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, cranberry 
tops 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 IV 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 
this is not done the trouble will be more likely to be 
acute the following year. 
