DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 21784, 28 July 1934, Page 22

DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB

ROSE CULTIVATION The Dunedin Gardening .Club' met on Tuesday of this week.,' Mr W. Black-, bunt presided. .There was a good attendance. Mr H. Bennett gave an address on “Roses,” outlining the history of their cultivation and giving instruction'as to how to raise- thent; to advantage for garden and- exhibition purposes. At the conclusion of the address Mr Bennett nvas' accorded a hearty vote of thanks, oh the motion of Mr John Whyte. ROSES FOR EXHIBITION. ' In this part of his address Mr Bennett said: Although the growing of roses which are to be exhibited at a horticultural show follows closely along ordinary cultural lines, the efforts of the would-be prize-winner must naturally be intensified. In the matter of bud-thinning, for instance, it is necessary to sacrifice a large number of choice and promising buds without compunction, but one, or at most two, being retained to each shoot, the largest and best placed (central) ones being selected. The majority of exhibition blooms are cut from maiden plants. Eabh shoot must be supported separately when the growing season arrives, _ to prevent its being damaged .by wind and rain. Liberal feeding af the roots with liquid manure through the late spring and summer months _ is also necessary, little and often being the golden rule. - When the buds begin to exhibit colour the manure, must bo stopped, however, or the blooms will suffer. To produce perfection of colour in exhibition roses it is often necessary to shade the blooms while on the plant from rain, fierce sun. and violent winds. There is a good deal of art in the use of shades, which can be learned only by experience. The caps, or cones, used for the purpose may be purchased quite cheaply from any good horticultural store. The shading must not be overdone, for excAss of shade may cause the petals to be limp and washed-out looking. A ponit to remember, too, is that shades should not be placet} too low down over the blooms, for if loft in this position they will do more harm than good. % About two days before the date of ■ the. show, the centres of the chosen rose

must bo tied with thick worsted, any insects being first removed with a camel-hair brush. In using the wool care must be taken that it is not drawn too tightly round the flower and it should be fastened by a double twist instead of a knot, so that the bloom may loosen the band as it growns. The flowers should be left tied up until the show table on which they are to be exhibited is reached. Ordinary blooms destined for the show are best cut (with as long a stem as possible) in the _ evening before the event and placed in a bath of water in a cool dark place, free from all draughts, overnight. Thus treated, they will be fresher and the stalks more rigid than if cut on the morning of the show, Cutting should not bo done unless needs must, when the blooms are wet. Most single roses are best cut in the bud; if cut when fully opened they are liable to have dropped their petals by the time the show has been reached. For packing exhibition roses there is nothing so good as fresh clean moss, a supply being obtained w?ll before the show, washed thoroughly, dried, and when the times comes laid evenly over the blooms.

On arriving at the show the boxes should be unpacked carefully, 'the worsted untied, and the blooms brushed out, a soft camel hair brush being used for the purpose. A little manipulation of the petals with the finger and thumb will bring out the shape or help to loosen a very tight, half-opened flower. In arranging the exhibit the largest blooms should occupy the back row, the two finest specimeiffe coming at the corners; the smaller blooms may be utilised for the second and third rows. The blooms should be in special rose tubes, sold for the purpose, supported in a tray with holes made to accommodate them. r Moss.may well line the tray between ’the specimens. If the display is to be a mixed one, the colours should be carefully grouped. Never should red come next to red or white next to white; colours should always be divided. It may be worth noting that exhibition roses will retain their freshness for a longer period than they ordinarily would if the bark is peeled back from the lower part of the stem for about two. inches, and the stem is split up the centre with sharp knife to the same distance. This enables it to absorb rapidly the maximum quantity of water. Whilst “ faking ” is prohibited, ordinary dressing is quite permissible. An ivory paper knife is the most convenient tool for shaping the petals or inducing a bud to open a fraction more than it would be in-

clined to do if unaided. If the knife ,cannot easily be inserted at any point, blowing gently on the bud will usually create an opening. A camel hair brush is useful for removing insects or specks of dust from tse interior of the bloom. Opinions are divided as to whether damaged petals may bo cut away. Such cutting is, however, frequently done, and it is only common sense to‘remove an obvious disfigurement from an otherwise perfect specimen.

RUSES FOR GENERAL GARDEN CULTIVATION.

Etoile de Hollandc, H.T., bright dark red; Hetty Uprichard, H.T., orange pink; Emma Wright, 11. T., pure orange; Mrs S. M'Gredy, H.T., coppery orange, splashed red; Mine. Butterfly, 11. T., pink, shaded apricot; Mrs A. R. Barraclough, 11. T., carmine pink; Shot Silk, H.T., orange rose, shaded yellow; Mrs G. A. Van llossen, H.T., orange apricot on dark yellow ground; Mrs Henry Bowles, H.T., glowing rose; C. P. Ivilham, H.T., brilliant nasturtium red; Christine, Pernetiana, deep golden yellow; Mrs Wemys Quinn, Pernetiana, canary yellow; Angele Pernet, Pernetiana, dark apricot, shaded ; Mine Edouard s Herriot, Pernetiana, vivid terra-cotta, passing to strawberry rose; Hortulanus Budde, H.T., dark velvety, red; Duchess of Athol, H.T., orange, shaded old rose; Golden Emblem, Pernetiana, golden yellow; Rev. F. Page Roberts, H.T., orange gold to saffron yellow; Dame Edith Helen, H.T., pure glowing pink; General M'Arthur, H.T., bright scarlet crimson; Lady Inchiquin, H.T., rose pink, suffused orange; Los Angeles, H.T., salmon rose, shaded apricot; Ophelia, H.T., salmon flesh: Clarice Goodacre, H.T., chrome on ivory white; Independence Day, Pernetiana, deep orange; Lady Fortiviot, H.T., golden yellow, shaded apricot; Mabel Morse, H.T., rich golden yellow; Mrs Henry Morse, H.T., silvery rose pink. EXHIBITION AND GARDEN ROSES. Mrs Henry Bowles, H.T., glowing rose; Dame Edith Helen, H.T., pure glowing pink; Mrs A. R. Barraclough, H.T., carmine pink; Mrs Henry Morse, H.T., silvery rose pink; Mrs S. M'Gredy, H.T., coppery orange, splashed red; Hugh Dickson, H.P., crimson, shaded scarlet; Julien Potin, H.T., clear golden yellow; Lady Inchiquin, H.T., rose pink, suffused orange; Mrs Beatty, H.T., self yellow of Marechal Niel shade; Frau Karl Drusehki, H.P.,' pure white; Rev. F. Page Roberts, H.T., orange gold to saffron yellow; Miss Willmott, H.T., soft creamy white; Caroline Testout,

H.T., bright warm pink; Gorgeous, H.T., orange yellow, Hushed copper; Mabel Morse, H.T., rich golden yel-, low; Mrs Charles Lamplough, H.T., lemon chrome ; Shot Silk, H.T., orange rose, . shaded yellow ; Golden Emblem, Pernetiana, golden yellow; M'Gredy’s Ivory, H.T., creamy white, shaded yellow; Margaret, M'Gredy, H.T., geranium lake; Admiration, H.T., soft cream, washed and shaded vermil;, Los Angeles, H.T., salmon rose, shaded’ apricot; May Wettern, H.T., rosy pink; Barbara Richards, 11. T., maize yellow, flushed rose; W. E. Chaplin, H.T., deep crimson. ‘