764 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



and the difference in habit and character so 

 great, as well as the purposes for which 

 they are grown, that it renders the task of de- 

 scription, at least so far as to be useful to the 

 amateur and tyro, no easy matter. With a view 

 to place the subject in as clear a light as our 

 space will admit of, we will consider the process 

 under the heads of A utumn and Summer prun- 

 ing. We have also briefly noticed this in our 

 remarks on each section or group. 



Autumn pruning. — The beginning of Novem- 

 ber is the latest period at which roses of even 

 the hardiest kinds should be operated upon. In- 

 deed, it is only those which can with perfect 

 safety be interfered with at this season, particu- 

 larly in cold localities. Autumn is the season 

 when the sap is in its least active state, for it 

 should be borne in mind that it is never entirely 

 suspended ; it would therefore appear to be the 

 most proper for the purpose. And in addition 

 to this, we may add that, while there is root- 

 action going on, the sap will be accumulating in 

 the shoots and buds; and the more sap there 

 is in them, and the more thoroughly it becomes 

 concentrated, the more certain are we of a 

 vigorous growth in spring, and an abundant 

 display of bloom. Instead, therefore, of this 

 amount of sap being distributed through the 

 whole extent of young wood, a large proportion 

 of which will be removed by spring pruning, it 

 would be retained in the fewer and shorter 

 shoots left, if autumnal pruning were adopted ; 

 because, as Mr Paul has wisely remarked, " by 

 cutting away the superfluous shoots in autumn, 

 the buds on those left behind are placed in con- 

 tact with a greater supply of food by the lessen- 

 ing the number of channels through which the 

 sap has to pass." Autumnal pruning is also 

 said to increase the vigour of the shoots, and 

 flowers are produced earlier, more regular, and 

 in greater abundance. In pruning summer- 

 flowering roses in autumn, such as the Provence, 

 Moss, &c, they should be cut to three or four 

 eyes, according to their strength— that is, after 

 a total removal of all weakly and malformed as 

 well as superfluous shoots. Some of the stronger- 

 growing Damask sorts — Madame Hardy, for ex- 

 ample, which is a strong grower — should be cut 

 to from five to seven eyes. The Damask, White 

 Damask, Gallica, or French, often produce shoots 

 from 4 to 5 feet in length, robust, green, and 

 imperfectly formed ; these should be cut clean 

 away, and the more moderate in growth short- 

 ened to something less than 18 inches in length, 

 according to their strength. In the hybrid 

 Chinese section, such strong-growing sorts as 

 Brennus, &c, should be shortened to eight or 

 nine eyes ; while such weak growers as the 

 Beauty of Billiard should have half the shoots 

 cut away, and the remainder shortened to two 

 or three eyes. The hybrid Provence section 

 are disposed naturally to form dense and com- 

 pact heads ; these should be thinned out to about 

 one-third of their number of shoots, and the 

 remainder shortened to about six or eight eyes. 

 The Macartney rose itself requires very little 

 pruning ; while the Maria Leonidas, so nearly 

 related to it, requires pruning to the extent of 

 reducing the strong shoots to eight or nine eyes, 



and the weaker to three or four. Bourbons and 

 Noisettes should be pruned moderately at this 

 season, in most situations, to five or six eyes 

 when strong, and to three or four when weak, 

 in ordinary situations, but in cold ones defer 

 the operation till spring. The Chinas and Teas, 

 for the most part, had better be deferred to the 

 spring also, unless in warm localities, and when 

 they are planted against walls, in which cases 

 cut to six or seven buds, according to strength; 

 and in warm situations, such as are grown as 

 standards to two or three eyes. Autumn prun- 

 ing has the advantages stated above, but it has 

 also its disadvantages, in reference to which 

 Mr Paul observes : " A few mild days in win- 

 ter often excite the buds of autumn-pruned 

 roses, and they push forth ; severe weather fol- 

 lows, the young shoots are frosted, and the 

 bloom injured. This is more particularly the 

 case with the Chinese, Noisette, Bourbon, Tea- 

 scented, and the hybrids of these kinds, which 

 we shall term excitable, because they are quickly 

 excited to growth. The Provence, Moss, French, 

 Alba, and others, rarely suffer from this cause, 

 as they are not so readily affected by the weather. 

 Be it remarked, however, that the quickness 

 with which buds are roused into action depends 

 much upon how far the shoots were matured 

 the previous autumn ; the less mature, the more 

 excitable. It will be perceived, then, that there 

 is a difficulty in autumn pruning, when applied 

 to excitable kinds, which can only be remedied 

 by affording them protection from frost, should 

 a mild December or January be succeeded by 

 severe weather." Much of all this depends on 

 climate and situation. For ourselves, we pinme 

 such sorts only in spring, but that as early as 

 the beginning of March. 



With many of the French roses {Rosa Gallica), 

 if they are planted in pairs, and the one pruned 

 in October to six or eight buds if strong, or to 

 two or three if weak, and the other left unpruned 

 till May, a regular succession of flowers will be 

 the consequence. The same rule may be fol- 

 lowed in the case of the hybrid Provence sec- 

 tion also. The hybrid China, when grown as a 

 pillar rose, should have three of the strongest 

 shoots only retained, and these allowed to grow 

 without stopping till they have attained their 

 full height. The spurs from these shoots will 

 for years give abundance of flowers, and when 

 they cease to bloom should be cut down and 

 re-grown. The shoots of all this group should 

 not, unless they are very weak, be shortened at 

 pruning to less than eight or ten buds. Hybrid 

 Bourbon roses, for an early bloom, should be 

 pruned in November, cutting out all the small 

 branches and their spurs, and shortening the 

 shoots to five or six buds, leaving them at regular 

 distances apart. In April prune in like manner, 

 which will insure a crop of bloom two weeks 

 later than those pruned in November. In prun- 

 ing every sort of rose, cut about one-eighth of 

 an inch only above the bud. 



The Austrian brier tribe require very little 

 pruning ; the strong shoots only should be 

 shortened, while most of the twigs being left 

 will produce abundance of bloom. And the 

 same rule applies to the Double yellow and 



