CHAPTER IV 
Roses—Carnations—Pinks—Violets. 
Everywhere are Roses, Roses, 
Here a-blow and there a-bud, — 
Here in pairs and there in posies. 
Sucu is the poet’s dream of a garden of Roses, and such indeed 
is the ideal at which to aim. A Rose garden should be full of 
Roses, redolent with fragrance and overflowing with fairest blossom. 
And there is no good reason why the little Rose garden should not 
be as beautiful as the larger one if it is well conceived and care- 
fully planted. One has first to realise that the most enchanting 
Rose garden hides a prosaic explanation beneath its galaxy of 
beauty. First, and most important of all the commonplace details, 
is the thorough preparation of the soil (by trenching if the garden 
is either neglected or new) by digging. [ write from experience 
in my own garden when I advise readers not to use any manure 
if the garden is new, that is to say, has not been cultivated 
previously, and the soil is good. The Rose delights in nothing 
more than ina “good holding loam,” to use a common gardening 
expression, or, to put it more plainly, a soil that is of yellowish 
brown colouring, of good depth, and containing a fair quantity of 
clayey soil. Roses are never so satisfactory on light, gravelly, 
“hungry” soil, and a heavy, clayey soil needs ‘“ working” well for 
several years before the Rose grower can get full satisfaction from 
it. If, then, you possess a new garden with a really good soil, 
heavy rather than light, do not attempt to improve it by adding 
manure. This is not needed, so nothing further can be said for it. 
Preparing for planting.—If the ground is trenched as explained 
in a previous chapter the Roses will grow with astonishing vigour, 
and, moreover, the shoots will be far healthier and less liable to 
disease and damage by frost (since they will mature well) than those 
of Roses grown in heavily manured soil. At the end of three or 
four years the bush Roses (climbing Roses should not be disturbed) 
will probably benefit by being taken up and replanted. Manure may 
then be added to the soil. If, however, one’s garden ground is not 
good, then steps must be taken to improve it before the Roses are 
put in. One of the chief methods of doing this is to dig it in 
suitable weather. If [ were taking over a new garden in September I 
would dig the Rose beds thoroughly several times, and put in the 
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