Gardening for Amateurs 



269 



Sidelights on Rose Success 



STRIKING Rose Cuttings in Water. 

 The number of plants that can be 

 rooted from cuttings in water is much 

 larger than is generally credited. Amongst 

 them are Roses, although they are seldom 

 increased thus. As a novelty the work 

 lias its interesting features. Striking cut- 

 tings of this kind in bottles of soft water 

 is as simple as it is practicable, inasmuch 

 as cuttings taken off at any time during 

 the summer will root in this way in 

 from five to six weeks. Afterwards they 

 should be potted carefully in light, sandy 

 soil, and placed in a cold frame for a 

 week or so until established, when they 

 are ready for planting where wanted. The 

 cuttings should be cut clean below an eye 

 or joint, and none of the bark bruised. It is 

 a help to make one or two other cuts between 

 tin- lower lml<. but low enough to be under 

 water. The bottles may be of any con- 

 venient size, and placed in the greenhouse or 

 room \\indo\\. as the only attention they re- 

 quire is to be filled with fresh supplies as the 

 water evaporates. Another plan, after root- 

 ing, is to fill up the bottle with a compost of 

 light soil, and then pour off as much as 

 possible of the \\ater. When the soil is 

 fairly dry the bottles can be broken, and the 

 young plants potted on. 



Shortening Vigorous Rose Growths. 



Many varieties of Ho<es make vigorous 

 growtli which has to be secured to stakes 

 during late Dimmer-. If the appearance of 

 mimcr<>ii- .tick* about the garden is objected 

 to during the winter many can be dispensed 

 with by shortening by about one-third the 

 shoots of those varieties that will have to be 

 cut hard back in the spring. This shortening 

 should also be carried out where vigorous 

 plants have to l>e transplanted. 



Roses Arriving During Bad Weather. 



It is often impo->il>le to t'ct Hoses planted 

 immediately they arrive because of unsuit- 

 able conditions of soil and weather, but by 

 "heeling" tin m in it is quite possible to 

 await the arrival of a suitable period with 

 equanimity. This is accomplished by un- 

 doing the bundle, and after preparing a 



suitable trench, placing each Rose separately 

 in the trench with the roots spread out. 

 See that all the roots are covered with soil, 

 and make this quite firm, and no harm will 

 result even if the plants have to remain there 

 for weeks. 



Why Roses have Green Centres.-- 

 Many Rose buds are spoilt each season by the 

 presence of a green growth in their centre, 

 the experience of which is very perplexing. 

 Rosarians are well aware there are some few- 

 varieties addicted to the habit, and of them 

 one can rarely obtain a perfect bloom. Such 

 is the old Rose Annie Wood. Even if one 

 disbuds this Rose, retaining what look like 

 perfect buds, nine out of every ten will show 

 the green centre. Madame Isaac Pereire and 

 its seedling Mrs. Paul are very much troubled 

 this way, and one can rarely have a bloom of 

 Philadelphia Rambler out-of-doors without it, 

 although under glass the green centre seldom 

 appears. Tin's leads one to the conclusion 

 that much of the trouble is climatic. We have 

 had plants of Madame Isaac Pereire which 

 have been practically unpruned, and whose 

 first crop of buds were nearly all spoilt by 

 this green centre ; yet standards that have 

 been pruned hard have not shown much of it. 

 In many instances I believe the fault is 

 hereditary, but the cold nights of spring, with 

 accompanying frost, will engender it upon 

 some varieties. Plants on which it has 

 occurred should be noted, and pruned more 

 severely next spring. The best remedy is to 

 cut away all the imperfect buds, trusting to 

 the second crop to come all right, which they 

 usually do. 



Rose Ze"phirine Drouhin. Commonly 

 known as the Thornless Ho>e. /ephirine 

 Drouhin is a splendid variety for garden 

 decoration. Catalogued as a Bourbon Rone, 

 it is very strong in growth, but free 

 floueriiig. I have seen it grown as a dwarf 

 pillar trained round stakes, as a hedge, and 

 as a bush in a Rose border, and it would l>e 

 difficult to say in which manner it nourished 

 best. The colour is a bright rose-pink, and 

 the blooms are fragrant. During late summer 

 strong growth is made, which needs support. 



