The Practical Side of Rose Growing 
HOW TO PRUNE—WHEN AND WHAT TO SPRAY—THE SUPER¬ 
IORITY OF GRAFTED STOCK FOR THE SMALL GARDEN 
Photographs by the author and others 
A strong-growing Manetti stock, cut ready 
for grafting 
Too much old wood here; it should be cut back 
Tying the graft rose in place on sturdy root 
stock 
T HE great in¬ 
terest in 
hardy perennials 
shown by everyone 
planning a home 
garden has, to 
some extent, af¬ 
fected the popular¬ 
ity of the Rose as 
a garden flower. 
This is a great 
pity. Though it 
The Tea Rose, so-called from its character- must be admitted 
istic scent, is the best for forcing that Roses are not 
the easiest flowers 
in the world to bring to maturity, nevertheless the love of flowers 
should include the love of their care, for very little attention, 
after all, beyond that given any hardy flowers will be required 
for bringing a garden of Roses to successful bloom. 
There are, unfortunately, many instances to be recorded of 
useless root-stock being acquired by the amateur garden-maker 
who has not been careful in ordering bis Rose plants from reli¬ 
able nurserymen, or who has not taken into account the climatic 
and soil conditions necessary to bring them to proper florescence. 
One might as well expect a bed of granite to nourish a field 
of wheat as to expect to coax loveliness from the Rose when it 
is planted in the wrong soil. Roses must be nursed, tended, 
watched and protected, although there are many varieties which 
seem obliging enough, after a while, to flourish by themselves. 
Indeed the flower-lover should cease to hesitate Rose-planting in 
his garden merely because either he has been told it is a precari¬ 
ous undertaking, or that defeat will meet his attempts. 
One does not always expect a great amount of space to be 
given up to the Rose in a home garden ; the Rose-garden as such, 
that is, as a distinct garden by itself, is, of course, only to be 
expected in premises of greater extent. However, almost anyone 
who has a plot for flowers at all should have room for a few 
beautiful Rose bushes, or climbing Roses 
against wall or trellis, or a little strip 
bedded for a Rose border. 
Under ordinary conditions it is neces¬ 
sary for the Rose-grower to exercise a 
fair amount of diligence in the matter of 
making a bed of Roses that will not turn out to be merely a 
bed of thorns. 
SELECTING STOCK 
Good Roses will do better in a poorly made bed than poor 
Roses in one having every soil requisite. There is no place in 
the world where, no matter how alluring the offers, it is safe 
to assume that one may obtain a couple of dozen first-class 
Hybrid Perpetual Roses for the price reasonably charged by 
reliable dealers for one. Roses are not to be found on bargain- 
counters. 
MAKING A BED 
“You have made your bed and now you must lie in it” is 
a very old saying that will be familiar to everyone. Neverthe¬ 
less it is ungenerous to make a poor bed and expect your Roses 
to do anything but die in it. Remember that when you receive 
your package of Roses from the nursery, they will need at¬ 
tending to at once, for the chances are that they may have been 
several days in transit, a delay that, at best, is somewhat of 
a set-back to their growth. 
Unpack the newly received Roses, and if it is not possible 
to plant them in their final position immediately, heel them in 
— that is, make a temporary planting. If they are dried at all, 
soak the plants well. When you uncover them again it would 
be well to puddle them; that is, to soak the roots in a puddle 
of mud made with rich earth. Puddling greatly benefits Rose 
roots. The main thing is to keep your Rose plants out of the 
ground for as short a time as possible. Remember the roots of 
the Rose are extremely tender, and though they respond to care 
and attention, they perish almost immediately when neglected. 
ROSE PRUNING 
Hybrid Perpetual Roses should be pruned in the spring be¬ 
fore growth starts. At that time about two-thirds of the 
previous year's growth will have been taken out, close down. 
Hybrid Tea Roses must not be pruned so much, nor do Ram¬ 
blers need much cutting, though where 
a Rambler has had little attention for a 
long time the cutting out can be more 
vigorous, all old hardened canes which 
do not break easily and which only choke 
the plant without lending themselves to 
