Evening star., 1932-09-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

For there is no telling what q rose
will do. About the only thing the ANA
teur grower can be sure Of is that 1t
probably will not do what he expects it
to do.
This contrariness, however, u more
often his own fault than that Of the
plant.
Amateurs insist on planting rose
bushes where they ought not to be
planted, then they like to place the
blame on the bushes, when the entire
trouble goes straight back to them.
They insist ON selecting the trick
lest" varieties, instead Of sticking to the
time-tried and easily grown things.
They use too much fertilizer, or none
at all.
They insist on soaking the bushes,
leaves and all, day after day, Is II these
plants needed water more than mere
commonplace flowers.
They never seem to realize that
water on the leaves is an aid to black
spot" and other fungus growths.
They take no care in the planting,
examining the roots into an inadequate
hole in the earth, then expect the most
magnificent results.
The site for a rose bed is Of great
deal more importance than the be-
ginning rose grower realizes. While
most roses will grow to some extent In
almost any situation, they will not do
their best under trees, or even half
their best.
What many experienced rosarians fail
to grasp is that the rose, even though 1t
be a queen, is also a camel.
Fundamentally the rose Is q shrub,
and partakes Of the hardness Of such
shrubs as the althea, which no amount
of abuse can harm.
If many of our better known roses
do not seem to live up to their funda-
mental nature, it is because mcst Of
those held in popular esteem today are
the result of cross-breeding and are
insect pests.
Their very hardness has been bred
out Of them, in we'll known instances.
But the quality which all of them
possess to the fullest possible extent is
the ability to resist drought. Yet 50
firmly ingrained into the average gar
den enthusiast is the need for water
for growing things that he fails to make
personal experiments along this line
with roses, and so never comprehends
from his own experience, which Is the
only real experience, that roses posi-
lively do not need watering, in the
ordinary sense.
Their leaves will stay fresh and green
in the dryeSt, hottest weather, even II
it extends week after week. 1t Is ques-
tionable whether roses ever need arti-
fetal watering, in the usual sense In
which the term is used.
There can be little doubt that all
too many rose lovers simply water-log
their plants by dousing them evening
after evening with copious sprinklings.
Even if this sprinkling were confined
to the soil, 1t would be too much for
most rosebushes, but when it is applied
thus kept constantly wet, an absolutely
ideal medium is furnished for the
growth of inimical factors
And roses love sunshine, above all
Even more than most plants they de-
mand plenty OF ultra violet, now FASH
ionable" among human beings, but
through the centuries the best friend of
roses. 1t Is useless to expect the best
results if bushes deliberately are plant
ed in half shade. Perhaps Nature tries
to tell us something here. if We will
listen. II plant loves the sun more
than many others. it abhors water more
than others. That is a reasonable in
ference, but experience proves it. The
only time that rosebushes should be
artiflcially watered is in the Spring,
when fertilizer is dug in, and later in
the Summer, when more is given them
Otherwise the plants should go dry
Perhaps there will not be quite as
abundant blooms as in a normally wet
season; but are there any more nor
mally wet seasons? Between slightly
fewer blooms and wilted leaves and the
dreaded spot" there can be no doubt
Of choice. Above all, withhold fer
tilizer after the September blooming
period. There is no point in requiring
q rosebush to exert itself from now on !:
1t should be permitted to follow Ma
tllre'S Dropram