NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
AND REMINDER 
Vol. XI 
The Care of Rose Gardens 
By MARY HARROD NORTHEND 
OSE gardens have come rapidly into popularity, es- 
pecially during the last few years and are shown inal! 
sizes in different gardens along the North Shore. Notable 
among them is the William S. Spaulding garden at Bey- 
erly Farms, where during the season, thousands of magni- 
ficent blossoms make a wonderful display. 
There are other gardens in addition to this, a unique 
one being shown on the George Barnard estate at Ipswich, 
Massachusetts. Another is shown on the Charles S. Eaton 
estate at Nanepashemet, and Percival Palmer’s garden at 
Beach Bluff is also one of note. An important step for 
the raising of roses is a suitable location for the garden. 
The spot must be chosen with an eye to its natural adapta- 
bility and the needs of the plants. The most satisfactory 
site is an open piece of ground, preferably with a south- 
west exposure. It should be high enough to be free from 
very late spring frosts, which on low land nip the tender 
shoots as soon as they are set out. 
The location must have plenty of sunshine, for roses 
delight in warmth, light and fresh air. The condition of 
the soil should also be considered, for roses are gross 
feeders and require plenty of nourishment. Good rich 
soil, containing a small percentage of clay, is the most 
satisfactory for a hardy variety. 
Artificial means have to be employed if the ground is 
not sufficiently drained by nature. A simple and effective 
way for proper drainage, is to open up the rose beds to 
the depth of three feet, and fill in with a layer of clam 
shells, broken brick, coarse gravel, or anything that makes 
a porous filler for about a foot. To prevent the soil from 
washing down and at the same time allowing the water 
to filter through, a few cinders should be spread above 
this and the remaining depth may be filled with prepared 
earth. 
Any good top soil which has not been fertilized is 
suitable for beds such as this. They should be put in 
order at least five or six weeks in advance of planting 
time. This is in order to allow the ground to settle. The 
plants should be about an inch below the level of the sur- 
rounding earth, in order that all rainfall may be caught 
and retained during the warm weather. 
The shape of the beds may be as the owner fancies, 
but small beds are preferable to large ones. ‘This is be- 
cause varieties requiring the same soil can then be placed 
together. Roses are divided by florists and nurserymen 
into distinct classes, known as ‘‘budded” and “own root” 
plants. 
Many well-known rose growers prefer the former, 
which are grown from buds inserted in some variety of 
wild wood, commonly in the so-called Manetti stock. 
Others. think there is nothing so good as “own root” plants. 
The difference of opinion need not seriously affect the 
beginner, if good healthy plants of either variety are pro- 
perly set out. 
The most suitable time for planting roses is in the 
autumn, before the ground freezes, or in case of tender 
varieties, which cannot survive our cold winters until they 
have become firmly established, early in the spring. ‘The 
plants are then dormant and can be easily handled with- 
out fear of damage to them. 
To keep plants in first rate condition, attention should 
be paid to cultivation. After the winter covering has 
been removed early in the spring, the ground should be 
thoroughly forked over for the depth of several inches. 
During the hot dry weather, the soil should be frequently 
loosened to allow moisture to penetrate to the roots. If 
the season is unusually dry, it is well to water them oc- 
cassionally, and the man who takes trouble to feed his 
plants with a weak solution of liquid manure every eight 
or ten days during the time of their blossoming, will be 
rewarded with a crop of fine, healthy roses, and a pro- 
longed season of blossoming, 
Insects are very injurious to these plants, beetles or 
rose bugs being the hardest to get rid of, as they seem 
TWO VIEWS OF THE GEO, E, BARNARD ESTATE, IPSWICH, 
