September 29, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
65 
ROSE CULTURE.* 
In selecting a subject for an essay I think I cannot do 
better than give a few practical remarks on the culti¬ 
vation of the queen of flowers—the Rose, which justly 
deserves this proud distinction. It is, I may safely say, a 
universal favourite, admired alike by king and peasant. 
What flower could we get to take its place if it were 
banished from our gardens ? 
Soil and Situation. 
In Rose growing we have two very important points to 
consider, namely, soil and situation. • The Rose 
succeeds best in a rich loamy soil of a rather stiff 
nature, free from stagnant moisture, as it will not 
flourish long if the ground is badly drained. If 
draining is required it should be done by laying pipes 
about 3 ft. deep. If the soil is light it may he improved 
by adding some very stiff loam and night soil that has 
lain in a heap at least six months, and has had a 
turning occasionally. This should be worked in when 
the trenching is done, keeping it well under the surface 
as it is injurious to the roots of newly planted trees ; if 
night soil cannot be had cow-manure should be used. 
If the soil is stiff clay a dressing of stable manure and 
lime would improve it, and be beneficial to the health 
of the plants. The ground should be ready for planting 
by the middle of October if possible. 
In choosing a situation an open spot should be 
selected for the beds, so that the plants will have all 
the benefit of light and air (very im¬ 
portant aids to successful cultivation), 
sheltered from the cold cutting winds, 
but not overshadowed by trees. In very 
exposed places shrubs should be planted 
to break the force of the wind, but they 
should not be planted too near them, 
otherwise they will impoverish the soil. 
Planting. 
The best time to plant hybrid perpetuals 
and others of a similar nature is in October 
and November. If the ground is in 
proper condition for planting the soil 
should work clean, so that the roots may 
not be puddled in the operation. All the 
large roots should be cut back to about 
9 ins. to produce fibrous ones. The holes 
should be about 6 ins. to 9 ins. deep for 
standards, but dwarfs require deeper 
planting ; the union with the stock should 
be about 1 in. below the surface to cause 
the Rose to throw out its own roots. 
Make the holes wide enough to allow the 
roots to be spread out evenly, working in 
fine soil around them, and making the 
ground firm by treading it well. The 
distance apart for standards should be 
about 2 ft. 6 ins. to 3 ft., dwarfs should 
be from 18 ins. to 2 ft., according to the 
sorts. After planting, place a firm stake 
to those that require it, to prevent the 
wind blowing them about. 
Pruning. 
This must entirely depend on the class to which the 
plants belong, the growth they make, and whether you 
want Roses for exhibition or for general purposes ; if 
for the former they should be cut hard back, but for 
general purposes to four or five eyes. 
Strong-growing sorts will not require to be cut so 
hard as weaker ones. If we could be sure that we were 
not to have any spring frosts, I should say, prune your 
Roses in the autumn.; but as we have no warranty 
concerning the weather, it is preferable to perform that 
operation in March, so that by the time they begin to 
make growth the season will have so far advanced that 
there will be no danger of injury from frost. 
Propagation. 
The Rose is propagated in various ways—namely, by 
seeds, cuttings, layers, grafting, and budding. Propa¬ 
gation by seeds is performed with a view of obtaining 
new sorts. The fruit should remain on the plants until 
quite ripe. Sow the seed in pans in a compost of loam, 
leaf-soil, and silver-sand, covering them to the depth of 
about \ in. The pans should then be placed in a cold 
frame, putting a sheet of glass over them, and covering 
the same with paper until the seed germinates. As 
soon as the plants are large enough they should be 
pricked out, and watering and shading attended to. 
In October they should be taken up, the tap-roots 
shortened, and replanted in a sheltered spot, from 6 ins. 
to 1 ft. apart, according to size. 
Cuttings strike freely in autumn and spring, and 
should be from 6 ins. to 1 ft. long, consisting of well- 
ripened wood. If struck out of doors, they should be 
placed on a north border, working in some sand and 
leaf-soil. They should be planted 6 ins. deep, treading 
the soil firmly and afterwards watering it. Cuttings in 
pots should be placed in a cold frame for about a month, 
and then in a little bottom-heat. When rooted pot 
singly into 54’s, and place in a cold frame until strong 
enough for planting out in the beds, or potted on as 
required. 
Rose grafting should be done from January to March. 
The stocks should be established in small pots, and 
placed in heat a week before the operation is carried 
out. The scions should be from 2 ins. to 3 ins. in 
length, and consist of well-ripened shoots. Make a 
diagonal cut in the stock, and the scion must be cut to 
match, so that the inner bark of both are in contact. 
Bind the two firmly together with raffia, place in 
bottom-heat, and keep close till the union is completed, 
when they should be gradually hardened off. All 
suckers that spring from the stock must be stopped as 
soon as they appear. 
Layering is done by bending down a shoot of the 
Rose after making a cut right under and beyond a bud, 
the cut part being pegged down about 1 in. under¬ 
Br Me. T. Bones, gardener, Tower House, Chiswick, winner 
°L ,P rize for an essay on some gardening subject. Prizes 
offered by Mrs. S. A. Lee, 4, Arlington Park Villas, Chiswick 
for competition by members of the Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual 
improvement Association, under the age of thirty. 
Dahlia, Lilian Abery. See p. 69. 
ground, inserting a piece of crock in the cut to keep it 
open ; give water as required. In due time roots will 
be emitted from the severed bud, and the branch, 
when cut away with the newly-formed roots, will 
be an independent plant. Midsummer is the best 
time for this business, when the Rose is in full 
growth. 
Rose budding is an art which is much easier to 
perform than describe, but is no doubt the best method 
of propagation in this case. The stock generally used 
is the Dog Rose for standards and half-standards. They 
are got from hedges in autumn. For dwarfs the 
seedling Briar is much used. The stocks should be 
planted in suitable soil, 1 ft. apart in the rows, and 
3 ft. asunder. As soon as the buds begin to push in 
spring they should be rubbed off with the exception of 
two or three nearest the top. If they are strong the 
budding should be done in July. When the wood is 
in proper condition select strong buds of half-ripened 
wood, of the sorts you wish to propagate ; these should 
be kept moist in damp moss. Make a slit in the bark, 
then loosen the sides with the handle of the knife ; 
cut your bud, and carefully remove the wood inside. 
See that you do not take out the heart of the bud with 
the wood, and do not bruise the inner bark. Insert 
the bud as quickly as possible, tying it in firmly. 
When the buds begin to move attention must be given 
to loosening the ties, as required. When the shoots 
have made growth they should be secured to some¬ 
thing to support them, or the wind will blow them out, 
and your labour will be in vain. 
Forcing. 
The Rose can be had early in the year (and what is 
more acceptable than blooms of this charming flower 
in spring time ?) by placing them in gentle heat. Of 
course, they must be previously prepared for this work, 
and none but well-established plants should be forced. 
The wood should be well ripened up by the autumn, 
and pruning should be done when the plants are at 
rest. Much time is lost if this is deferred till the buds 
begin to burst—not only time, hut it also tends to 
weaken the plants, because the young wood swells, and 
that at the base remains dormant, as one cuts away 
the growth that has already been made. On the other 
hand, if the pruning had been done early, all the 
energy would have gone to produce flower shoots. As 
soon as the plants are placed in heat, they should be 
kept syringed and placed near the glass to get all the 
light and air possible. They should never know the 
want of water. When the bnds are beginning to swell 
they should be supplied with stimulants. Soot-water 
or Clay’s Fertiliser will be found beneficial, and may 
be given as required. If convenient the pots should 
be plunged in leaves, as this tends to keep them moist. 
If mildew makes its appearance, give a dusting of 
flowers of sulphur. Green-fly should he destroyed by 
fumigating with tobacco. 
Select plants for forcing that are of a free-growing 
nature and dwarf habit, care being taken not to let 
any cutting wind come directly on the plants, as this 
is injurious to the young growth. As 
soon as the plants have done flowering 
and the weather is favourable, they should 
be placed out of doors, and kept syringed 
once or twice daily. This keeps down 
red-spider and other insects. Watering 
should be well attended to when making 
their growth ; the pots may be plunged 
in ashes. About July the plants that 
require it should be re-potted, but care 
must be taken not to over-pot them. Use 
a compost of fibrous loam, cow-manure, 
and a little peat or leaf-soil and saDd for 
Teas, but for hybrid perpetuals, and all 
other strong-growing sorts, the compost 
should be more of a stiff nature ; pot 
firmly. Those that do not require potting 
should be top-dressed, taking off a portion 
of the old soil and replacing with new, 
making it quite firm. 
Select List op Yarieties. 
The following serviceable sorts I would 
recommend for general purposes, namely, 
Teas Anna Olivier, flesh colour, large ; 
Catherine Mermet, delicate flesh colour ; 
Devoniensis, creamy white; Gloire de 
Dijon, buff, orange centre ; Isabella 
Sprunt, sulphur - yellow, very free; 
Niphetos, white ; Perle des Jardins, 
deep straw colour ; and Souvenir d’un 
Ami, salmon-rose. 
Celine Forestier, bright yellow; Reve 
d’Or, yellow ; Marechal Niel (everybody’s favourite), 
bright yellow ; and William Allan Richardson, deep 
orange-yellow, are all very good Noisettes for pot 
culture. 
Abel Carriere, velvety maroon; Alfred Colomb, 
carmine-red ; A. K. Williams (a grand sort), crimson ; 
Beauty of Waltham, light crimson ; Boule de Neige, 
white ; Baroness Rothschild, pink ; Charles Lefebvre, 
velvety crimson ; Captain Christy, flesh colour ; Dr. 
Andry, red ; Fisher Holmes, scarlet-red ; General 
Jacqueminot, brilliant red ; John Stuart Mill, clear 
red ; John Hopper, rosy crimson ; La France, lilac- 
rose ; Prince Camille de Rohan, dark crimson ; and 
Star of Waltham, bright crimson, are very select 
H.P.’s. 
In conclusion, let me observe that whatever the 
would-be Rose cultivator takes in hand with regard to 
out favourite national flower, let it be done thoroughly, 
for, as Dean Hole has so well written in his delightful 
book on the Rose, “He who would have beautiful Roses 
in his garden must have beautiful Roses in his heart !” 
It is surprising, too, what a moral influence—if one 
may so term it—the culture of the Rose with other 
flowers has upon us. We seem, as it were, to be 
removed from the busy haunts and cares of this world, 
and feel ready, in the delightful occupation, to exclaim 
with one of our poets— 
“ Let others seek the giddy throng, 
I love my garden tree ; 
The simpler joys which nature yields, 
The Rose is dear to me.” 
