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246 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



June 22, 1905. 



known as "hired man," eight parts hoss 

 and cow man and two parts gardener, 

 there is more harm than good done with 

 the indiscriminate use of the hose. Beds 

 of plants such as cannas and caladiums, 

 the more they are watered the more luxu- 

 riant they grow. Then again there is 

 the universally popular geranium, and 

 the coleus, and the carpet beds. After 

 once covering the ground, so that you 

 can no longer hoe, they seldom need any 

 artificial watering. We never saw ge- 

 ranium beds that equaled in brilliancy 

 those that were never watered after the 

 first sensible watering, when they were 

 put in the ground. Geraniums with the 

 abuse of the hose will grow long, spind- 

 ling, all leaf and poor flower and coleus 

 will run up to straggling shape and lose 

 the bright rich colors. 



Mulching Transplanted Trees. 



I meant further up to speak of the 

 great benefit of mulching young trees re- 

 cently transplanted. Under the most 

 favorable conditions, good roots and" 

 pruned back and properly planted, mulch- 

 ing is not a necessity but how often these 

 conditions do not exist! I have seen 

 many a young tree planted in April come 

 out in leaf and appear to be doing well 

 up to this date; then give up the ghost. 

 The same, and perhaps oftener, occurs 

 with evergreens planted in May. They 

 exist and attempt to make their young, 

 tender growths; then the warm, dry 

 weather sets in and they give up the 

 struggle. Many a young tree, Norway 

 spruce and Austrian pine, we nave seen 

 saved for future life and beauty by fork- 

 ing up the ground for a space round 

 them, putting on a heavy mulch and then 

 a soaking. Now is the time to save them. 



"In conclusion," as our pastors say, 

 if you water, then hoe; if you can't 

 water, then hoe often. And if you can 

 water and mulch afterwards you are 

 doing well. 



In the last issue my pencil must have 

 slipped, for I was made to say that salis- 

 buria grows on the verandas in Buffalo. 

 I meant to say aristolochia. 



William Scott. 



GROWING GARDEN ROSES. 



[A paper by M. H. Walsh, Woods Hole, Mass., 

 read before the Gardeners and Florists' Club of 

 Boston, June 20, 1905.] 



I thank you most heartily for the 

 honor you confer by inviting me to 

 speak a few words to you this evening 

 on "Kose Growing." The subject is 

 one you are all familiar with, being 

 either professional gardeners or florists, 

 or both. The subject will, of course, 

 be old and somewhat dry; so much has 

 been said and written I feel there is 

 nothing new I can speak of, and at 

 most my remarks this evening on rose 

 growing can only recall to your memory 

 what many of you learned in your ap- 

 prenticeship in other lands. 



History of Rose Culture. 



There is no secret in the growing of 

 garden rores. The fundamental prin- 

 ciples of growing roses as taught and 

 practiced forty-five years ago in Eng- 

 land, and that is as far as my memory 

 serves me, hold good today. While we 

 have to modify to some extent, owing 

 to climatic conditions, the salient and 

 most important essentials apply to rose 

 growing in the open ground here. 



Rose Frau Karl Druschki. i 



The question of soils, pruning and 

 all relating to roses at that time was dis- 

 cussed through the Gardeners' Chron- 

 icle and Shirley Hibbard's Floral 

 World. This book I perused with a 

 great deal of pleasure. It was compara- ■ 

 tively a new subject. Some new varie- 

 ties had been originated since 1845, 

 when the old rose, La Beine, was first 

 discovered, and this rose was the first 

 break of the new class of roses called 

 hybrid perpetuals or hybrid remon- 

 tants. This class multiplied very rapid- 

 ly after 1860. While at that date the 

 varieties numbered only about twenty- 

 five or thirty, today they run into the 

 hundreds. Many which were grown at 

 that time are displaced by superior 

 kinds. It is a most encouraging sign 

 to see an increased interest throughout 

 the country. While I cannot expect to 

 tell you anything but what you already 

 know, I may interest you by recalling 

 pleasant recollections relating to roses. 



The Essentials. 



There are several phases and aspects in 

 the successful growing of roses. In or- 

 der to grow fine roses each one must 

 be closely observed. Neglect or failure 

 to carefully attend to the requirements 

 of this flower will manifest itself in the 

 appearance of the plants. They will 

 speak for themselves, as it were, and 

 will make evident to the familiar and 

 keen observer whether they have received 

 the proper treatment, and so forth, for 

 their best growth and development. 



The important essentials are soil, loca- 

 tion, quality of stock, pruning, watering, 

 guarding against insects, fungus and mil- 

 dew; hoeing, etc. All these contribute 

 to the health and vigor of the rose plants. 

 Neglect or failure to attend to them will 

 show to a greater or less degree as they 

 all combine to make the perfect rose. 



Soils. 



That hardy roses will grow in ordinary 

 garden soil cannot be questioned, provid- 

 ing drainage, location and so forth are 

 right. The quality of the flowers, how- 

 ever, will be just in proportion to the 

 culture they receive. 



Hybrid perpetual roses delight to 

 grow and thrive best in a stiff loam. A 

 little clay mixed in the soil is beneficial: 

 this retains moisture and keeps the soil 

 cool. Good drainage is an importanr 

 factor, as roses will not thrive satisfac- 

 torily in cold, stagnant soil; thereforo 

 drainage should be provided if the sub- 

 soil is not porous to leach away surplus 

 water. It is not during the growing sea- 

 son, however, with our usually hot, dry 

 summers that improper drainage affects 

 the health of the plants, but in the early 

 spring, when growth should take place; 

 the plants will show the effects, havicET 

 winter-killed badly and are loath to 

 start. This is caused by cold, wet groun'l. 

 Probably the roots were encased in it<? 



