ROSE GARDENS 101 



or races of roses. We shall have bedding roses in every colour, that 

 will bloom from June to frost, thus giving us the longest season of 

 bloom for the money. The first of these is Baby Rambler. We 

 shall have climbing roses in every colour, that will sacrifice indi- 

 vidual size of blossom to such an extraordinary mass display as the 

 large roses can never hope to give. The first of these is Crim- 

 son Rambler. So I would urge every amateur who wishes to 

 prove his devotion to the rose to raise new varieties by hybridiz- 

 ing in order to hasten the day when American roadsides, shrub- 

 beries, and gardens will be abloom with roses. For every one who 

 has a yard and the love of roses in his heart can help. It takes 

 three years for seedlings to develop their true character, but what 

 of that? Three years pass quickly if one has a garden, and after 

 that there is something new every year. And there are no mys- 

 teries about it. The elements of the problem have been outlined 

 above. Bailey's "Principles of Plant Breeding" will put you on 

 the track for everything else. Our prairie rose (R. setigera) will 

 also help us in this great work of creating an American type of 

 climbing rose and an American type of bedding rose. 



But there is a longer and even more important task before 

 American hybridizers, for the culture of large double roses is in a 

 most unsatisfactory condition. It always will be while they have 

 to be grafted or budded on a foreign stock, for the stock is always 

 stronger growing and sends up suckers that kill the choice varieties. 

 Of course, the skilled amateur can always prevent this by watching 

 daily for suckers and removing them before damage is done, but 

 the beginner does not know about this, and we want roses for the 

 million. The ultimate ideal is to have every rose grown on its own 

 roots, in order to do away with the sucker nuisance. And hy- 

 bridizers must make thousands of combinations between rugosa 



