BACK TO THE ROSE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIX, Issue 4, 22 January 1913, Page 40

BACK TO THE ROSE.

OLD FRIENDS IN POPCLAR FAVOI’R, Ihe rose beds in the Christchurch Public Gardens an* very lino, and we have no doubt that they and those at Te Arolia are the best in the Do-

cultivate not roses.” And the specialist brought the student down to mundane things with a recital of the earthy processes precedent to the final production of the finished article. “To grow’ roses successfully.” he commenced prosaically, “you must have a rich soil, such as a deep loam, of a stiff, rather than a light nature, though the plants on their own roots will thrive better in rather lighter •soils than others worked on the common briar or on seedling storks. Shallow, sandy, or gravelly soils are unsuited for tin* rose, and so are any that arc improperly drained. The’ .soil for roses can scarcely be too rich, and plenty of manure should be added when the ground is being prepared for planting, and an annual topdressing in addition is generally beneficial in the production

of goo>J flowers. Heavy inantrrmg ia very good where there is good moisture, but if your rosea are in light land without water, use bone manure. A depth of eighteen inches or two feet should be provided for strong growing kinds, such as most of the hybrid perpetuals, and, in fact, a similar depth for all roses, if possible.

“The beginner,” said the veteran, “should buy his plants from a clean nursery. Some of the hybrid perpetuals grow from cuttings easily by putting the cuttings in a nice piece of workable land in March. Cuttings of fairly well-ripened wood will strike freely, and many of the varieties of hybrid perpetuals are better on their own TOjOts, as some amateurs don’t know the briar when they see it, and the minetta overpowers the scion.

“For a rose garden an open situation is desirable. Why? Because the plants get fresh air, and the open position brings them up hardy. For too long people have been crowding their roses in sheltered positions. -Early autumn planting is the best for roses. “The best kinds of roses? Well, that is a matter of taste. Go to a good rcse garden and select your own varieties. The Lyon rose is a champion, and should be in every collection. It is a magnificent bloom, with almost a coppery shade. Rhea Read and Betty are beautiful red roses. Lady Roberts i<s a pretty pink, almost a flesh tint. Mrs. David McKee is a splendid white rose. Climbing rases are very beautiful, and very floriferous. They are splendid for covering arches, arbours and pillars, and even for training up trees, say, for instance, a gaunt cabbage trees or even tallgrowing shrubs.”

SOME NATURAL SIZE SPECIMENS FROM MR. H. A. FOX’S STRIKING EXHIBIT OF CARNATIONS AT THE WELLINGTON SHOW.