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 surface 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 to¬ 
gether, 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 gen¬ 
erous 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 pruning 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 removed 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 iy 2 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. All affected 
and fallen leaves should be picked up and burned, if 
