Читать книгу Roses and Rose Growing - Rose Georgina Kingsley - Страница 7

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When the beds are thoroughly prepared and settled, we may begin to think about planting them.

The ideal time for this operation is in November and December. For the plants, lifted as soon as they have done flowering, and put in their new quarters with as little delay as possible, have time to settle down before any very severe weather, and suffer far less than those planted later in the winter. But roses can be safely planted, if proper precautions are taken in the process, as late as February and March—open weather of course being selected for the process; and I have indeed planted them late in April without damage: but that was of course taking a big risk as a matter of necessity.

Whether we get our roses from British or from foreign growers, the orders should be sent out as early as possible in September and October, to secure the best plants and to ensure their arrival in good time.

A mild day, if possible without sun, is best for planting roses. And if the bundles arrive in a frost it is better not to attempt to open them, but to put them just as they are into some outbuilding in which the frost cannot get at them, where they may safely stay for several days.

Unpacking.—When they arrive, the bundles must be opened most carefully, and the packing removed gently. I have seen valuable roses badly broken by a careless person, who has pulled them roughly out of the package instead of quietly disentangling the shoots. If the journey has been a long one, the plants should be well syringed at once, and the roots plunged in a bucket of water for half-an-hour before planting. Great care must also be taken in every case not to leave the roots of the plants exposed to the air; for if the roots get dried up, a great and sometimes fatal check is given to the rose. Those which cannot be planted immediately should be laid along a trench and lightly heeled in with soil, until they are wanted. And even those which are to be planted immediately, should have a mat thrown over the roots as they lie beside the bed waiting their turn, especially if the day is sunny or the wind cold. Many of the great growers advise dipping the roots in liquid mud mixed with a little cow manure before planting.

Each plant must now be carefully examined, and any broken shoot, or bruised and broken root, cut off with a clean cut. For this I prefer a sécateur to a knife, if the sécateur is a very sharp one.[1] A torn, bruised, or broken root, if left on the plant will decay right up and do incalculable mischief. Sometimes, in the case of one's own roses grown from cuttings out of doors, the roots are so rampant that it is well to shorten them before replanting; but this is not often necessary with new stock from the growers.

The holes must now be dug ready for the reception of each plant. In well-worked ground, such as the new bed described above, a hole eighteen inches across and eight inches to one foot in depth, is sufficient: but in this we must be guided by the root habit of each plant. Some have roots of a spreading nature; others are deep rooting. And the idiosyncrasy of each individual rose must be studied, if we wish it to be happy. In an old bed it is well to break the ground all about the hole with a fork; as the roots can then penetrate the surrounding soil with ease. And I would repeat that when the hole is made ready for its occupant, we should see that no manure is on the surface upon which the roots will lie.

Planting, to be well done, needs two persons.

When all is ready, the plant, held in the left hand, is set exactly in the centre of the hole, while with the right the roots are spread out flat in all directions, so that none are bent or twisted or allowed to cross, but are so arranged that the rose gets proper support on all sides. In fact they should be regarded as the guy-ropes of a flagstaff, intended to hold the plant firm from all points. If a root is too long to lie at its full length in the hole, instead of trying to fit it in against its natural inclination by turning it round the side of the hole, a further little channel must be dug in which it can lie perfectly flat. And great care must be taken not to injure the little white, fibrous rootlets, which mean flowering strength for the coming season.

The collar, or point at which the dwarf rose is budded on to the briar, should be from one to three inches below the surface of the soil when the planting is completed. In newly made ground I prefer three inches, as the soil always sinks a little. This is enough; for the plant should never be buried, and the roots should be kept as near the surface as possible. But if the collar is above the ground, the stock begins to throw suckers which take all its strength, and the scion perishes.

Fig. 1.—Mode of Planting a Standard Rose.

When the rose is properly set out and still held firmly in position, the second planter sprinkles some fine good soil among the roots—I generally give the plant a little gentle lifting shake at this point, to allow the fine earth to fall into all the interstices of the roots. He then fills up the hole gradually, pressing down the soil firmly at first with the hand, and when all is on treading it down with the foot, thus making the plant absolutely firm in its place before number one lets go his hold on it.

If their roots have been thoroughly soaked and swelled before planting, the roses need not be watered. But if the weather is dry, yet mild, it is well to give them a good syringing when they are all in place, especially if they have come a long journey. This, however, must be done in the forenoon, to allow them to dry before any chance of a chill during the night.

In the case of standards, large bushy plants, or pillar roses, a stake should be put against them before the hole is filled with earth. This is far the most satisfactory plan, as it avoids the chance of bruising or breaking the roots if the stake is forced in among them after planting. And, as I have said, the more fine fibrous roots the plant can throw, the better the flowers it will bring.

Tarred twine, or Raffia tape, are the best materials for tying standard and pillar roses. The twine should be given a double twist round the stake and then tied firmly round the stem, but not too tight, so as to allow room for the stem or branch to swell.

Under no circumstances must wire be used.

In the case of roses taken out of pots, the question of spreading the roots is one of the utmost importance; as, if they have been long in a pot the roots are interlaced in a perfect ball, and need most careful handling to avoid breaking them.

When all are safely in place, the tickets must be taken off and replaced by labels stuck in the ground beside each plant.[2] Many roses, especially from abroad, come with labels fastened on with wire. These should be removed without delay; for the moment the shoots begin to swell the wire eats into them, and in the course of a few months will either kill the shoot or break it. This is a most important matter. And I have had sad experience in it; as owing to carelessness and hurry in planting a number of extremely good French roses, I overlooked some of the wired labels. Eight months later, half—and the larger half—of a fine plant in full flower of the dwarf Polyantha, Perle des Rouges, was broken off on a windy day; and on examination I found that the stem had swelled to such a size round the corroding wire, that the weight it was bearing of foliage, flowers, and branches had broken it clean off. Even a label tied on with a string is injurious, from the constant chafing of the bark as the wind blows it to and fro and tightens the knot.

Our heavy task being now accomplished, we can await the rigours of winter cheerfully. But let no one persuade us that the newly planted beds would look better if raked smooth instead of being left quite rough. A smooth rose bed means that the soil cakes hard, preventing the rain penetrating in summer, and the frost mellowing the ground in winter. And from early spring to late autumn the hoe should be kept constantly at work between the plants; not merely to keep down weeds, but to keep the surface of the ground open to the influences of rain, sun, and the watering-pot.