88 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



the medium-sized ones thinned if necessary and moder- 

 ately spurred back. 



A rule for all climbing Roses, but especially for 

 Marechal Niel, the Noisettes, and the Dijon race, is 

 that long strong shoots of the year should not be cut 

 back much, but either laid in at least three parts of their 

 length or removed altogether. Unless additional height 

 is wanted, such shoots should not be trained upright, as 

 that is likely to lead to more wood and less bloom. The 

 Banksian Roses need special treatment, for the flowers 

 will not proceed from the strong shoots of the year, but 

 from the laterals or side growths. There must accord- 

 ingly not be too much pruning, but merely a thinning 

 out of dead wood and a slight shortening of long strong 

 shoots ; the weakly-looking twigs alone will blossom. 

 Tea Roses, not of the climbing races, which are grown on 

 low walls may be pruned more severely if quality rather 

 than quantity of bloom be desired. 



March is the month for pruning all Roses in the open 

 but Teas and Noisettes ; and I think an amateur will not 

 be doing wrong if he picks his days and gets through as 

 much as he can whenever it is warm and fine. If some 

 are pruned in the first week of the month and some in 

 the last, bitter weather intervening, but little difference 

 will be found in the time of flowering. It is best 

 to leave Tea Roses in the open undisturbed in their 

 winter's covering till April. A reckless pruner in the 

 shape of Jack Frost has generally been before us, and 

 often we are grateful enough if he has left us any life to 

 cut back to. On the other hand, in early seasons like 

 1893, Roses which have made some growth at the top are 

 apt to " bleed " when pruned severely, especially where 

 old wood is cut into. In some cases the soil around the 

 roots is kept quite damp from this cause for some days 



