," 

 and the first favourite in British gardens. The mere 

 mention of its name conjures up a flood of historical 

 memories that would fill a volume ; it sets the senses all aglow 

 with pleasurable excitement as one contemplates the rose's beauty 

 of form, its delicious scent, and its rich and varied colouring. 

 But one must resist the temptation to dwell on these delightful 

 diversions if this book is to be confined within reasonable limits 

 and to be kept closely to its original purpose, which is to set 

 the beginner in gardening on the right track, and to help him to 

 keep to it. Therefore, without any further preliminaries, let us 

 plunge straightway into the thorny but ever pleasant path that 

 leads to successful rose-culture. 



If it can be said that any particular month marks the beginning 

 of the rose-grower's year, then surely November must be accorded 

 the place of honour. For it is at this period of the year that his 

 new plants arrive from the nurseries, and the time is at hand when 

 the task of planting must be pressed forward vigorously. Let 

 us suppose that there are some of my readers who intend for the 

 first time to secure a small representative collection of roses, and 

 to give them the special treatment and attention which the 

 cultivation of the finest of flowers deserves. What should be 

 their choice among the hundreds of varieties which find a place 

 in every large rose-grower's catalogue ? No two experienced 

 cultivators would make the same selection, but for general practical 

 purposes I submit the following list of a hundred : 



