14 GARDENING DIFFICULTIES SOLVED 



be much exposed to west winds, you would prefer a hedge growing 

 to about 5 feet high. This could be secured with Rosa rugosa, the 

 red and white forms, and also mingled with them Blanc double de 

 Courbet and Mrs. A. Waterer. The common Sweet Briar is deli- 

 ciously fragrant, but you obtain little or no blossom. A Rose that 

 makes a really beautiful and continuous flowering hedge is Gruss an 

 Teplitz, a rich scarlet crimson sort and very sweet. If you cared to 

 do so, you could blend a white Rose with it, e.g. Madame Alfred 

 Carriere. The two are very free and continuous in their blossoming. 

 Plant from 2 to 3 feet apart. In March cut the plants back to about 

 3 feet from the ground. If not so tall as this, do not prune at all. 

 The second year cut down to ground one or more of the oldest 

 growths, and repeat this every spring ; then you ensure a good base. 

 Just a trim over will suffice for the other growths. Be careful to 

 plant in well trenched soil in November. 



Preparing Briar Stocks 



Q. What will be the best mode of procedure in order to have a 

 stock of rooted Briars for budding Roses on in summer Tea 

 Roses to be grown in pots 1 Residing in a rural district, I have 

 access to plenty of wild Briars to obtain cuttings. How shall I take 

 them, and how must they be treated ? E. A. W., Somerset. 



A. Strong cuttings of the common Briar may be taken any time 

 during September and October. Have them 9 inches long, and 

 select only strong, well ripened wood ; cut close to a joint at the 

 bottom, and remove all the buds except three at the top. Plant in 

 rows 2 feet apart and 6 inches apart in the rows, burying the cuttings 

 half their length or more in the ground, and press the soil very firmly 

 about them. A mulch of leaf mould or old manure between the 

 rows will be useful. They will hardly be strong enough for budding 

 the next summer, unless strong cuttings are taken and they are watered 

 in dry weather. The usual plan is to leave the cuttings one year to 

 get well rooted. Transplant at wider intervals in autumn, and bud 

 the next summer. There is not much gained by budding before the 

 stocks are well rooted and strong. 



Selection of Standard Roses 



Q. Will you give a selection of eight Roses for standards, two 

 pink, two red, two white, one yellow, and one other ? Wanted for 

 garden decoration, good form, and sweet scented. Have already got 

 The Bride, Joseph Hill, Madame Abel Chatenay, Hugh Dickson, 



