Gardening Notes

Evening Post, Issue 88, 12 April 1924, Page 17

Gardening Notes

ROSE GARDENS

PROPAGATING YOUNG PLANTS

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS FOR GAEDEN AT HOME.

(By "Practical.")

The queen of flowers was never more popular than at the present time, which is very gratifying to'notice. Very few, if any, flowers have such a long period of blooming. The wonderful rango of shades obtainable 'makes tho rose most useful both for garden and house decoration-. Some ot the newer introductions have, most unfortunately, no scent. This seems a great pity, as the .scent was one of ■ the chief attractions of the rose. However, this matter ia being taken up by some of the foremost rose''growers in the Old Country with a view of having it rectified in future introductions.. in considering the question of growing roses the iirst matter isHhe soil. The best soil for roses is a heavy loam resting on clay, but it should be emphasised that any soil can be. made to grow roses, and grow them well too. Naturally, according to the original soil, the future work of preparation must depend. With heavy soils'it will be necessary 1.0 provide adequate drainage—this is one of the^ essential things in successful rose! growing. No good results can be looked for if the ground is cold and waterlogged. Deep working of the ground is another very important point, at "least two spits deep if riot three/and between each spit put a good layer of well-rotted stable manure. Where'the ground is light, cow manure is better, but if of a heavy iiature the stable manure will help to open it up. In trenching the ground, care should be taken to keep the top soil on top and not to bring up the clay. The simplest method is', to mark off tho ground for the proposed bed, then open out a trench two feet wide right across the marked .plot, wheeling the top soil to, i the far end for filling in the last trench. Then dig or fork over the subsoil one or two spades deep. 'On top of this sub-soil, after it has been worked, put the manure and then dig the top soil from another two-foot-wide strip, throwing it on top of the manure and again loosening the sub-soil, and so on till the bed.is finished. When the trenching is completed the whole should be levelled off and the surface be given' a dressing of lune lightly forked in. The surface of the'finished bed will.be ionsiderably higher than itj was before trenching, but if the work is done now the ground will settle down and be in yood condition by planting time. .It is .advisable to get m order' for trees as early as possible, but as to selection this must be'a matter for individual taste. Where possible it is a good'plan to visit <he nursery and select the plants.- Most 'nursery- !° n g> leggy stocks, which are never so there need be no fear of refusal if the request is made.'. -, Avoid plants with long, leggy, stocks' which' are never so steady in the ground, and consequently do not do so.well. Try to arrange for the plants to be delivered to \bu l<> as to arrive on a day convenient for planting and with as little delay as possible from the time of lifting in the nursery to the replanting in your rosebed. The plants should be out of the ground as short a time as possible.', : Should the plants arrive in a dry condition pjunge them into a tub of water for two or' three' hours, tops and all for preference. '_ Eoses should-be planted from.2o'to 24' inches apart each way according, to the variety, stronger growers r.eq airing more from 'than the weaker ones.' Make the holes large enough to allow of the roots being spread out straight,-and-cbout 18 inches .deep. In the centre of the hole put a small mound of earth to rest the plant upon, giving the roots a downward tendency. Spread out.the roots as evenly round the mound as possible and cover in with' fine soil, which should be in a condition- to run in among the roots. Before completely filling the hole tread the soil firmly and then fill up to the proper level. As to the depth to plant, the point of junction where the rose was budded on to the stock should be aboit 2 to 3 inches below the surf ace. •■" Roots will then most probably form from the bush itself giving the plant an extra, source of.-feedin- and ' alsohelping to make it secure against wind. Before .planting, the roots should be lightly trimmed ; back and any bruised or broken parts completely removed. Tho fine' fibrous roots which ..are so desirable for producing good healthy trees and fin© blooms are pushed out from the roots so shortened. Eoses are usually sent out from tho nurseries shortened back" somewhat and require no .further pruning till the end of winter when danger of frosts is past. In planting roses care should be j taken to so place them that the tallest ones are at the backof the bed or, where the bed is in the open with grass or path ! all round, in the centre, and ''the others j arranged in such a way that the smaller growers are in front, where they call be seen to the greatest advantage. The arrangement of colours is also a matter -which; requires attention,- especially with the various red roses, , some of these clashing very violently if grown in contact withl one another.' PROPAGATING FROM CUTTINGS. . Most roses can be grown on their own roots from cuttings, but as a general rule better results are obtained from trees which are budded on to stocks. Weak growing varieties should never be attempted from cuttings as they very raretempted from cuttings, as they do the ■ result is generally disappointing. Strong growing kinds such as Frau Carl Druschki, Mr. John Laing, George Dickson, etc,- and most of the smooth-barked kinds, do quite well and are fairly easily rooted. The best cuttings are short side shoots,. about nine or ten inches long, which have had a flower bud on them. They should be removed with a heel where possible. If this can not be managed .cut immediately below a joint straight across. All leaves should be removed except the top 'two. The best position for rooting the cuttings is one where they get > shade. from all but the early morning sun. Cuttings should be set deep, about two-thirds of their total length, and the base should rest firmly upon sharp sand or grit of some kind. It is most important to make the soil thoroughly firm round the base; treading the ground on the surface is not sufficient. .Place the cuttings at least eight inches apart; a foot is bettor, as this allows room for -weeding among them without undue "friction. " The cuttings should remain in the bed until the following planting season. Where heavy frosts are prevalentjt will be necessary to go over them several times during the season and press down the soil round them, as heavy frosts lift them so that the base comes away from the bottom sand. . After planting the cuttings, a good watering should be given, even, if the ground is moist, to wash tho soil well in round them. Remove any dead cuttings as soon as noticed. BETWEEN SEASONS FOE VEGETABLES.. Beyond the advico given last w^selc, little need be said abput the vegetablejjardea.. It v getting late -for seed. sow-.

ing, except in very warm situations, unless the seed is sown under glass, which is more trouble than most people care to go to for vegetables. ' A few rows of early peas, however, may still be sown for cropping early in spring. If the weather continues fine and .the-ground remains dry the seed should be soaked for a tew hours before sowing and the. drills be thoroughly drenched with water, some time before setting the seed. • . 1 his will g,ve the peas a good start col SV a?^ ela?- Ik is advisable to IZt "l c, dnlls with fine wire netting to piotect the young p l ants f rom the b > ds> m£> 1 k cotton alons the rows JonfSlZ m.ethod, is adopted.should be eeZ-«ll r me of. sowing. the birds Cw^ °7 f e youne srowth before we do and play havoc by pulling Unu? tli V ghr °Ut f the g™nd Continue the planting of cabbage and cauliflower as previously advised, but never on the same plot two seasons m' succession using h me in the Vsoil as a preITZ B °\ c} uh-™ot: Lining and storI .!? 81"1 onions *ould te completed, and the ground, '%s it becomes vacant, roughly dug and manured. Cp down weeds and so reduce next season's work m this direction. Run the dutch hoe through gravel paths and turn ip the edges If this is done on a warm, dry day the weeds will all be destroyed ni 3 few hours. Regravelling of paths snould be attended to now F '