THE WIGHURAIANA ROSES 9 



to emphasise the value of the leaves, for those of 

 many wichuraiana roses persist almost throughout 

 the winter? 



Having roused in the tyro's niind visions of the 

 most exquisite rose beauty, I have to dash his hopes 

 to the ground — for one season only. I ask the beginner, 

 for the sake of his future peace of mind and the pros- 

 pects of his garden of roses, to cut down, to within six 

 inches of the ground, all the stems of every wichuraiana 

 (or other climbing rose) the third week in March follow- 

 ing planting. " Hope deferred maketh the heart sick " 

 is a very old proverb, and, like most others that have 

 weathered the years, a very true one. It applies with 

 especial appropriateness to the amateur gardener, who, 

 like amateurs of aU other crafts, is inipatient and anxious 

 for results. It is very tactless to advise him that next 

 year will see the full fruition of his schemes of planning 

 and planting. " Always am I looking forward to next 

 year when this shall be well rooted, that well grown, or 

 something else established," he exclaims, with the 

 despair of the neophyte who knows not how to wait ; 

 if he disbelieves that Rome was built in a day, at least, 

 he thinks that a garden will bud and blossom in perfect 

 beauty after the first summer shower. After this moral- 

 ising expression of S5mttpathy, I still tell him to cut off 

 not only the heads, but the legs also of the (possibly) 

 sturdy, healthy shoots, that seemingly need only to 

 be left alone for the buds to grow to leaf, and leaf make 

 nest for blossom ! " Well ! well ! " you exclaim, and 

 I admit it all sounds very sad. Nevertheless, I insist 



