The best soil for the rose is a rather stiff loam, although it is not
particular about soil, but grows luxuriantly, flourishes well in a
fresh loam with a plenty of pure air and sunlight. A stiff, clay loam
will produce better flowers, and of a deeper color, than a soil of
a light muddy character. If you desire many blossoms, be careful to
cut off every rose when it fades away. We gather our roses so freely,
we leave but few to wither. In the spring roses should be pruned
thoroughly.
Many people have been discouraged in raising roses, on account of the
slug and other insects; but nothing can flourish in this world, that
is desirable, without care. So with the rose. Early in spring, just
as the buds are starting, wash your roses in a solution of tobacco or
whale-oil soap. If the insects appear on the leaf, syringe the bush
freely, early in the morning or late at night, with a solution of
whale-oil soap. Sprinkle wood ashes or charcoal dust around the roots.
A gardener invariably recommends monthly roses, rather than the
so-called perpetuals. Those who purchase perpetuals, without a previous
knowledge of their habits, are always disappointed in the few flowers
they produce after the first blooming. Their great virtue is the hardy
nature of the plant. The monthly roses bloom at the South nearly the
whole year. But what shall we do with these delicate roses at the
North during the winter? The best way is to lay them down, and cover
with sods, or earth and manure. If the subsoil is gravelly or sandy,
they will surely keep, as a good drainage is necessary, without it they
cannot live. The way to lay down a rose-bush is to dig a trench four or
five inches deep, up to the root of the rose, then bend your rose-bush
carefully into the trench, and peg it down. Cover entirely root and
branches by sods, placed grassy side upwards, forming a hillock. Or
cover it with earth or sand, and straw or manure.
The next important consideration is _the time at which it is done_. Few
amateurs have any idea of the amount of freezing which even the tender
tea roses will sustain without injury. It often proves fatal to roses
to be covered too soon. It is well to cover the ground around the roots
of the roses with leaves or straw to prevent the earth from freezing.
In New England, the early or middle part of November is generally the
time to cover roses for the winter; in the Middle States, in December.
The best rule is to let your roses remain uncovered, until the ground
can no longer be ploughed, or dug with a spade. This covering can be
removed as soon as vegetation fairly starts in spring. Every plant thus
saved possesses a four-fold value over those planted out in the spring,
as the roots have been so little disturbed. Another way is to dig a
trench, line it with straw, and lay in your delicate roses, then cover
entirely with earth until spring. Roses that have bloomed all summer
should not be potted for winter use. They need rest, and will not
flourish in warm rooms.