Chapter 21 (extract 1) of "Roses for English Gardens" by Jekyll and Mawley (1902), in which Mr Mawley outlines the special methods of cultivation that a keen exhibitor will use in order to obtain exceptional blooms. Mr Mawley used these technique in his own rose garden at "Rosebank" and was a keen exhibitor.
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Illustration: Mr Mawley's rose garden - source of exhibition blooms
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See also: Roses for exhibition - manuring; management of the blooms; at the exhibition.
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CHAPTER XXI
EXHIBITING ROSES
It is often said by those who are beginning Rose culture that they have no idea of ever exhibiting their flowers, but that they simply intend to grow Roses for their own pleasure and for the decoration of their garden. However, after a few years, if their enthusiasm has not by that time altogether evaporated, the care and attention they have given their plants has led to such excellent results that they are often tempted to enter the lists, in order to test their skill against that of other competitors. The great charm that the Rose possesses over most other flowers for exhibition purposes is that it is a true amateur's flower —a flower that any amateur with moderate leisure can cultivate entirely with his own hands; or if the collection be too large to allow of this being done, he can undertake the lighter and more important parts of the work himself and leave the digging, manuring and watering to be carried out by the gardener under his own special supervision.
The directions that have previously been given as to planting, pruning, &c., apply, for the most part, to exhibitors and non-exhibitors alike. The principal difference consists in the more constant care and attention that the exhibitor is obliged to give his plants in order to keep himself in line with other competitors. It may be well, however, to draw attention to those details of culture which require special care on the part of the exhibitor. In order to obtain exceptionally fine blooms his collection must be kept clean and well nourished, and at the same time the strength of each plant must be directed into certain restricted channels; in other words, the object should be to have strong and healthy plants, bearing only a limited number of shoots.
Planting.—The Roses may be grown in separate parallel beds five feet wide, containing three rows of plants, with grass paths between the beds. More frequently, however, a piece of ground, either in part of the garden itself or in an adjoining field, is dug up and prepared to receive the whole collection. In the latter case the Roses should be arranged in double lines; that is to say, between each second row of plants a space three feet wide should be left to enable the cultivator to attend readily to the wants of the Roses on each side of this space or pathway. The plants in the rows should be two feet apart, and the same distance should separate the rows. By this arrangement much time is saved, a matter of great importance, considering that each plant will require to be visited if not every day at all events every other day during the growing and exhibiting seasons. It is a mistake to grow a larger number of plants than can receive this amount of individual attention.
Pruning.—The best month in which to prune the Hybrid Perpetuals and Hybrid Teas is March. It will be well to commence operations early in that month, and to continue the work at intervals during the course of it. When thinning out the shoots of the Hybrid Perpetuals, from three to six shoots, according to the strength of the individual plant, should be allowed to remain. By the best shoots is meant those which are the strongest and at the same time well ripened; gross, sappy shoots are of little service. When pruned the shoots should be left from three to six inches in length, according to the vigour of the variety—the stronger growers being the least severely pruned.
The Hybrid Teas will also require close pruning as a rule, but the shoots of the strong-growing varieties should be left longer than is recommended for the Hybrid Perpetuals.
The pruning of the Teas must be deferred until April, when, after thinning out the weak, sappy and dead shoots, those that remain should be cut back half their length. Of course, should the previous winter have been unusually severe there will be little choice in the matter, for in that case, after removing the dead wood, the shoots which remain will have to be cut back until sound wood is met with, even should this be beneath the level of the soil.
Insects and other Pests.—These must be diligently sought for and prompt measures taken to destroy them and thus prevent them from spreading. For this purpose a daily inspection of the plants during the growing season will be necessary. It cannot be too often repeated that most of these pests can with comparative ease be kept in check if dealt with directly they make their appearance, but when once they have become established, the difficulties of the cultivator are increased tenfold.
Thinning out the Young Shoots.—As the object of the exhibitor is to allow each plant only a limited number of shoots and to confine the flow of sap to these particular growths, it will be necessary soon after the young shoots appear to remove nearly all the other growths until the first crop of flowers has been produced. It is not advisable to begin this thinningout process too early, as, in the case of harm from spring frosts, some of the later-made shoots may be required to take the place of some of those originally designed for the production of the exhibition blooms; besides which, it is only when the young shoots are moderately advanced that it will be possible to judge which of them it will be advisable to retain or to remove.
According to the strength of the plant, from three to six flowering shoots should ultimately be left on each. This art of thinning out is an important one and can only be mastered after some little experience. As a rule the growths that are likely to bear the best flowers are the strong ones which come from the top bud of the shoots that have been pruned. Some of the moderately strong shoots which spring from the base of the plant may also be retained, but not so the extra strong sucker-like growths. These should be cut down to within six inches of the ground, for not only will they monopolise an undue proportion of the vigour of the plant, but the blooms they produce will be found as a rule to be coarse and unfit for exhibition.
This process of thinning should be continued until the buds on the selected shoots are showing colour.
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More: Roses for exhibition - manuring; management of the blooms; at the exhibition.
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