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HOME AXD FLOWEES 



advised. For tho hardier kinds, such as 

 the Summor hloomers and the H3^brid per- 

 petnals, I consider Aiitirmn planting pre- 

 ferable. The very tender kinds can be 

 held in reserve for Spring. 



I won Id advise bnving plants grown on 

 their own roots. A great deal of trouble 

 ivsults from the dying off of the graft, 

 where Imdded Roses are nsed. Stalks 

 will be sent np from the roots, below the 

 place of grafting, and these will grow 

 Inxnriantly. and the owner be cheated into 

 the belief that by and by he will have a 

 magnificent crop of flowers from his vigor- 

 ons plants. Bnt year after year passes and 

 no flowers appear, and he wonders wliat is 

 wrong. Onl}- when he finds out that the 

 rank growth from which he has lioped so 

 much comes from llie root upon wliicli the 

 choice variety he bought Avas grafted — 

 and not from that graft — does he under- 

 stand the reason of failure ? Eoses on 

 their own roots may not be as satisfactory, 

 in some respects as grafted ones, but they 

 can always be depended on to produce the 

 flowers you had in mind when you bought 

 them, if the dealer labeled tliem correctly. 

 They will never disappoint you by making 

 a great grov\-th and failing to bloom. 



In planting Roses, take care to have the 

 hole made for them so large that all roots 

 can be spread out naturally. Xever twist 

 or cramp them in an effort to get them 

 into a hole too small for them. Put a 

 little more work to it and enlarge the hole 

 to fit the spread of the roots. Bed the roots 

 in fine soil, and wlien you have them cov- 

 ered, press it down well until it is firm 

 about them. A loosely planted Rose will 

 generallv refuse to grow, and alwai/s to 

 grow ii-pJI. It may come on after the soil 

 lias settled compactly, but it is likely to 

 lose a whole season in waiting for this to 

 take place. This loss of time may be 

 avoided by doing the work of planting 

 as it ought to be .done. 



I would not advise scattering Roses 

 about the lawn. The fact is, few varieties 

 are strong cuough in their habit of growth 

 to make satisfactory plants when standing 



alone. They are unlike most shrubs in 

 tliis respect. Therefore I would suggest 

 planting them in groups. Set them from 

 two and a half to three feet apart, using 

 in each group only varieties of the same 

 general habit. I would also advise giving 

 them a place at the side or rear of the 

 lawn, rather than a prominent location 

 on it. They are more ornamental than 

 any other plant can be when in bloom, but- 

 when not in bloom they are not as attrac- 

 tive as most other shrubs. Therefore 

 plant them where they can be enjoyed by 

 the family, and throw upon shrubs witli 

 more attractive foliage the responsibility 

 of decorating the lawn. 



One of the drawbacks of Spring plant- 

 ing is the Avet soil in which the roots must 

 be set. if the work is done early in the 

 season — and it is not safe to wait until the 

 buds are pushing forth. Because of this. 

 Fall planting is preferable. Let it be 

 done in October. Let it be ivell done, 

 and good protection given, and you have 

 every reason to expect some fine Roses from 

 them next season, but much finer ones 

 the season following. It takes at least one 

 entire season for a Rose to loecome fully 

 established. 



All Roses ought to l^e pruned well at 

 planting-time. Some of their roots ha.ve 

 to be sacrificed, and a corresponding 

 amount of branches should be cut away 

 to balance conditions. If any roots are 

 bruised, they should be cut back to sound 

 wood. The larger roots should be short- 

 ened to induce the production of small 

 feeding roots. It is impossible to formu- 

 late any inflexible rule for pruning the 

 top, but, as a general thing, it is safe to 

 cut away fully one-half the branches.. 

 This does not mean the removal of the 

 entire branch l3y any means, but a short- 

 ening of all the branches to an amount 

 equal to one-half the original size of the 

 plant. Sometimes it is advisable to cut 

 the entire plant back to within a foot of 

 the ground. This applies most forcibly 

 to those of weak habit. Spring is the 

 proper time to ])rune established plants. 



