ROSES FOR ARCHES AND PILLARS 85 



in full bloom, is a fascinating sight, and one to which 

 even the beginner may look with every hope of success, 

 if, in addition to careful initial planting, he will choose 

 the proper sorts. There are two distinct classes from 

 which to make a choice — those that give of their best 

 in one glorious show at midsummer, and others, that 

 flower more or less throughout the season. Tausendschon is 

 one of the loveliest of those belonging to the first-named 

 group, while Trier is a worthy representative of the 

 others. The remarks on pruning and tending in the 

 chapter on " Roses for Walls " apply to some extent to 

 pillar roses, for they are liable to get bare at the base, 

 a state of things that, if allowed, detracts from their 

 charm. Hard pruning the first spring after planting will 

 ensure vigorous growth from the base for a year or two, 

 but then the trouble begins, and one is faced with the 

 problem of keeping the roses in perpetual youth, as 

 evidenced by leafy, flower-laden shoots from tip to base. 

 Something may be done to ensure this if the stems, at 

 pruning time in March, are trained round the pole or 

 pillar, serpentine fashion. If allowed to remain perfectly 

 upright, the stems of most varieties will start into growth 

 at the top only, but the act of bending them, as described, 

 forces all the buds to develop. This,- in association with 

 the practice of cutting down one of the oldest stems 

 in March, will, as a rule, keep pillar roses healthful and 

 attractive, if, in addition, they are well maniured. Prob- 

 ably half the unsightly pillar roses ofae sees are starved ; 

 it is astonishing how greatly improved they are by 

 weekly applications of liquid manure made by soaking 



