rTHE CONARD & JONES 



West Grove, Penna 



THE ROSE-LOVER'S 



CALENDAR OF 



OPERATIONS 



These dates will be found relatively- 

 correct for the average season in the lati- 

 tude of Philadelphia. If you live North 

 or South, make usual allowance of about 

 four days for every 100 miles of latitude. 

 Comparative altitude must also be taken 

 into consideration. The seasons vary; 

 for example, the ground may be in good 

 condition and ready for digging, one year, 

 as much as three weeks earlier than it is 

 the following spring. 



JANUARY 



Study the Catalogue of a reliable Rose- 

 grower, and by 



FEBRUARY 



Make your planting plans, and send in 

 your order. 



MARCH 



15th. Such hardy Roses as you have 

 already planted should now be pruned. 



25th to 30th. As soon as the ground can 

 be well worked, plant new hardy Roses 

 which are to be had dormant. Prune 

 these even more closely than older 

 established bushes. 



APRIL 



loth. Less hardy Roses, including the 

 Everblooming class, should be pruned. 

 Begin to remove the winter protection 

 as the increasing heat of the sun permits. 



15th. Roses are not immune from mildew 

 and other fungoid contagious diseases, 

 therefore it pays at this time to spray 

 with Bordeaux Mixture all your beds, 

 and near-by fruit trees and grape-vines. 



25th to 30th. Finish uncovering and 

 pruning your Roses. Plant new ones 

 (now or until May 10th). A slight 

 protection over the tops will prove an 

 advantage. 



MAY 



Ist to 10th. As soon as plants are well 

 set with foliage, a spraying with Nico- 

 tine or Sulpho-Tobacco Soap will act as 

 a preventive against Aphis (Green Fly). 



20th. As soon as buds begin to swell, 

 weak manure water may be applied to 

 the plants. Spray again to kill off the 

 aphis, otherwise they will multiply 

 with amazing speed. 



25th. Now starts the season's procession 

 of bloom, led by the sturdy Rugosas and 

 the Yellow Briar Roses. Start feeding 

 the Hybrid Perpetual Roses with 

 liquid manure. 



JUNE 



Ist. With this mpnth we see the true 

 glory of the "Feast of Roses." 



5th. Watch for the Rose beetle and Rose 

 slug, and spray every ten days for three 

 weeks with arsenate of lead (1 lb. to 

 10 gallons of water). 



Where to Grow Roses 



"He who would have beautiful Roses in his garden must have beautiful Roses in 

 his heart. He must love them well and always. He must have not only the glowing 

 admiration, the enthusiasm and the passion, but the tenderness, the thoughtfulness, 

 the reverence, the watchfulness of love." So wrote Dean Hole, the rosarian of beloved 

 memory. And would that we Americans had more like him to spread the lo\'e, not 

 only for beautiful Roses, but likewise for the wholesome pastime of planting and caring 

 for the Queen of Flowers. 



The average home grounds, as a rule, has several available spots for Roses. An 

 eastern or southern exposure is preferable. The presence of trees is not a disadvantage, 

 providing the Roses are not within reach of the tree roots which will rob the bed of its 

 plant food. Given five or six hours a day of sunshine, preferably in the morning, a 

 good circulation of air (but secure protection from sweeping, withering winds), and 

 good soil with proper drainage, and you have what is needful. 



The drainage problem is easily solved. If your soil has a tendency to remain wet 

 or soggy, plant a layer of stones in the bottom of the bed at a depth oi 2)4 feet. Roses 

 abhor wet feet. 



A rich, deep clay loam is the best soil. If it contains grass roots, or is made up of 

 rooted sods, all the better; any ordinary soil will answer, providing it is well manured. 



Climbing Roses, themselves, if given a fence for support, make a good protection 

 from the winds and add beauty to the barrier. 



Observing the above suggestions, now let us choose the identical location for 

 our Roses. "Make a picture of your lawn" is a first principle of Landscape gardening. 

 Leave the center open, and plant about and along the edges. Border your walks with 

 flower beds, the base of the porch and the corner across the open sweep of grass, and 

 you and your friends can enjoy a complete and unbroken picture. 



After this, place your Roses where they will do best and give you most pleasure. 

 Some varieties, as — for example— the Rugosa and wilder types, serve a very useful 

 purpose when grouped among the Shrubbery' (for many other uses see pages 28 to 34) ; 

 but the bush or garden Roses, such as the Tea, Hybrid Tea, and Hybrid Perpetual 

 varieties, will do best if grouped together and not mixed too much with other plants. 

 The size and shape of the bed may be laid out to suit the location, though it is well to 

 remember, in making large beds and Rose gardens, that you should be able to cut and 

 cultivate the Roses without treading on the loose soil; therefore provide for a path- 

 way between every three or four rows, or else make the beds not more than 4^2 feet 

 wide. 



THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF YOUR ROSE BED 



Beds 4.J4 feet wide accommodate three rows nicely, and require twelve Roses to 

 every 6 feet. A bed 3 feet wide with two rows will require twelve Roses to every 9 

 feet; twenty-four Roses if 18 feet long, etc. The above estimate is based upon planting 

 the Roses 18 inches apart each way. 18 inches to 2 feet is about the right spacing 

 for most bedding Roses. In warm countries, where growth is most luxuriant, and for 

 the big, bushy sorts, more room will be required. 



Beds of any other shape or size may be laid out to suit one's fancy. 



An avenue effect can be produced by planting Tree Roses (see page 11) on either 

 side of a walk, about 5 to 10 feet apart, and in front and between them Everblooming 

 Tea and Hybrid Tea Roses, with a solid row of Dwarf Polyanthas of the Baby Rambler 

 type (see page 27) to form a bright edging along the front. These ever-blooming 

 Baby-Ramblers are so hardy, they will live without protection, even in the coldest 

 climates. The cost is not great and the effect produced by such an arrangement is really 

 superb. 



How to Grow Roses 



" The love of Flowers is of those few earthly pleasures which age cannot wither." — Dean Hole. 



A Pleasant Hobby. Growing Roses is not an expensive luxury, neither does it 

 require a large amount of hard labor. A love and devotion that begets intelligent, 

 diligent care when needed is the great requisite. 



Having chosen the' location for our Roses, let us make ready the bed. The sim- 

 plest and easiest way is to spade the soil deeply and mix with it a good supply of well- 

 decayed stable-manure. But to raise the best Roses it will pay to be more thorough. 



Soil. If the soil is naturally well drained, it will be unnecessary to provide drain- 

 age. But nothing is more prejudicial to the health of Roses than poorly-drained soil, 

 therefore, if needful, provide drainage. Dig a trench to the depth of 2>^ feet, and in 

 the bottom deposit a 4- or 5-inch layer of drainage material so that all surplus water 

 will drain away quickly. It is a good idea to mix with the soil in the bottom of the 

 trench a few broken bones, say a peck, for a bed holding a dozen Roses — they will 

 furnish plant food for the Roses for three or four years to come. 



The best soil for Roses is a compost of one-half broken sods or the soil directly 

 underneath filled with fibrous grass roots, and one-half barnyard manure, all thor- 

 oughly decomposed. • 

 6 



