Trenching.—We then begin the regular process of bastard trenching, digging up the fourth foot of top soil, throwing it into the hole, mixing it with the broken marl and manure at the bottom, and then removing the second spit as directed above. This is done along the whole bed; and at the end we use some of the earth we wheeled down at the beginning, to fill the hole on the marl at the bottom.

We thus have a bed five feet by twelve, but some fifteen inches below the ground. Over the surface of this bed we now spread a coating of good rotten manure; if we can get it from a cow yard so much the better, as cow manure is cooler than horse droppings to the roots of the roses. This must be thoroughly incorporated with the soil already dug in, with a fork, not a spade, as our object is to keep the earth as friable as we can. The bed is then filled up with nothing but the turfy loam mixed with some of the best of the surface soil, till it rises a little above the level of the surrounding ground; for it will be sure to sink.

But let no one imagine that this bed is ready for planting. It must be left for at least a fortnight (a month is better) to settle, and to mellow and sweeten; while its surface must be left quite rough to aid the process. If there is a frost during this settling, that will do it the greatest possible good.

Let the amateur avoid all artificial manures at first save a dusting of basic slag (see Chap. XI); for there is no need whatever in preparing a new rose bed to use any manure except sweet stable and cow manure. This contains all the qualities needful for newly-planted roses. It should, however, be so worked into the soil as not to come into actual contact with their roots, but to lie some two or three inches below them.

I have, of course, chosen an extreme case here. Better ground only needs to be thoroughly dug two spits deep, with manure and fibrous loam worked in. But, even so, I always think it is advantageous to break the ground at the bottom with a fork.

PLANTING.

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