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//oi¥ Does yourKOarden Growl 



BY DEGREES— NATl/RAtty/ 



Roses — like Man, himself, and other animals — are chemical machine 

 which function according to natural laws. An understanding on the part 

 of the home gardener of how roses react to sun and temperature and 

 weather can, therefore, be an immense help in getting the most from 

 the rose plants in your garden. It is this knowledge which, in fact, 

 makes the difference between the man with the so-called "green thumb" 

 for whom everything seems to grow like mad and the man who merely 

 lets Nature take its course. Nature CAN be helped! 



For instance, when the soil temperature reaches the neighborhood 

 of 65 to 68 degrees or more, the roots of the plant do not absorb moisture 

 and the nutrients in the ground as ably as when the temperature is tower. 

 Recognizing this, the gardener helps the roots to do their best for the 

 plant in very hot weather by placing a mulch around the plant. This 

 reduces surface temperature and conserves moisture. The mulch also 

 helps on cold spring and fall nights by keeping warmth in the soil. In 

 each instance, it serves to insulate the soil and to keep its temperature 

 more steady. 



Another instance — since the rose plant takes energy from the action 

 of the sun on its leaves, it follows that the more leaf area upon which the 

 sun can play, the more energy is stored by the plant. Therefore, is it 

 not the smart thing to do to keep the leaves on the plant from top to 

 bottom all during the season and until frost removes them naturally? 

 The wise gardener will accomplish this by spraying or dusting to pre- 

 vent blackspot, the great enemy of rose foliage. 



Still another instance — in areas where the climate is hot and dry 

 (low humidity), ros^ will tend to sit still in the summer because the 

 sun and dry air drain away moisture too fast. The cure for this con- 

 dition of Nature is threefold ... 1, put plenty of peat moss in the soil 

 when planting in order to hold moisture better ... 2, place a 2 or 3-inch 

 mulch around the plant ... 3, keep the roots well watered. 



...I 



The best conditions of temperature and humidity for producing your 

 finest, most colorful and largest roses occur in the spring and again in 

 the fall when the days are hot and the nights cool. 



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It is the nature of rose plants, as it is the nature of bears and other 

 hibernating animals, to live out the winter on the fat they have taken 

 on or stored up during the summer and fall when life was easy. The bear 

 eats himself into a stupor, gorging himself on nuts and berries. The rose 

 does the same, in effect, by the absorption of energy produced by the 

 sun's action on the plant's foliage. By the chemistry of this action, the 

 plant manufactures its food and stores some of it against the coid of 

 winter. As the temperatures drop from the summer and fall "highs" 

 to the 50s and below, the rose plant slacks off its growing, and finally, 

 like the bear, enters a trance-like period of rest. It will be obvious to the 

 rose gardener that the rose which reaches this period best fortified with 

 stored energy is the rose most fit to live out even the hardest winter, and 

 to start eager growth again when temperatures rise in spring. The im- 

 portance of giving the rose every chance to keep its leaves as long as 

 possible will be obvious, too. 



Just a word now about how temperature affects the rate of growth 

 of roses. Like oil or molasses, the sap in the rose, consisting of water 

 with starches, sugars and other food elements in solution, flows quicker 

 and easier in warm weather than it does in cold weather. Since it moves 

 food faster, growth is more rapid. The reverse is true in cold weather, 

 and when the flow stops so does growth. 



