00 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE chap. 



slightly checked, and the benefit gained is very 

 slight, if the plants are to be severely pruned. 



We may commence with Eoses trained on sunny 

 walls about the middle of February, and in this case, 

 whether nailed or tied to wires, the operation will be 

 very similar to the pruning and laying in of a peach- 

 tree. Begin by taking out all dead and weakly 

 wood ; then consider which shoots are required for 

 laying in, giving preference to the ripest rather than 

 the fattest, and steadfastly resisting the temptation 

 to train them too close together ; of the remainder 

 for which there is no room on the wall, the gross 

 shoots should be clean cut out and the medium- 

 sized ones thinned if necessary and moderately 

 spurred back. 



A rule for all climbing Eoses, but especially for 

 Marechal Niel, the Noisettes, and the Dijon race, is 

 that long strong shoots of the year should not be 

 cut back much, but either laid in at least three parts 

 of their length or removed altogether. Unless 

 additional height is wanted, such shoots should not 

 be trained upright, as that is likely to lead to more 

 wood and less bloom. The Banksian Eoses need 

 special treatment, for the flowers will not proceed 

 from the strong shoots of the year, but from the 

 laterals or side growths. There must accordingly 

 not be any pruning, but merely a thinning out of 

 dead wood and a slight shortening of long strong 

 shoots ; the weakly-looking twigs alone will blossom. 

 Tea Eoses, not of the climbing races, which are 

 grown on low walls may be pruned more severely if 

 quality rather than quantity of bloom be desired. 



March is the month for pruning all Eoses in the 

 open except Teas and Noisettes ; and I think an 



