March 9, 1912 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



193 



PRUNING ROSES. 



The sharp nip of frosts and snow experi- 

 ^ need during early February quite cheeked 

 :he tendency to prune roses so ridiculously 

 ■ arly as many practice. I cannot call to 

 memory a single season when roses grew 

 extra early but what they suffered very 

 much for such precocity sometinie during 

 the spring; and, recognising this, is my 

 reason for much later pruning than we 

 generally find. 



If we limit the numl>er of eyes, it stands 

 to reason we must lose more than if we 

 waited later and so secured some that could 

 _::row away with far less risk of severe 

 rhecks. Personally, I look upon these early 

 growths at the tips of the shoots as a de- 

 cided safeguard, because the natural ten- 

 dency to grow at the points or upper eyes 

 lirst keeps the low^er eyes comparatively 



ziNE that the subject is apt to tire. Ex- 

 cellent cuts have frequently appeared, and 

 these are far more explicit than mere 

 written or spoken words. I may, however 

 perhaps be allowed to warn against the 

 hasty and too similar use of the knife upon 

 varieties of entirely different characteris- 

 tics. By all means give a little considera- 

 tion to the habit of the variety operated 

 upon. A glance at the growth l)efore us 

 should be a good guide; that is, if one has 



been at all observant during the previous 

 season. 



Always make a practice of cutting quite 

 close down to the eye that is to remain; 

 never leave an inch or two of wood above 

 the eye or bud. It cannot do otherwise 

 than die if you do, and unfortunately this 

 decay often extends below the growing eye^ 

 and either kills or greatly weakens it. 



Another golden rule is to cut to an eye 



IRISES AT CLANDON PARK. 



As these pages have testified, the late 

 J'.ai'l of Onslow had a- great Jove for his in- 

 teresting garden at Clandon Park, Surrey, 

 and, in conjunctioii with Mr. Blake, the 

 Ju^ad gafrdener, be made it especially re- 

 markable for fine collections of hardy pri- 

 inuhis ami irises Both these families of 

 liardy floMers are extensively cidtivate<l at 

 Clandon Park, the natural conditions ])re- 

 vailing having been improved so as to find 

 congenial honu\s for the several g-roups of 

 eacli. I n tin* accompanying illustration 

 one ol !he iris gardens is .shown on the bank 

 of one (>t tlir nunicrous pieces of water at 

 Chmdon. On tire liiglirr and si(M^p<M* pai-ls 

 of the bank tln^ vaiious varictit's oi iln^ 

 several sections of German irises ar<^ c nlti- 

 vated with immense success, while 1. floreii- 

 tina, I. ochroleuca, I. Monnieri, I. aiiglica^ 



IRISES BY THE WATER SIDE AT CLANDON PARK, SURREY. 



^l-'nnaut and it is these eyes, or buds, 

 ^nat will be of most service later on. 



far n ^•''^'''^ district, however 



end r.r' "^P^ ^ituM. Vhile the 

 a t'^%"^onth is early enough for teas 



ten ll P^'^<^«ci«^is and often somewhat 



tenuer growth. 



to^Ilrn! ^I'^^^^btedly a great temptation 



KrS^^S this top gro.rth appears. Some 

 when thl 1 bleeding or loss of sap 



i^ri ^rf ''''^ ^^ harmful as encourag- 

 knlf.^ l^^ft after the 



^rie ; a tr"'i The cut .oon 



to absorb .] '''1 ^ -^'^^ ^^f^ q^i^'l^'lv help 

 ^Y^soih the superfluous sap. ' ^ 



^otelnn tL'^* Pruning has been so often 



^» the pages of the Gahdexers' Maga- 



with an outward tendency, or the growth 

 Avill be apt to crowd the centre of your 

 plants, to their great disadvantage. Any 

 crowded wood in the centre of the plant 

 should invariably 1)e removed. Roses enjoy 

 liglit and air, which they do not get when 

 a number of shoots are crowded in the 

 centre. 



Much may be done^in this respect when 

 young growth has progressed snffi('i*Mitly for 

 one to see which have a tendency to crowd 

 or become misplaced. These should be cut 

 out. Even if one does lose a few flowers, 



the rest amply repay in quality, while w 

 are keeping the plant in a much more ser- 

 viceable condition for the future. 



A little thought should be given as to 

 w^hether quantity or quality in the blooms 

 is the chief desideratum, ami the plants 

 pruned a little closer in the latter case. 



ROSARIAN. 



I. xiphiuin, an<l many others occupy the 

 nioi-e level s]ta<'<'s, witli I. ^ibirica and its 

 varieties, the ^or^eous I. Kienipteri and 

 il. oi'ientali-^ in the nu>i>ter phu-es. It is 

 only when irises ai'e gron])tMl freely in this 

 fashion that tliev are seen to tl 



le fullest 



advantage: and. tso far as our experience 

 goes, there is no other ganlen whiM"e the 

 various kinds have* been cnltivate-d >o ex- 

 tensively and so well a^ ai (landon Park. 



Mag^nolia speciosa.— This Mag:- 



nolia is one of the Soulang-eana section, and 

 a. ])art ictdarly de-irahle variety for early 



forciuo-. 



ivii'-.-'t;. . enie large speeimeris sliown by 

 Mer.-i>. and ('ntbV>ert, el S,vHthgate. at 

 the Hertieultural Hall ou IVhrnary G were 

 nuK-h admired. It is freely branched, yet of 

 rather upright habit, and the flowers, which 

 are in colour white tinged outside with 

 purple, are borne in great profusion.— K. 



