HORTICULTURAL SPECIALIST 
1 
HARDY GARDEN ROSES 
Garden roses may be successfully planted either 
in the fall or spring. To achieve success with them 
thorough preparation of the ground is essential. 
Well drained ground, free if possible from shade, 
deeply spaded and liberally manured is what roses 
love, they are more often starved than otherwise. I 
do not remember having seen any which have died 
from over-feeding; use cow manure if possible, but 
stable manure, well rotted, sheep manure, and bone 
are all good, so is soot. Plant as early as possible 
in spring for the best results. Be sure roots are 
moist when planted, spread them out well, and firm 
thoroughly. Cover the swollen part from which 
the shoots spring at least 1 inch. Do not prune 
newly planted stock until it has started to grow, 
then do not be afraid to head the plants back 
severely. During the growing season keep the sur¬ 
face soil stirred lightly and always do this after a 
rain. When you water do it thoroughly. Spraying 
the plants each night is more harmful than helpful. 
Before protecting for the winter, which should be 
done just in advance of freezing up weather, plants 
are better headed back to 18-24 inches in height and 
tie shoots up together, then draw earth up to the 
plants to the height of 6-8 inches rather higher if 
possible, it is good policy to fill the depressions made 
with manure, this to be covered in spring with the 
earth you banked up with. After ground is hard 
frozen spread a generous covering of straw, salt 
marsh hay or leaves over the beds holding this in 
place with evergreen boughs, be sure not to place 
this mulch on while ground is unfrozen or field mice 
and other rodents may cause great damage. Do not 
uncover too hastily, April 5-15 is early enough in 
the vicinity of Boston. First remove the evergreens, 
a little later the mulch, leaving the hilled soil to the 
last. Pruning should be done during April and all 
dead and very weak wood should be cut out entirely 
and 3-4 eyes left on other shoots, rather hard prun¬ 
ing gives the best results. A few of the climbers are 
everblooming in type and pruning on them is better 
deferred until spring, those giving but one crop of 
flowers are better to have all flowered wood re¬ 
moved directly after blooming, new shoots made 
after that time should merely have ends and dead 
wood removed. 
The plants we offer are two year old field grown. 
We do not carry the cheap discarded greenhouse 
roses featured by some advertisers, these are good 
for one year if the price is no higher than that of 
bedding geraniums. We do not offer or recommend 
the “package roses” to be found each spring in 
all types of stores. 
Fall planting of all types of hardy roses I would 
strongly recommend. In recent years I have had 
very much better success with fall than spring 
planting and I would strongly recommend anyone 
who has any doubts as regards its success to try a 
few plants this fall and compare results with spring 
plantings. 
As a summer mulch I cordially recommend Peat 
Moss spread to a thickness of 1% to 2 inches, this 
prevents the soil drying out, keeps the roots cooler 
and assists materially in checking weed growth, 
remove this in the fall and do not incorporate it in 
the soil. For black spot nothing is better than 
Massey Dust or Niagara Dust applied once a week 
at least through the season, and before each rain. 
