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"Plant roses if you would have the city beautiful." It is quite generally conceded that from the time when Homer praised its form of grace, the rose, among all the flowers, has held first place in our affections. We feel that our gardens are incomplete without roses; yet so many people shake their heads and tell us that they never attempt to raise roses because they are sure to be destroyed by insects or die during the winter, or some other dire calamity happens. Now this may be true, but with care such calamities can be avoided. There are two things you must always consider before starting a rose garden: First, location; second, selection of varieties. Do not be governed by the pictures you see in the catalogue. Be sure the conditions in your garden are the same as those described in the catalogue. Take temperatures into consideration, also length of season and soil. If these are favorable, then you will have roses that will be a real joy all summer. How to select the ground When selecting ground for your roses choose a sunny spot. This is essential. You cannot grow roses in the shade. Choose a place where you are certain the soil is free from all tree roots and the roots of shrubbery or vines. Roses are rather selfish and want the soil to themselves. Roses and shrubbery or strong growing vines never make good neighbors. You know it requires an exception to prove any rule, and in this case the exception is the “rose of the thicket.” This common wild rose can be used in a shrubbery border, or it may be planted in masses. This rose has a rare sweetness that is very charming. There are several varieties of this wild rose. They fruit abundantly and the haws are beautiful in the winter landscape. These are perhaps the only roses that are not particular as to soil. In their natural habitat we find them rambling over some rocky hillside or following the winding course of some meadow brooklet, and they require absolutely no care after planting except the removing of the dead wood. As to other roses, a thing to consider is the preparation of the soil. The more care and labor you expend in this detail the better results you will have. Roses are almost as responsive as humans. They will do well in any fertile ground, but they require drainage. They will not do well in soggy, sour soil. A few years ago there was quite a difference of opinion among those best versed in rose growing, but now the most successful growers here and in England agree that topsoil from a pasture and well-rotted stable manure suit roses best. Preparing the bed It is necessary to prepare the bed ten days in advance of setting out the roses. Dig the bed to the depth of two feet and arrange it so you will have one foot of soil and six inches each of sods and manure. A good sprinkling of air-slaked lime or bone meal makes a welcome addition, but not a necessary one. You can secure the sods from the pasture at the time you get the topsoil, which will be found just below the roots of the sod; it is exceedingly rich on nutritive principles. Mix the soil thoroughly together, but do not put it through even a coarse sieve. Do not chop the sods into too fine pieces. The broken sods will have a tendency to keep the soil open and porous, thus making perfect drainage. After ten days have elapsed, and you are sure the soil has settled, the surface of the bed should be about one inch below the level of the adjacent surface. Never make the plots too large, because you must consider the time when you begin to gather the blossoms. You must be able to reach the middle of the bed comfortably without stepping on the outside bushes. A convenient size is five feet wide; of course the length is immaterial. The best time and how to plant There is an open question regarding the best time to plant roses. In Europe roses are planted in autumn but in this country, due to climatic conditions, many successful rose growers advise setting them out as soon as you are sure the frost is out of the ground. The most important point to determine is whether the frost is entirely out of the ground. Just how you plant depends on the varieties you are setting out. If you purchase them in pots, then remove them most carefully from the pots. Try to keep the soil intact. Set them so the ball of soil (as it comes from the pot) is about two inches and a half below the surface of the soil. Care should be taken to see that the roots do not become dry during transportation. Spread the roots at time of planting, then firm the soil well about them. After they have been planted they should be pruned back at least one-half. Although the result of such pruning is perhaps fewer flowers, the individual flower will not only be larger and more perfectly formed, but it will hold its head erect on a long stiff stem, which is what we so much desire. Only moderate pruning will yield more profuse but more indifferent flowers. Never overcrowd your rose plots. Give plenty of room for future development. Hybrid tea roses and tea roses require to be planted eighteen inches apart; hybrid perpetuals require even more room; thirty inches apart is about the right distance for these. Water thoroughly after planting. After they are established they will not require much water, save in prolonged dry spells, and then after sundown. During the warmer months constant cultivation of the soil will in a large measure take the place of watering. The soil in a rose plot should be cultivated once each week the entire season. The way to fight insects Roses that are well cared for, well nourished and loved—I add this because where they are truly cared for they respond, and people who love roses usually grow the largest and most beautiful roses—are rarely troubled with insects or fungous growth. Should these enemies appear, a solution of Bordeaux mixture, eight ounces to five gallons of water, will destroy them or at least cause them to vacate. This should be applied with a garden sprayer or a whisk broom. See that the mixture reaches the under surface of the leaves, as this is the favorite habitat for these enemies. Even with apparently the best care, mildew will sometimes attack roses. Half an ounce of sulphide of potassium mixed with a gallon of water is an efficacious remedy. If this does not have the desired effect, then dampen the foliage and apply tobacco dust. Bend the plants so it is possible for the dust to lodge on the under surface of the leaves. During the growing season, should your young plants be troubled by green fly or aphis. use tobacco dust or steep some tobacco in boiling water—it is merely a case of which you find more convenient. Which varieties to choose If you have room for trellises, or if you are the happy possessor of a pergola, then do plant ramblers; they are attractive and the foliage of the pink and white or even the yellow varieties keeps green and shiny the entire season. They add much to the charm of an old wall or cover up many defects of an old building. They grow so dense that they can be trained on wire netting and make an effective screen to hide an unsightly vista or to lend privacy to a tennis court. Then you will want hybrid perpetuals and hybrid tea roses. The former are fragrant and the flowers are of unusual size and perfection, but their season of blossoming is rather short—they blossom only occasionally after June. The latter class blossoms the entire season. Rosarians never agree as to the best roses. We change our opinions from year to year. I can mention only a few varieties in a short article, but the following varieties are not only beautiful but reliable: Hybrid tea roses—Dean Hole, light pink; Killarney, pink; Mrs. Aaron Ward, yellow; Pharisaer, white; General MacArthur, red. Perpetual tea roses—Marshall P. Wilder, red; Baroness Rothschild, light pink; Clio, blush; Magna Charta, pink. The Ophelia, which was introduced as a new variety in 1912, has surely proved its worth. Do not be afraid to grow roses; their demands are really few and their beauty is so rare. James Whitcomb Riley must have loved them, for he wrote: For the world is full of roses |
