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 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 cover- 
ing of straw, salt marsh hay, cranberry tops or 
leaves over the beds holding this in place with ever- 
green 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 bloom- 
ing, 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 114 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 one 
of the dust sprays applied once a week 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. 
