LIST OF FLOWERS 



remains to be said. Yet a few simple hints on general treatment 

 may not be altogether amiss. 



One point worth mentioning is that the garden as a whole, and 

 not merely a rectangular plot in it, should be beautified by this 

 Queen of Flowers. The vast strides which have been made in recent 

 years in the culture of the Rose have rendered it more fitted thah 

 ever to take a place in the " decorative " effect of the garden; its 

 time of blooming is not, as formerly, confined to a few weeks' dura- 

 tion, but by a judicious selection of Monthly Roses, Tea Roses, 

 Hybrid Perpetuals and Climbers we may now have the Rose in 

 flower from early summer to late autumn. 



Nor are Roses so imperious in the matter of soU as to need their 

 being relegated to one particular plot. It is true that a rich, heavy 

 loam, with a sub-soil of clay, is considered the best, especially for 

 Hybrid Perpetuals, but any good soU, such as will grow vegetables 

 successfully, wiU be" equally satisfactory for Roses, whUe most Tea 

 Roses win flourish in a light soU. Position, however, is aU-importanf ; 

 cleanliness, sunshine and plenty of air are essential, and hence Roses 

 are apt to flag in the dirt-laden air and close quarters of a town garden. 



Probably many a young Rose-tree is spoilt in the mere planting; 

 in both time and method there is, of course, a right and a wrong way. 

 The early spring is a permissible time, but dangerous, for cutting 

 winds with bright sunshine by day and a touch of frost at night are 

 not conducive to the welfare of a newly-planted Rose. Autumn, 

 from the middle of October to the end of November, is the best 

 season for planting, and even then it should be done in mild, moist 

 weather, if possible, taking care that the roots are not previously 

 exposed for any length of time and that they do not come into direct 

 contact with any manure which may be used. 



Pruning is another important matter and one which often pre- 

 sents some difficulty to the amateur. But the process becomes quite 

 simple when once the true object is grasped, viz., to induce the 

 growth of new wood by cutting away the growths of the previous 

 season. The best time for this is early in March, though Tea Roses 

 may be pruned some three weeks later. It may be mentioned that 

 with Climbing Roses it is generally advisable to cut back only a few 

 inches of the previous summer's growth and prune to the ground 

 the older growths. The annual pruning of Roses other than Climbers 

 may be supplemented by thinning the shoots in May, and to obtain 

 fine specimens of flowers disbudding is usually necessary — the 

 picking some, or aU, of the side buds of a cluster, thus allowing the 

 centre one space and nourishment for its full development. 



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