HINTS ON ROSE CULTURE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 118, 19 July 1873, Page 8

HINTS ON ROSE CULTURE.

Boses are the most interesting feature of many gardens, and well repay good cultivations; some of the numerous varieties in the various’classes are continually in flower, summer and winter. There are few plants which yield more willingly to good cultivation than the rose, and none which are such universal favorites. In directions for pruning, it is the rule to apeak of cutting them in pretty severely, the object being to secure fine blooms. But, if you d es i re a large quantity of bloom, without regard to the size of the flowers, there is nothing required but to be lenient in the use of the knife ; take out.weak shoots but shorten the others moderately ; from every bud you may expect bloom. We do not agree with those wh*o plaut in ordinary soils, omitting any extra aids to procure good flowers ; in poor soils the rose comes less double, and this is so serious a fault that it has occasioned many to be thrown away, and often to be considered wrong varieties. -Generally, people imagine that dung is the only thing needed, the panacea for all shortcomings ; but, if ground is light, a spadeful of strong loam and a spadeful of dung will be better than two spadefuls of dung. This should be well mixed with the soil, and the rose planted in it. Those who desire to grow only the choice show varieties should state to the nurseryman that their object is to have none but such as will expand, and show a good and perfectly blown rose when at perfection, as they purpose growing none others. In selecting roses for exhibition, in the first place make up your mind as to the sections yeu intend to compete in; then choose some of the best in each class, giving the preference to a goodly proportion of such as have bright colors. Select also as great a variety of color as possible. Be careful in planting not to place them deeper than they have been planted in the nursery. When roses have died, or need replacing, take out all the old soil and put in fresh, for roses, like most other plants, prefer entirely fresh soil. Beds of autumnal roses contrast well with the usual summer bedding plants, and produce a beautiful effect. Indeed, the rose is suitable for all purposes in the flower garden, and never seems out of place. They form splendid objects planted in isolated situations, as on lawns ; for this purpose select those kinds which bloom •t different periods. Mixtures of spring, summer, and autumn kinds should not be grouped together; a clump of roses should consist of such as flower at one season, therefore some pains must be •taken to keep all those which flower at the same period of the year together. Some portion of the garden may thus be always rendered gay with this beautiful flower. Of the classes to select from the perpetuals occupy the front rank, and of these some of the best are Pierre Netting, Victor Verdier, Lord Macaulay, Madame la Baronne de Bothschild, Senator Vaisse, Prince Camille de Bohan, Charles Lefebvre, Eveque de Nismes, Madame Furtado, Lord Baglan, William Griffith, John Hopper, Fisher Holmes, Madame Masson, Medomoiselle Bonnaire, Mademoiselle Eugene Verdier, La Duchesse de Morny, and Francois Arago. In the Bourbon class the flowers of all the best varieties are very perfect in form. Then we have the Noisette roses, Lamarque, Selme Forestier.and Triomphe de liennes, the tea-scented. In this class are inclined climbing Devoniensis, Madame Triffie, Merechal Niel, and Souvenir d’Elise Varden. To procure fine blooms it is necessary in the early part of summer, as soon as the buds have become sufficiently developed, to cut out three or four or more of the most forward buds. By so doing a greater number of the flowers will bloom at the same time. Do not cut away the latest buds, as it improves the appearance of the bunches of expanded flowers to exhibit them accompanied by uuexpanded buds.