34 FLOWER GARDENING 
gather up fallen twigs and other refuse; then make 
a pile of the rubbish in a suitable place for the 
first spring bonfire. In your garden wanderings 
look for the green spears of the snowdrops; if 
they show, favor them by pushing aside a bit 
their blanket of dead leaves. 
March is the best time for pruning all of the 
roses but the teas, which can go until April. If 
large blooms are wanted, cut the canes of hybrid 
perpetuals back to within six or eight inches of 
the grounds. Only a few “eyes” are required 
and it is best to let the top one on each cane be 
an outside one in order that the growth may be 
outward and give a spread to the bush. Cut 
off at the base all weak and dead canes; also any 
that come from below the graft. Bushes of such 
old roses as Madame Plantier, Damask and Har- 
ison’s Yellow need have only the dead wood cut out 
unless the branches crowd each other too closely. 
For the climbers the same, but weak side shoots, 
dead cane ends and all wood that has lost its use- 
fulness for blooming ought to be removed. Have 
the wheelbarrow at hand to receive all cuttings 
and dump them at once on the bonfire heap. When 
pruning roses always wear gloves. 
There will also be some pruning of shrubs and 
vines to do in March. The shrub rule is to prune 
in spring only those that bloom late in the season— 
Hydrangea paniculata, for example. Live wood 
taken from the spring-blooming shrubs, such as 
forsythia, weigela and deutzia, only robs the sea- 
