Pegging Down Roses

There are exceptions, as may well be imagined, among the wonderful variety that is found in roses at the present day. The first exception is found in those varieties that make vigorous growth even when hard pruned; this would seem to indicate that the orthodox method is not for them. Neither, in fact, is it suitable. If grown in a bed or border away from wall or fence, the proper way to treat them is by means of what is known as " pegging down." This, rendered plain, signifies that instead of being cut back in March, the growths of the previous year are scarcely, if at all, shortened (although if the tips are soft they are cut off), and they are secured to the ground by means of pegs. This is easily accomplished by tying a piece of string to the end of the shoot and tying this to a peg stuck in the soil. This miniature rose arch will be one mass of blossom in summer. Each bud will produce a bloom or bunch of blooms according to its habit. The grower proceeds in autumn to cut out the growths that have flowered, so that fresh shoots may have it all to themselves. They, too, are treated in the same way the following spring; thus in roses of this type there is a constant succession of young growths of great vigor taking the place of those that have given their bloom, and each year's supply is pegged down in March. There is no danger of the supply giving out if the old shoots are regularly cut out when the flowers are over. Such roses as these take up a lot of room, and it is useless to grow them in the same bed with others of ordinary vigor, for the latter will be simply smothered. I know this from unfortunate experience, and as my gardne is of limited extent ' I gave up growing them in a rose bed, and now have them against a 4 or 5 feet high fence. A few sorts that I have found need this treatment are Frau Karl Druschkil Hugh Dickson, Mrs. Stewart Clark and Clio. But one may peg down any rose that makes unduly vigorous growth if one wishes to have plenty of blossom and there is the necessary room at disposal.

Planting Roses

There is probably more varied advice given on the planting of roses than on any item of gardening work; the soil preparation, which is a necessary preliminary and may be considered in connection with it, is the subject of even more contradictory direction. Rather than attempt to weigh the possible disadvantages of one method with the possible advantages of another, it will be more to the point, I think, if I give my own experience and my own methods, for they have for some years given me most satisfactory results. My soil is ordinary gardne loam-that is to say, it is the kind of soil one would expect to find in any fairly well tilled garden. It is neither very heavy nor very light, although of course clay preponderates; otherwise it would scarcely grow roses. The method I adopt is a simple one. I do not trench 3 feet deep, as is often advised. Not for the reason that I underestimate the value of trenching, but for the very human reason that full trenching is hard and heavy work, and that a less elaborate method gives good returns. I like to do my own digging, then I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is well done or, at least, done to my liking. In preparing a bed for rose planting I first of all take out a trench 18 inches deep and 2 feet wide across one end of the ground. The soil at the bottom of the trench is then turned over with a fork. We thus get some 2 feet depth of tilled soil. The top " spit " of the undug soil is then turned into the trench ; the second " spit " is also turned into the trench upon the first " spit." Thus, to use an " Irishism," we have proceeded one step backward, a new trench having been opened. The, soil at the bottom of this is forked over. It may be worth while to mention that in digging over the first " spit " the worker faces the open trench ; in turning over the second " spit " he works sideways to it ; so, too, when forking the soil in the bottom of the trench. There is really nothing more to tell except to say .that the worker " proceeds backwards " until the end of the plot or bed is reached. The last trench is filled with the soil that was taken out in making the first trench. This, by the by, should at once be placed at the end of the ground, so as to save a second removal.

The question of manuring is one of importance to the welfare of the roses. There is no doubt that farmyard manure is the best stuff for digging in the soil when preparing for planting, and it is best placed below the second "spit " that is, immediately upon the forked-up soil at the bottom of the trench. When farmyard manure is not to be obtained readily-and near towns it appears to be difficult to procure the best substitute is basic slag. This may be conveniently applied after spreading it over the surface at the rate of 1/2 lb. to each square yard, and then digging it in dig the bed. In any case, whether farmyard manure is used or not, basic slag is an excellent fertilizer to apply in autumn; it is a slow-acting manure, and the plants will derive benefit from it the following season.

The actual planting presents no difficulties. The chief points to bear in mind are to dig a hole large enough for the roots to be spread out in it, to plant at such a depth that the point where the plant was budded-the junction of stock and scion-is covered with about 1 inch of soil ; first to soak the roots in a pail of water or puddled clay for several minutes, and to cut off all broken and bruised root ends. It is most harmful to leave the plants lying about when waiting their turn to be planted; they should either be placed in water or covered with soil. The root fibers so quickly dry up and perish when exposed to the air even for a short time. Finally, it is necessary to make the soil firm about the roots. It follows from this that planting cannot be done when the ground is wet ; neither is it wise to plant when the ground is dry, as it sometimes is in October. As to the time of planting, early November is the best of all. However, rose planting may be carried out successfully from the middle of October until the end of March or early April, but not later when the plants are from the open ground. Roses from pots may be planted at any time of the year, though preferably not later than May, since the roots are not disturbed and the plant receives no check.

If the removal is carefully carried out one may shift even large roses from one part of one's garden to another without their suffering, providing they are transplanted, say, not later than the first week in November. I have shifted 6 feet high plants of Hugh Dickinson from a bed for which they proved too tall, planting them against a fence without even a shoot shriveling When bought plants are put in, severe pruning is invariably necessary the following spring. Some growers advise covering the rose beds with manure in autumn when planting is finished. Others, and I am among. the number, think a covering of manure in spring preferable. I give a coating of farmyard manure 'as soon as pruning is finished, which is usually about the first week in April. This is forked just beneath the surface. The roses receive no further manure, except occasional dressings of fertilizer during summer.

There are many excellent special fertilizers on the market, as, for instance, Clay's, Guano, Wakeley's Hop Manure (which, by the by, is an excellent substitute for farmyard manure), and others. Tonks' manure is especially beneficial to roses. It is compounded from a prescription formulated by the late Dr. Tonks, and may be purchased already made up. Those who like to mix their own may care to know the ingredients, which are as follow :-Superphosphate of lime, twelve parts; nitrate of potash, ten parts; sulfate of magnesia., two parts; sulfate of iron, one part, and sulfate of lime, eight parts. This is applied in early spring at the rate of one pound to the square yard. Tonks manure is best applied in February. It is scattered on the surface of the bed, and then turned in with a fork.

It may be well to remind rose planters how necessary it is to secure standards and climbers to their stakes or the wall immediately planting is completed. November is notoriously a windy month and, as I know to my cost, many shoots may be broken off if they are not made fast to their supports. It may be said that I do not practice what I preach; but even supposing this to be the case, surely it is no good reason why I should not give others the best advice. It is true that I have neglected always to observe the rules that I now give for the guidance of others; but have I not paid the penalty ? I would parody the old adage and say that, " A tie in time saves nine," but as a matter of fact it does much more, it saves a rose from disfigurement and possible destruction.

Flowers for Shade Gardens

Flower Plants for the Shade

Ever since gardens began the value of shade as a means of refreshment to man has been recognized, all manner of devices, from the natural to the sheer artificial, being employed to create it. Only in the failure to make the most of existing shade has there been a lamentable lack of recognition.

There is a feeling that flowers and shade will not go hand in hand. The feeling is so strong that when flowers are found growing in garden shade it is usually through neglect rather than intelligent intent.

Full sunshine and the open sky are essential to gardens only in a general way. Nature shows that many of her most beautiful gardens are partially shaded; not a few have a leafy screen between them and the sun the livelong day.

Shade, in some measure, is as grateful to numerous cultivated flowers as it is to man. Having had it naturally, they crave it in the garden even though they are frequently good natured enough to live happily without it.

The deliberate planning of any scheme intended to make for shade should therefore not leave flowers out of complete consideration. No matter what the degree of shade, something there is that will find a particular spot congenial.

To make the point of complete consideration more clear, it is not enough to grow roses, wistaria or honeysuckle over a pergola or arbor, with perhaps a hardy border outside where there is a sunny exposure. So far as the flowers are concerned these are sun propositions. The important thing to learn is that other flowers may flourish in the created shady places flowers that will utilize waste spaces and sometimes prove no more trouble than grass or weeds; for something must grow in them, be sure of that. Call the pergola or arbor such if you will; but let it be secondarily a shaded garden.

So, in a wider sense, with the whole place. If the garden proper be endowed with shade, necessarily or preferably, seize upon its shade advantages and develop them to the utmost. Or it may be that shade is upon one side of the garden, or the garden leads into shrubbery or thin woodland ; then follow out the same idea. But do not overlook the lesser possibilities. Once a very pretty little shade garden not more than ten feet long and three feet wide was made along the stone foundation on the north side of the house. Though it had the sun only a little while in the morning, a couple of dozen kinds of native plants flourished there. No possibility is too small; there are plenty of them under trees, between shrubs or in the shadow of hedges and buildings.

Thin woodland on the outskirts of the home grounds is the finest of all opportunities, for the reason that here there may be a liberal planting of appropriate flowers in a fashion approximating nature. In England there are woodland gardens of the rarest charm, but wholly unstudied appearance, and in them it is easier to find some of the choice American plants than at home. Here, fortunately, there is an awakening and in a few instances most praiseworthy efforts have been made to bring naturalistic shade gardens to a high degree of perfection.

The list of flowers that may be drawn upon for shaded gardens is far longer than is supposed. Few, for example, take into account the fact that it is made materially more numerous by a small host of spring flowers that may be said to flourish in the shade, though they bloom in full sunshine in precisely the same spot. This is a most important point to understand; many plants like to grow under deciduous trees and shrubs, where they may bloom in full sunshine before the foliage is out on the branches over their heads. The remainder of the season they are shade-loving, or at any rate shadeenduring.

Plant always in irregular colonies, even in a square foot or two of waste dooryard space, excepting in the rare instances when such a space as the inner line of a pergola, or parts of a formal garden, would seem to make conventionality desirable. Shaded gardens, as a rule, ought to be naturalistic.

Other Plants for Shade

For early spring, when branches are still leafless or nearly so, there is nothing more beautiful than several forms of the hardy primrose ([[Primula]]). The loveliest is the English primrose (P. Vulgaris) which has been slow making its way here, considering the fact that it is one of England's commonest wildflowers and that with a proper degree of moisture and summer shade it is quite hardy here. The cowslip (P. Veris), the oxlip (P. Elatior), any yellow polyanthus (P. Polyantha) and the Japanese primrose (P. Japonica) are easier of culture and also are in every way desirable for massing on any scale. The pink P. cortusoides Sieboldii and P. farinosa, the lilac P. denticulata, the violet P. capitata and the (type) P. auricula are finely suited for shaded gardens but require more care.

Of the spring bulbs there are the snowdrop, [[Siberian squill]], glory-of-the-snow, [[grape hyacinth]], wood hyacinth, common hyacinth, [[crocus]], [[tulip]], crown imperial, [[daffodil]] and guinea-hen flower that may be planted where shade comes later. Any of them will grow in the thin grass under the trees of an old orchard and all are the better for a ground cover. This need not be grass and as a rule would better not be, though daffodils look particularly well in it. Snowdrops, for example, will come up through a carpet of periwinkle or bishop's weed, Siberian squill and lily-of-the-valley may be used together for double-cropping shaded ground, tulips thrive among ferns and so on. Avoid all double forms and bizarre color notes in naturalistic planting. Red is not a spring color in the North ; so beware of red tulips. The best tulips are the yellow species and the cottage white and yellow selfs; the best daffodils the yellow trumpet and the poet's narcissus.

{mosloadposition advert2}

Perennials for Shade

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadnsis) which naturalizes well in rocky places, is excellent for early spring; so are Dutchman's breeches (Dielytra cucullaria) and Squirrel corn (D. Canadensis). Then there are the foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia) , heart-leaved saxifrage (Saxifraga cordifolia), London pride (S. Umbrosa), blue bugle (Ajuga genevensis) white bugle (A. Reptans alba), liverwort (Hepatka triloba), white stonecrop (Sedum album) and, later, the perennial forget-me-not (Myos otis semperflorens) for similarly carpeting the ground. The first three lose their foliage after blooming; so may be double-cropped with ferns and other plants.

For higher growth a foot or so in partial shade the wild sweet-william (P. Divaricata), sweet woodruff (Asperula odorata), Greek valerian { (Polemonium reptans), common American columbine (Aquilegia canadense) and Pennsylvanian ane'mone (A. Pennsylvanica) are admirable when spring is getting ready to merge into summer; closed gentian (Gentiana Andrewsii) in September and the evergreen Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) and Pachysandra terminalis the year round.

The pink, white or yellow foxgloves, which are glorious on the edge of thin woods, for June; monkshood (Aconitum napellus) and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), for late summer, and Japanese toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) and Japanese anemone (A. Japonica) for early autumn are fine for still higher growth.

Other plants that may be grown in more or less shade are three of the best day lilies, Funkia subcordata, F. coerulea and F. Fortunei; the big bleeding-heart (Dielytra spectabilis) and the little one

(D. Formosa), banebery (Actaea spicata), May apple (Podophyllum peltatum), snakeroot (dmicifuga racemosa) and false Solomon's seal (Smilacina racemosa) .

Shrubs that Love Shade

Good [[shrubs]] are all the native [[rhododendrons]], laurels and [[azaleas]], which do better with the protection ; Cornus florida and the shad bush (Amelanchier canadensis).

Lilies for Shade

Last, but not least, the true lilies. Some of the best of them like partial shade and low growth covering the ground around them as well. Moreover these look better so placed than in any other way. Such lilies include L. speciosum, L. superbum, L. longiflorum, L. auratum and L. tenui folium.

To return to the matter of double-cropping, see that shaded ground is covered in summer unless tree or shrub branches are so low as to do this. There are combinations for all places even those where grass refuses to grow.