156 MY GARDEN 



methods have proved satisfactory to my Roses and have 

 been gleaned from the most reliable sources. Every 

 gardener should study his .Roses and know well their 

 ways before he attempts to prune, save in the lightest 

 manner. No exact general directions may be given, 

 but a safe rule is to prune vigorous Roses lightly and 

 weak-growing Roses hard, also to remove all dead wood, 

 or broken twigs, and to cut away all faded blossoms, re- 

 moving at the same time a bit of stem and a leaf or two. 

 We prune first to force sap into the new shoots, thus in- 

 suring a good crop of flowers, and second to maintain 

 a shapely bush. With this latter point in view, it is 

 well to prune to a dormant bud pointing outward, so 

 that the new shoots will not point toward the centre of 

 the bush, making a tangled, unmanageable growth. 



Pruning is best done in early March before the sap 

 begins to run. 



Provence and Moss Roses. Cut out dead wood, thin 

 out old heavy shoots, and cut back all remaining 

 shoots halfway. 



Damask and Oallica. Thin out weak, ineffectual 

 shoots and cut the strong ones back to about one 

 foot. 



Rosa Alba (Maiden's Blush). Should be grown as 

 tall, spreading bushes. Remove some of the weak 

 shoots and occasionally cut out old, crowded wood. 

 Leave the main branches long, shortening only a 

 little. 



