1883.] 
ON GROWING TEA ROSES IN LARGE POTS OR TUBS.-VINE BORDERS. 
165 
At the Croydon Show, a fine bloom of H.P. 
Charles Lefebvre, shown by Mr. Bagden, 
gardener to G. Baker, Esq., Keigate, won the 
National Rose Society’s medal. 
At Canterbury, the National Rose Society’s 
bronze medal for the best bloom in the show 
was awarded to a very fine bloom of Tea 
Anna Ollivier, shown in a stand of 6, by Miss 
Hawksworth. 
At Maidstone, the N. R. Society’s bronze 
medal for the best Rose in the show was taken 
by Madame Gabriel Luizet, shown by Mr. 
Wakeley.—M. 
ON GROWING TEA ROSES 
IN LARGE POTS OR TUBS. 
ERMIT me to express the opinion that, 
as a rule, Roses in pots, especially 
Tea Roses, have not sufficient room at 
the roots to enable them to produce 
fine blossoms in quantity. This will no doubt 
sound like a truism to many, especially to 
those who have houses in which Roses can 
be planted in well-prepared borders. How¬ 
ever, these are not the people I have in my 
mind as being likely to gain a hint from this 
note, but the larger class of growers who 
cultivate Tea Roses in pots, more especially 
for autumn blooming. 
For several years we have had a batch of 
Tea Roses for this purpose; they have done 
fairly well, still not quite so much so as I 
could have wished. Last May when we were 
about going through them to pot such as 
required it, and top dress the rest, the thought 
struck me that I would strike out from the 
beaten track a bit, by putting some of the 
largest plants which were in 12-inch pots into 
tubs. We at once purchased half-a-dozen 
thirty-six gallon paraffin tubs from the nearest 
ironmonger, which cost us 3s. Gd. each ; we 
cut them in two across the centre, put a stout 
handle on each side, and charred them inside 
by burning a small bundle of straw in them. 
This was done to prevent injury to the roots 
by their coming into contact with oil-soaked 
wood. After boring a few holes in the bottoms 
and draining them well, we at once com¬ 
menced to “ tub ” our Roses. In doing this 
we used soil somewhat stiffer than before, 
say one-sixth part of well-pulverised red clay 
to four parts fibry loam and one part well- 
rotted cow and fowl dung. We did not dis¬ 
turb the balls very much, but just sufficiently 
so to separate a few fibry roots to work into 
the new soil. We potted firmly and placed a 
small rim of clay just on the edge of the old 
balls to prevent the water running off too 
freely and souring the new soil. After potting 
they were allowed to stand for a week or two 
in a late peach-house, until the weather was 
more settled, say about the first week in June. 
After this, we placed them in a well-sheltered 
position out doors. 
During the summer months we kept the 
bloom-buds picked off them, until the first 
week in September. To-day (Oct. 15), we 
have housed them in our early vinery, and 
expect to have a fine supply of blooms from 
them until near Christmas. Several have 
made shoots 5 ft. in length, and are studded 
with bloom-buds in various, stages of develop¬ 
ment. One plant of Safrano has on it near 
upon 200 buds. The varieties are Safrano, 
Madame Lambard, Niphetos, Madam Falcot, 
and Adam, all of which are, with us, free- 
flowering sorts.—H. J. Clayton, Grimston. 
VINE BORDERS. 
B HIS is to gardeners a most, if not the 
most important season of the year. 
SfaS Much of the success of the coming 
year depends on the quality of the 
work done now, and especially as regards our 
fruit crops. 
If you will kindly afford me a little space 
in your forthcoming number I would like to 
say a few words regarding Grape Vine Borders. 
If new ones are to be made, avoid making 
them very large. Most existing borders are 
much too large. In my opinion six feet wide 
and two feet deep is ample for the largest 
house. Except where the natural soil is suit¬ 
able to the healthy development of the Vine, 
when the roots may be allowed to roam 
at will, the border should be made as im¬ 
pervious to the roots as a flower pot, pro¬ 
viding only for perfect drainage. It should 
consist of good sound rather sandy turfy 
loam—down turf if it can be had, the tougher 
the better, with very little, if any, stimulant. 
But I would speak more especially of existing 
and exhausted Borders. Exhaustion gene¬ 
rally manifests itself in what is called shank- 
