March, 1920 
X5\)<l Slower (Brower 
THE ROSE 
The City Rose Garden. 
Henry J. Moore in Gardeners’ Chronicle. 
T HIS ARTICLE IS INTENDED more es- 
pecially for folks who do not grow Roses 
than those who are skilled in the work. 
If, however, from it anything of value may 
be gleaned by the latter, it will be more 
fully justified. Those who grow Roses will 
have so learned to love them as to always 
grow them. Those who do not should be en- 
couraged to make a start. If the most beau- 
tiful spots on God’s earth are Rose gardens, 
let us have an army of Rose lovers, for 
nothing will so inspire and raise the human 
standard as that which is surpassingly beau- 
tiful. Perhaps even yet some folks need an 
inspiration. 
During October and November the Rose 
garden may be laid out and the beds pre- 
pared. The shape and size of the beds will 
necessarily be governed by the size and 
shape of the area at the grower’s disposal. 
There are two important points to be ob- 
served in the making of a Rose garden: 
( 1 ) The soil should be fairly heavy and well 
drained; (2) The position must be open and 
sunny, and in cold localities be sheltered on 
the north and east. 
The Soil — A clay loam is the proper soil for 
Roses. If blue in color it should be exposed 
for at least a year to the atmosphere before 
the planting is done. A red clay loam is 
usually fertile, a blue clay, however, may 
contain poisonous iron (ferrous) oxide on 
being first broken. When the oxygen of the 
air acts upon this oxide it converts it into 
ferric oxide, which is a plant food. Choose, 
if possible, a red clay loam for immediate 
planting, or if the planting is to be deferred, 
an aerated blue clay loam may be equally 
fertile. By the addition of fifty to seventy- 
five per cent, of clay loam, light sandy soils 
may be rendered satisfactory for Roses. 
It is a mistake to heavily manure Rose 
beds when preparing the soil for planting. 
Many Roses are annually killed by the prac- 
tice. Unless the plants are thoroughly es- 
tablished, that is, after new feeding roots 
have been formed, they cannot absorb the 
solutions which are formed as a result of 
the decay of the manure, consequently this 
food is lost as drainage. Stable manure 
should not be allowed to come in contact 
with the roots of Roses during the first year, 
unless in small quantities, and in an ad- 
vanced state of decay, otherwise it will pre- 
vent the formation of a fibrous root system. 
A light application of rotted cow manure 
may be given when preparing the beds, about 
one barrow load to fifty square feet. 
The Position— Discouragement coming 
through the failure of Roses to grow satis- 
factorily is often caused by the injudicious 
choice of positions; only open and sunny 
ones should be chosen. Roses are often 
planted under trees by the novice. In these 
positions the growth does not properly ripen 
during summer and fall, consequently abun- 
dant flowers are not produced the following 
year. Unripened growth will not stand 
our severe winters, thus we have two 
reasons for choosing an open position. It 
is better to select a high position than a low 
one for the Rose garden, that is, a position 
where water cannot possibly stand for a long 
time, especially during winter is a saturated 
soil harmful to Roses. If only a single bed 
is to be made a position high enough to be 
well drained should be chosen. 
City folks have not the choice of positions 
that pertain in the country. They may, 
however, grow Roses equally as well as the 
more fortunate country people if thought is 
given to the selection of a proper positioj 1 
in which to plant. In the case of sma'l 
city lots, the boundaries of which are often 
defined by walls or fences, advantage may 
be taken of these structures for winter’s pro- 
tection, and if the Roses are planted near the 
northerly to easterly boundaries, a proper 
southerly or southwesterly aspect will be af- 
forded the plants. It is not wise to plant 
Bush Roses, hybrid teas and hybrid per- 
petuals very close to the walls or fences of 
a small enclosed city garden which in sum- 
mer is likely to become unbearably hot; 
rather, plant at some distance from these 
structures, so that the Roses may enjoy the 
benefits of any breezes, (which may cause a 
circulation of air,) of showers, and of full 
light; benefits which might otherwise not be 
possible. In small enclosed gardens even the 
Climbing Roses will do better when growing 
at some distance from the boundaries, as, 
for instance, on pillars, trellis or arches. 
They enjoy the forementioned benefits, are 
not so liable to the attacks of insects, such as 
red spider, and if attacked they may be more 
readily sprayed. If for purposes of beautifi 
cation it is desired to cover walls with 
Climbing Roses, they should be trained to 
trellis, which is supported a few inches from 
the actual wall, so that a circulation of air is 
possible between the foliage and wall, so 
that there is sufficient room for the use of 
the hose or for the application of insecti- 
cides. It should be borne in mind that dark 
walls absorb and retain heat during sum- 
mer, some even to the extent of seriously 
affecting the growths of the Roses. Another 
disadvantage is that the heat from the walls 
and the cover afforded by the foliage afford 
ideal conditions for the red spider and thrips 
to multiply. Do not, then, nail climbing 
roses directly to walls. 
Selecting the Roses — When selecting Roses 
for even a small garden the grower is apt to 
overlook everything in his or her desire to 
obtain vigorous and hardy kinds. While 
these characters in themselves are indispen- 
sable to the person who makes an initial 
attempt, there are other factors of equal im- 
portance which should not be overlooked. 
These factors are color, fragrance and dura- 
tion of the flowering period, points which 
unfortunately may only be touched upon 
briefly in this article. 
Were the writer making a small Rose 
garden he would plant chiefly hybrid teas, 
and for hardiness, general vigor and color, 
he would select /. B. Clark, Grass an Teplitz, 
Prince de Bulgarie (rather a pity the last two 
have such names) and Willotcmere, Roses 
which in Canada, appear to have given gen- 
eral satisfaction. Who can imagine a Rose 
garden without fragrance? To the afore- 
mentioned selection would be added any or 
all of the following scented kinds, and which 
with ordinary care during winter would be 
sufficiently hardy: Edward Mawley, General 
McArthur, La France and Richmond. Were 
there room for a few hybrid perpetuals the 
factor of fragrance would be found in Alfred 
Colomb, Dupuy Jamain, Fisher Holmes, Gen- 
eral Jacqueminot, Hugh Dickson, Mrs. John 
Laing and Ulrich Brunner. These also being 
of good color and hardy. For exceptional 
vigor and color Frau Karl Druschki (Snow 
Queen,) Coronation and Baroness Rothschild 
would be included. 
When Roses are grown in hot positions 
where during summer, as in the crowded 
heart of a city, little air can possibly stir, 
the darker colored Roses should be chosen in 
preference to the lighter ones, such as pinks, 
which bleach very rapidly in the sunshine. 
The manner in which Roses are arranged 
in the Rose garden will depend entirely upon 
41 
the number of beds at the grower’s disposal. 
Where only one or two small beds exist as 
in the majority of city Rose gardens, the 
Roses should be mixed in the beds, mixed 
hybrid teas in one bed, and if the grower 
desires hybrid perpetuals these might be 
mixed in another bed. Hybrid teas and 
hybrid perpetuals, however, should not be 
mixed in a bed. The forementioned arrange- 
ment will allow the grower to enjoy the 
beauty of many varieties, not merely one or 
two, as would be the case were the bed 
planted with one variety. 
In the case of gardens where several beds 
are to be devoted to Roses, the varieties 
should be arranged separately therein, thus 
we might have a bed each of Richmond, /. B. 
Clark, La France, General Jacqueminot or 
others for which we have preference. By 
this method a very pleasing general effect 
may be created because the grower has the 
opportunity of choosing suitable colors. Be- 
tween the beds of hybrid teas and hybrid 
perpetuals, beds of the baby rambler, as 
Maman Levavasseur, Gtoire des Polyanthes, 
Jessie, Snowstorm and others could be inter- 
spersed. These will flower a few weeks 
later than the hybrid perpetuals, and will 
greatly augment the hybrid teas when the 
first blaze of beauty of the latter has de- 
clined. 
Planting— Roses may be planted during 
spring or fall. Experiments in the Queen 
Victoria Park at Niagara Falls, Ontario, 
where the winter’s temperature occasionally 
falls to ten below zero, have repeatedly 
shown that not only may the hybrid per- 
petuals be safely planted during November, 
but the hybrid teas equally so, and with as 
much success as those planted in the spring. 
The plants of course were protected by a 
mulch of litter. 
When planting, space the hybrid teas 
18 to 24 inches apart, and the hybrid per- 
petuals 24 to 30 inches. Dig the holes wide 
enough to allow of the full spread of the 
roots, making these radiate from the stock, 
and so deep that when the plants are placed 
in position the “bud” (the point of union of 
stock and scion) will be two inches below 
the surface. Do not make the mistake of 
allowing the bud to remain above ground. 
Remove all broken roots with a clean cut, 
and plant the Roses very firmly. A few of 
the longest growths may be shortened, but 
proper pruning should not be attempted until 
spring. Do not protect newly planted 
Roses until frost permanently encrusts the 
soil. Those who do not intend planting 
until April or May should at least prepare 
the beds in the fall if possible. 
Pruning— A good rule to follow when 
pruning Roses is to prune the weak growing 
ones, the hybrid teas, severely, and the 
stronger and more vigorous ones, the hybrid 
perpetuals and climbers, lightly. The reason 
of this is obvious. Severe pruning induces 
stronger growth. There are of course 
strong growers among the hybrid teas, not- 
ably /. B. Clark and Gruss an Teplitz. 
These should be pruned more like the hybrid 
perpetuals, these exceptions, however, do not 
alter the rule. 
Prune your Roses after the last heavy frost 
of early spring. This will be in April or 
early May, according to locality. Cut the 
newly planted hybrid teas back to four 
inches above the “bud,” and the hybrid per- 
petuals six to eight inches. In both cases 
remove entirely all weak growths, leave 
three or four growths on the hybrid teas, 
and four or five on the hybrid perpetuals, if 
this is possible. During the second and sub- 
sequent years, when pruning, cut the 
growths the forementioned distances above 
the previous season’s growth, and remove all 
dead branches. Always prune the growths 
immediately above a bud or close to a 
branch, so that no stub will remain. 
The pruning of climbers differs greatly 
from the previously suggested method and 
