38 BEGINNER'S BOOK OF GARDENING 



exposure. Then it should be trenched in to form a 

 foundation of at least fifteen inches below the surface. 

 There it will absorb and retain moisture, afford a cool 

 feeding ground for the roots of the Rose in hot, dry 

 weather, and in wet weather will arrest and store up 

 till wanted the fertilising gases which the rain washes 

 down. Where clay is not obtainable, additional supplies 

 of manure will be necessary. Those most lasting and 

 cooling, such as cow and pig dung, are best. 



The beginner in rose-growing should begin his pre- 

 parations for planting while Roses are yet in bloom. He 

 should then visit a collection, either in a private garden 

 or in a nursery, and decide what varieties he intends to 

 order. He must not, however, decide this without 

 reference to the conditions under which his Roses will be 

 grown. The Roses should actually be ordered in 

 October. In this way not only are the best plants 

 secured, but also the soil will be still warm enough to 

 cause the plants to make fresh roots before the winter 

 becomes severe. Immediately the plants are received 

 from the nursery the bundles should be opened and the 

 roots placed in a shallow trench and at once covered with 

 soil, and the latter well watered. If, however, the 

 ground is frozen when the plants arrive, the bundles 

 should be left unopened and placed in a cool frost-proof 

 cellar or other room until the ground thaws. The 

 actual planting is of great importance. The soil having 

 been prepared and the beds having been made ready 

 as described above, the planting should be performed 

 according to the following directions, epitomised from 

 the admirable "Hints on Planting Roses," issued by the 

 National Rose Society : — Some of the plants should be 

 carefully removed from the trench where they had 

 been " heeled in," and brought to the side of the bed 

 they are intended to occupy. A mat should always be 

 thrown over them to keep their roots from drying by 



