170 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 1914 



But is not this a great deal of work some 

 one may ask? It is only a matter of two or 

 three hours to fix the bed in the fall, and 

 it requires even less time in the spring to 

 uncover. The wire netting is, of course, 

 put away each spring until it is needed the 

 next fall and hence is always ready to be put 

 in place. What is this work compared 

 with having lovely roses from the latter 

 part of June till after the middle of October? 



But how about the insect pests? There 

 are large green worms which devour the 

 whole leaf; small green ones that leave 

 only grayish, seared skeletons; small gray 

 ones that march in a solid phalanx leaving 

 the leaf useless and ugly; there are the 

 green aphides or lice which infest the young 

 buds and tender shoots, sucking the very life 

 out of them; there are the white flies which 

 swarm in the bushes, giving to the foliage a 

 white- washed appearance; and then also 

 there are, in their season, the genuine rose 

 bugs which devour the very blossoms. I 

 take a philosophical view of these troubles. 

 I can at least credit these insects with good 

 taste. They like roses as much as I do. 

 Eternal vigilance is the price that must be 

 paid for roses. I examine the bushes daily 

 as a part of my recreation; and then there 

 is the where-with-all for fighting each one. 



A bordeaux mixture for fungous diseases is 

 applied from a hand sprayer the first thing 

 in the spring after the pruning, and there- 

 after whenever there is the least sign of 

 mould on leaf or stem. Soap solution 

 made from a good quality of soap so as not 

 to injure the foliage, or a dilute solution 

 of nicotine applied in a like manner to the 

 tender shoots and young leaves, 

 kills the green lice. Potassium 

 sulphide solution, i ounce to 2 

 gallons of water, applied with a 

 whisk broom, exhales a malo- 

 dorous, poisonous gas for the 

 white flies. Lead arsenate, ap- 

 plied from the hand sprayer 

 every two or three weeks kills 

 all insects, large or small, which 

 devour the foliage. Last of all, 

 for the rose bugs there is con- 

 stant watchfulness during their 

 short season. These bugs are 

 so are so large that they may 

 be easily seen, picked off, and 

 destroyed. 



Since my rose garden is only 

 on a city lot my experience with 

 varieties of the Hybrid Teas is 

 not exhaustive, perhaps, but it's practical. 

 The most satisfactory and successful of the 

 Hybrid Teas in my beds is Pink Killarney. 

 During the severe winter of 1911-1912 this 

 Killarney died back more than it did dur- 

 ing the three preceding winters. Still, 

 it started the season of 191 2 a good sized 

 bush and is growing in full vigor. It is in a 

 small, oval bed with White Killarney and 

 Belle Siebrecht. Had I known in 1908 

 what I do now, I should have placed in 

 that bed three Pink Killarneys. 



The White Killarney just mentioned was 

 set out in May, 191 1. It lived through the 

 following severe winter with little loss of 



wood, and grew nicely during the seasons 

 of 1912 and 1913. 



Johanna Sebus is a rampant grower, 

 sending up strong canes seven feet or so in 

 height during a single season. The larger 

 part of these dies during the winter, even 

 when protected by the leaf covering; but 

 enough survives to produce an abundance 

 of new shoots the next season. Many of 

 these are smaller and terminate in single 

 buds. These are thick and stubby and un- 

 fold into flat, widespreading flowers of 

 great substance, lasting several days. Its 

 color is a rich, delicate, carmine pink and 

 does not fade. It has a delicious fragrance 

 in which rose, tea, and tangerine are most 



Ready for winter. Hybrid Teas covered with leaves held 

 in place by wire netting 



How the large bed looks on the approach of winter. Furnishing such protection 

 is not an arduous undertaking. See also preceding page 



subtly blended. It is more spreading in 

 its growth than Killarney. 



If roses are wanted for outdoor decoration 

 and for cutting only occasionally, Gruss an 

 Teplitz (Bengal but usually listed as H. T.) 

 is very pleasing. When set out, it was a 

 two year old rose; now it is three and one 

 half feet high, and widely spreading with 

 many branches. Like Killarney it died 

 back more during the winter of 1911-1912 

 than ever before so that it is not now so 

 tall as it has been. It begins to blossom 

 as the Hybrid Perpetuals are passing and 

 from that time till it is covered by leaves 

 for the winter, there is hardly a day with- 



out one or more open flowers, "the reddest 

 of the red roses." One shoot, which sep- 

 arated into two branches, produced two- 

 large clusters containing forty-four buds. 

 By the side of Gruss an Teplitz is a 

 Bengal rose, Champion of the World. 

 This has been there fully fifteen years. 

 Covered with leaves, it passes through the 

 winter without dying down at all! Its 

 foliage, both new and old, is light green. 

 It grows rather low and generally spreads 

 out, though some shoots have reached a 

 height of three feet. Its buds grow in 

 clusters and they open one after another. 

 Only now and then may a cluster of flowers 

 be cut without sacrificing many buds. 

 Its flowers, of a rich, delicate pink, are 

 full and double, though small, last well, 

 and exhale a strong, rose fragrance. The 

 contrast between Gruss an Teplitz and 

 The Champion of the World is very marked 

 and pleasing. 



Belle Siebrecht bears long, slender, 

 tapering buds which are especially pleas- 

 ing. When these are half open, showing 

 the fresh rich, pink color, they are most 

 beautiful. Up to the winter of 1911-1912 

 this rose had been rather tender, dying 

 down to the ground each winter, but dur- 

 ing this last severe one it died down only a 

 little, much less, comparatively, than did 

 Killarney by its side. It is a rapid grower 

 and an inveterate bloomer, as it produces 

 at least one bloom at the end of each new 

 shoot. These flowers are nice for cutting. 

 Of the seven Hybrid Teas first set out 

 three did not do well. A bush of Kaiserin 

 Augusta Victoria, placed in the bed by the 

 side of Killarney, early put forth 

 'jut?? * 1 a suc k er from the wild root. 

 Even after the removal of this, 

 the bush gained but little and 

 dfd not survive the second win- 

 ter. Bushes of President Car- 

 not and Bessie Brown were 

 placed unwisely too near Gruss an 

 Teplitz and a large Hybrid Per- 

 petual so that they were deprived 

 of their share of the sunlight. 

 Florence Pemberton is a sturdy 

 tall growing variety. It died 

 down only a little during the win- 

 ter; produces, almost continu- 

 ously, magnificent, large, white 

 roses slightly tinted pink. The 

 flowers are of great substance 

 and last a long time. The last 

 rose of the season 191 2 was picked 

 from this bush October twenty-seventh. 



It was a nice bud, partly open, when 

 picked; it opened fully in the house and 

 lasted for many days. The petals had 

 been affected by severe frost, and had a 

 pebbly appearance, but the rich fragrance 

 had not been destroyed. 



Betty has been a disappointment, slow 

 in growth, not free in blossoming; and while 

 the flowers are of an odd and pleasing cop- 

 pery pink, they are not of great substance. 

 Dean Hole is rather tender. Though 

 well protected by leaves, it died down al- 

 most to the ground during the winter. 

 However, it quickly started in the spring 



