Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-15

as it would have done had the weather
been more favorable.
For all its toughness, being a shrub,
the rose Is sensitive to inimical fac
tors, among which may be included
continued damp and gloomy weather,
which favors the development of mil
dew, black spot and other fungous
diseases.
Continued rain also tends to poor
opening of blossoms. diScoloration OF
the edges of petals. and fewer blossoms.
The rose is a sunshine loving plant,
one which demands as much sun as
possible for it's best poisoning.
Fear of sunshine. curious feeling
with many amateur gardeners, is utterly
out of place when considering the rose
Sunshine from morning till night is
the one fundamental rose necessity
Not that most varieties will not do well
If deprived of it for half a day. But
they certainly will not do as well.
Sunshine helps check diSeaSes-in
fact, will almost end them If the plant
can at the same time be kept dry.
This is a sort of counsel of per-
fection," of course, impractical in most
gardens Sometimes it is possible to
plant a rose next to a house on the
southern side, where it will enjoy sun
shine all DAY long
If this planting can also be beneath
an overhang of feet in width, it will
shelter the bush from all except driv-
ing rains.
In such a situation a rosebush will
be practically free from disease, and
pests will be at minimum, and the
bush will give bigger and more flowers
than ordinarily.
x X
The effect of the weather upon the
gardener, too, must be considered. Just
as there are some people who profess
to like the dark meat of turkey better
than the white. SO there are a few
gardeners who say that they like cool,
crisp weather" for gardening.
We set them down for liars, perhaps
uncharitably enough, and let it go
at that. What pleasure is there digging
in the ground with raw hands and
shivers chasing up and down one s
backbone?
There is nothing colder than the
earth when it is cold No doubt it is
the dampness associated with the cold.
"Massa,s in the Cold, Cold Ground" was
no poetical effusion, but the truth.
Morning temperatures of As and SO
degrees are not high enough to be con-
ducive to genuine garden enjoyment
any more than they are to the best
growth of plants.
Roaming cats. bounding dogs, chesty
robins-these may enjoy cool weather,
but the average human being who digs
in the ground will like gardening more
when the thermometer on the back
porch says so to 70 degrees
When the first slightly warm days OF
early Spring arrive every one wants to
throw off his coat, grab the rake and
toll at the lawn until the novelty wears
Off
A chilly atmosphere is expected then,
but when it continues for days and
weeks and the furnace is kept running.
and even the sturdy althea bushes ap-
pear rather bleak and undecided about
springing forth with their leaves. the
ardent gardener finds his enthusiasm
declining bit by bit even when he
willingly would be otherwise.
This cannot be helped. A gardener
grows with the weather along with his
plants. He is not hundred per cent
gardener the year around, but reaches
his maXimum--if he has the real tenn
perament-during the hot months and
declines with the flowers in the Fall.
That is why many of us are not able
to get up any great enthusiasm for the
Autumn garden. Our spirit is on the
wane with the flowers. We share their
joys and sorrows and when Autumn
comes we are ready to quit with them.
For a further elucidation of this point
we refer the ambitious to Richardson
Wright's new volume, The Gardeners
Bed Book" wherein he says much the
Rame thing