Roses are lovers of pure air and are therefore difficult to grow in large cities, though even there beautiful specimens are occasionally to be seen. They require the shelter of a high hedge on the north side, and also dwarfer shrubby screens at a little distance on the east, south and west in order to break the force of winds from those quarters. Yet these screens must not be sufficient to shade the plants, for roses are great sun lovers.

Like other hardy plants, they rejoice in deep, rich, well-drained soil containing plenty of humus derived from the decomposition of stable or farm-yard manure. Most of the hybrid perpetuals do best in a rather heavy soil, though sandy loams are often to be preferred for the culture of Tea roses.

Purchase roses grown on the briar stock or on their own roots, and insist on the plants having plenty of fibrous roots.

Order from a reliable florist early in October, requesting that the roses may reach you early in November. The ground having been trenched and manured some weeks previously, the roses should be carefully planted immediately on their arrival. For each rose should be dug a hole about a foot square, and of such a depth that the planted rose shall have the junction of its stock and scion about two inches below the surface of the soil. In this hole the plant should be placed, and its roots (which may with advantage be dipped into a pail of water just before being planted) carefully spread out and covered[53]
[54] with a few inches of fine soil. This should be firmly trodden in and the hole then filled with the ordinary soil. If the weather be dry, yet not frosty, it is well to settle the soil above the roots by means of a heavy watering. If the roses are to form a bed, they may, if dwarfs, be planted at an average distance of about eighteen inches apart.

But a bed of roses, beautiful as it is, is but one expression of the culture of these precious flowers. Over walls, trellises, arches and arbours they should be allowed to trail and climb at will, showing the graceful curves of briar stem, as well as the beautiful flowers themselves. Many roses, too, can be used to form hedges either alone, in the case of such varieties as the Ayrshires and Evergreens, Rosa Brunonii, the Crimson Rambler, the Scotch Briars and some of the Penzance Sweet Briars, or with other shrubs in the case of more leggy and straggling kinds.

In the April of each year, cut out all weak sappy growths, and, in the case of hybrid perpetuals, cut back to about eight inches from the surface of the ground the strong shoots which remain. Teas, if required for garden decoration, need only be thinned out, any dead wood being removed at the same time, and similar treatment is applicable to most of the summer roses.

It is difficult to select a few varieties as specially worthy of cultivation where so many are excellent. The old Provence, Gallic and Moss Roses bloom only in June and July, but are well worth growing for their fragrance, beauty and associations, as are also such summer bloomers as that vigorous hybrid China known as Blairii No. 2, and the very floriferous white Madame Plantier. The hybrid sweet briars, notably Lady Penzance and Anne of Geierstein, are of the easiest culture, but a warm sheltered situation is required by the beautiful Austrian copper briar, which is not everyone's rose.

Easiest of all roses to grow are the Climbing Evergreen and Ayrshire varieties, of which Bennett's Seedling bears white flowers, most of the other kinds producing flowers of sundry shades of pink. The Japanese roses (R. Rugosa) are almost equally vigorous and rampant, and are specially valuable for their scarlet fruits which help to brighten the garden in late autumn.

But, after all, it is the so-called perpetual bloomers on which most gardeners will place the highest value, and here the choice of good varieties is very great. There are seven principal classes of perpetual or autumnal roses, known respectively as Hybrid Perpetuals, Teas, Hybrid Teas, China Roses, Bourbons, Noisettes and Hybrid Moss Roses. From these classes, if I were asked to select eight varieties for a beginner to "learn on," I should name Madame Berard (Tea), Marie van Houtte (Tea), Blanche Moreau (Moss), Celine Forestier (Noisette), Souvenir de la Malmaison (Bourbon), Ducher (China), Prince Camille de Rohan (Hybrid Perpetual) and Viscountess Folkestone (Hybrid Tea).

A few more names of good roses are these—Among Hybrid Perpetuals: Fisher Holmes, Ulrich Brunner and Mrs John Laing; among Hybrid Teas: Mrs W. J. Grant, Bardou Job, La France and Kaiserin Aug. Victoria; among Teas: Marechal Niel, Hon. Edith Gifford, Niphetos, Madame Lambard, Belle Lyonnaise, Madame Hoste, Madame Falcot and Souvenir de S. A. Prince; and, among Noisettes: William Allen Richardson, AimÉe Vibert, Madame Alfred CarriÈre and l'IdÉal. To mention Gloire de Dijon is, of course, superfluous, though I am inclined to regard its general utility as somewhat overrated.