EXHIBITION ROSES. 



209 



in no other part of the world can these exhibition Roses be cultivated with such complete 

 success as in the British Isles. Little wonder, then, that we should have adopted the Rose as 

 our national emblem. 



Believe me, there are few more pleasurable or lasting recreations than growing Roses 

 for exhibition. 1 say designedly Roses for exhibition instead of exhibition Roses, because, 

 although a great deal has been said and written about cultivating such varieties as 1 have 

 mentioned simply for the decoration of the garden, 1 have not often, in a somewhat extended 

 experience, come across Rose plants which were really well cultivated and with their various 

 requirements properly attended to unless intended for exhibition either at a local or more 

 important show. There are, I know, a good man)' such enthusiasts, but they are by no means 

 common. The reason no doubt is that this class of Rose requires high cultivation in order that 

 its beauties may be fully developed. This being the case, no sooner, as a rule, does ait amateur 

 attain a measure of success in the art of Rose growing than he at once wishes to measure his 

 skill against that of other cultivators. Then only let him be fairly successful m his. first 

 efforts at exhibiting, and the desire to increase his collection and improve his methods of 

 culture and of staging his blooms naturally follows. The fact is there is no exhibition flower 

 which appeals to the amateur like the Rose. It is a plant he can cultivate, on a moderate 

 scale and with a moderate amount of leisure, entirely w ith his own hands. On a larger 

 scale this may be done w ith the help of his gardener or even w ith unskilled assistance, he 

 himself performing all the more delicate operations of planting and pruning, or of thinning, 

 shading, and cutting the blooms. It entices him into his garden with daily increasing interest 

 as the summer advances, and yet allows him to take his annual holiday after the first flowering 

 is over without feeling that his pet plants w ill be in any serious danger during his absence. 

 One has only to visit a Rose show during the morning hours in order to see quite a small 

 army of amateur exhibitors — lawyers, clergymen, doctors, men of business, or what not — 

 busily engaged in preparing their flowers for the exhibition table, whereas at most other 

 shows the work of staging in the amateur classes is left almost entirely to the gardeners. 



Let us now consider the cultural requirements of our national flower, and see how best 

 these may be met, whether the blooms be required for show or for the decoration of the home 

 or garden. 



SOIL AND SITUATION. — Roses grow best in a somewhat stiff and deep loam of good 

 quality — such a soil, for instance, as would favour the production of a good crop of corn — 

 while the subsoil should also be of a cool and retentive nature. There is, however, little 

 practical advantage in knowing this, as the ordinary amateur has seldom an)' choice in the 

 selection of the scene of his future operations, and has to grow his Roses either in his own 

 garden or on some plot of ground adjoining it. Nevertheless, there is this consolation, that 

 although there are undoubtedly certain soils and certain climatic conditions which are better 

 suited to the growth of Roses than others, there are, on the other hand, few places in the 

 British Isles where exhibition blooms cannot be successfully grown. Let an experienced 

 rosarian find himself in almost any part of the country, and on almost any soil, and he will 

 soon prove himself a formidable competitor at an}' exhibition where Roses are made a 

 prominent feature. This shows that cultural skill and unremitting attention to the wants 

 of the plants are the chief requirements in the production of fine flowers. In the 

 immediate neighbourhood of large towns, and especially manufacturing towns, it is almost 

 hopeless to attempt the cultivation of the Rose, as there are few plants so sensitive to a smoke- 

 laden atmosphere. But even in such adverse positions enthusiastic rosarians are here and there 

 to be found who manage to overcome to a great extent the difficulties of their surroundings. 



The site of the Rose garden should be an open vet sheltered one. That is to say, 

 well away from the roots and shade of trees, and yet not too exposed. Adjoining many 

 country gardens there is often a small paddock or other piece of old pasture-land. If such 

 be available, the amateur will do well to have his Rose beds made in ; ts virgin soil. 



