CULTURE OF ROSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22325, 27 July 1934, Page 11

CULTURE OF ROSES

ADDRESS BY MR H. BENNETT At the weekly meeting of the Dunedin Gardening Club Mr H, Bennett gave a very interesting and instructive lecture on “ Roses,” dealing with the history, culture, and care of the rose. Speaking on the question of situation and soil culture, Mr Bennett said that although some situations were naturally more favourable to successful rose culture than others, there were very few places which could not be used, provided sufficient care and thought were bestowed upon the preparation of the soil and the plants. Briefly, the principal needs of the rose were: Good rich soil and abundance of light, air, and moisture. Given these, only ordinary care and attention were required for the raising of a collection of plants which would give generously of beautiful blooms. When a fairly large space was at the disposal ot the gardener, and it was possible to select the position for the rose beds, the sunniest and most sheltered position should he chosen. Of all the conditions which made for success in rose growing that appertaining” to the soil was the most important. The most suitable time to undertake the preparation of a bed for roses was in the late summer or early autumn, but in any case, the work, if at all possible, should be done several weeks, if not months, before planting was commenced. If the depth of soil would permit, the bad should be dug a full yard deep. If the subsoil were much poorer than the surface soil and time could not be afforded to improve it, then digging should be done only to a depth of two feet. Even when the soil was good to a considerable depth, as when a rose bed was being prepared in a garden that had been under cultivation for a number of years, it was advisable to incorporate manure with it. When the soil was not good it would need to be improved [ by other ingredients besides manure. The best soil for roses was a deep, rich loam, sufficiently heavy to retain moisture during a dry season without beina; cold and clammy at others. It should bo the rose grower’s aim to bring his rose beds as near to this ideal as possible. The means adopted towards this end would naturally vary according to the nature of the soil under consideration. Very light sand and chalk soils were? perhaps, the worst of all from the point of view of the rose grower.

It had been said that no matter how good the soil, it was always advisable to work manure into it when the bed was being prepared. The ideal plan was to put a good layer of animal manure into the bottom of every trench, mix a little rotted animal manure along with the second spit of soil, and treat the surface foot depth of soil with chemical manures. The kind of animal manure to be used depended on the nature of the soil. Horse manure was suited particularly for a rose bed that consisted of a rather heavy soil, the coarse texture helping to render the ground more open and wanner. It should not be used in a fresh state, for it was too hot for the safety of the plants. For a rose bed in which the soil was light, cow or pig manure was better than horse manure, as it was cooler and finer in texture, and it also helped to bind the loose particles of loose soil together and assisted in retaining moisture. In the absence of horse, cow, or pig manure, some of the proprietary fertiliser that were claimed to be complete substitutes for animal manure could be used.

The customary season for planting roses of all classes extended from May until the end of August, or even until the middle of September. Rose trees could remain implanted for some weeks if their roots were well-covered with soil, but it was far better for them to be.planted as soon 1 as possible after they had been lifted from the nursery ground. Their roots should be carefully examined, and any , broken ends cut off level, to prevent the possible decay of the whole tree through , disease entering by way of the injured roots. When planting bush roses it was most desirable to leave the union between | stock and scion two inches _ below the | ground. This gave protection to the

union and prevented injury by frost. When the sail had been deeply trenched it was often still very light and spongy at planting time-, which made it very retentive-, of water, causing it to become sour. When each hole was opened to receive a tree the bottom soil should be trodden very firm, and at the same time slightly moulded in the centre in such a way that when the tree was planted its roots would tend to slope slightly downward in a natural position. Firm treading of the soil when the planting was completed was essential in the ordinary way, only an inch or two of loose soil being left on the surface. For making a bright show and producing a large supply of flowers for decorative work, all kinds of bush roses could be planted two feet apart, but when exhibition blooms were desired it was well to give three or six inches more room. Standard roses might be planted three to four feet apart. These should be put in at the same level at which they stood in the nursery, as indicated by the soil mark on the stem. Standard roses required to be staked immediately they were planted, the stakes, about five feet long, being driven in with great care, the ties to begin with being loose, to allow for the soil sinking and to prevent the tree from being strained by its stake. Many growers favoured the use ot liquid manures during the summer, ana there was much to be said for the principle, In liquid form, food might be placed at the disposal of growing roses in a condition in'which it might immediately be taken up, at the time when the plants would benefit most. Liquid manure should never be given on dry ground. Liquid manuring should never be continued late into the season, for it naturally produced somewhat sappy growth, and it was necessary for the shoots to he hard and firm before the winter. Perhaps the most widespread and universal of rose pests was the green ny or rose aphis, whose appearance was familiar to every rose grower. No matter how favourable the situation of the garden, or how much care was lavished on the plants, sooner or later the little pest would appear, and it behoved all rose lovers to keep a strict look-out for us advent. Directly green fly was noticed, it should be removed. The most satisfactory method was to spray infected plants with a solution of soft soap and quassia extract. The mixture was made by boiling half a pound of quassia chips in a gallon of water, and stirring in loz of soft soap. This liquor w,is added to nine gallons of water and sprayed on to the trees, with a spray pump, fitted with a very fine nozzle. A second spraying was recommended a few days after the first. If the green fly had obtained a very strong hold, a stronger spraying fluid would be required, consisting ot; Horticultural nicotine, 90 per cent., loz; soft soap. 2oz; water, 10 gallons. This would not harm even the tendcrest varieties, but applied twice at intervals or three to four days, it would account for almost every pest. , Mildew was caused by variations ot heat and cold, or by continued dryness of the roots of attacked plants, and in some cases wae so serious as to ruin the whole display. The best remedy was to damp the leaves and stems by syringing and then dust the stems and foliage with flowers of surphur, but care had to be taken to see that the sulphur reached the under sides as well as the tops of lb© leaves. Lime sulphur solution was also used, but the Collodial sulphur preparation was better. The first operation would not kill the mildew entirely, but if repeated in a few days’ time, and the plants well watered, the disease should give no further trouble. Rose rust was a bad disease jf allowed to gain a footing. It might be recognised by orange spores on the leaves, giving them a rusty look. The grower should remove and burn all infected leaves and spray them with potassium sulphide.

Black spot disease might" be as troublesome as mildew. It affected the leaves with black or purplish blotches, causing them to fall prematurely. The result of this was to hasten the development of buds that would have furnished the tree in the following season, the, tree thus being considerably weakened. The remedy was to burn all leaves and spray with bordeaux mixture as used in fruit gardens.

After giving an interesting and instructive resume of the methods adopted in. growing roses for show purposes, Mr Bennett gave the following list of rosea suitable for general garden cultivation: — Etoilo de Hollande, Betty Upriehard, Emma Wright, Mrs S. M’Gredy, Mme. Butterfly, Mrs A. R. Barraclough, Shot Silk, Mrs G. A. Van Eossen, Mrs Henry Bowles, C. P. Kilham, Christine Pernetiana, Mrs Werays Quinn, Angele Pernet, Mme. Edouard Harriot, Hortuanus Budde, Duchess of Athol, Golden Emblem, Rev. F. Page Roberts, Dame Edith Helen, General M'Arthur, Lady Inchiquin, Loa Angelea, Ophelia, Clarice Goodaore, Independence Day, Lady Fortiviot, Mabel Morse, Mrs Henry Morse. The following list comprised exhibition and garden varieties: —Mrs Henry Bowles, Dame Edith Helen, Mrs A. li. Barraclough, Mrs Henry Morse, Mrs S, M'Gredy, Hugh Dickson, Julien Potiri. Lady Inchiquin, Mrs Beatty, Frau Karl Druschki, Rev. F. Page Roberts, Mies Wilmott, Caroline Testout, Gorgeous, Mabel Morse. Mrs Charles Lamplough, Shot Silk; Golden Emblem, M'Gredy’s Ivory, Margaret M’Gredy, Admiration, Los Angeles, May Wettern, Barabara Richards, W. E. Chaplin. The following list was read to give an indication of the popularity of some of the newer varieties:— Exhibition and Garden Roses. —Haiv bara Richards (1930), H.T., 24 votes; Julien Potin (1927], H.T., 22; Mrs S. M'Gredy (1929), H.T., 21; M'Gredy’s Ivory (1929), H.T., 20; Portadown (1928) H.T., 13; W. E. Chaplin (1929), H.T., 17; May Wettern (1928), H.T., 16; Cherry (1928), H.T., 15; Golden Dawn (1929) H.T., 14; Mrs George Geary (1929), H.T., 12; Rose Berkeley (1928), H.T.. 12; Margaret M'Gredy (1927), H.T., 10; Trigo (1930), H.T., 9; Max Krause (1930), H.T., 7. Dwarf Varieties. —Mrs S. _ M Gredy (1929), H.T., 25 votes; Barbara Richards (1930), H.T., 17; Julien Potia (1927), H.T., 17; Lady Fortiviot (1928), H.T., 16; May Wettern (1928), H.T., 15; Mrs George Geary (1929), H.T., 15; Duchess of Athol (1927), H.T., 14; M'Gredy’s Ivory (1929), H.T., .11; W. E. Chaplin (1929), H.T., 11; Cherry (1928), H.T., 9; Flamingo (1929), H.T., 9; Portadown (1928), H.T., 9. ,■ . t Climbing Varieties. —Chaplin’s Pink, Cl (1929), H. Wich., 23 votes; Thelma (1927), H. Wich., 23; Mme. G. Strachelin (1930) , H.T., 16; Mary Hicks (1927), H. Wich., 16; Cl, Golden Emblem (1927), H.T., 7; Crimson Glow (1930), H. Wich. , At the conclusion of the address Mr Bennett was accorded a vote of thanks.