ne to pale fawn, and the
tree has glorious foliage.

=THE TIME TO PLANT.= October and November are the best months to plant
rose-trees, except in very cold parts; February is then a safer time,
especially for the tender sorts. =Their first season they require a great
deal of looking after=; their roots have not got a proper foot-hold in the
earth, and this means constant watering in dry weather. At blooming-time,
an occasional application of guano does a great deal of good, making both
flowers and leaves richer in colour. =Dead blooms, too, must be sedulously
cut off=, as, if left on, the tree is weakened.

=PRUNING.= Do a little pruning in October, though March and April are the
chief months. In the autumn, however, the shoots of rose-trees should be
thinned out, the branches left can then be shortened a fourth of their
length with advantage, as the winter's howling winds are less likely to
harm them. Standards especially require this, as when "carrying much sail"
they are very liable to be up-rooted.

When the spring comes, look the trees carefully over before commencing
operations, remembering that =the sturdier a tree is the less it needs
pruning=. The knife must go the deepest in the case of the poor, weak
ones. Always prune down to an "eye," that is an incipient leaf-bud; if
this is not done the wood rots.

Evergreen roses need scarcely be touched, save to cut out dead branches
and snip off decayed ends.

For Teas and Noisettes also, little actual pruning is necessary. H.P.'s
require the most. As a general rule for roses, if you want quality, not
quantity, prune: hard, but to enable you to "cut and come again," only
prune moderately.

=Dis-budding= is a certain method of improving the blooms if it is done
=in time=. It is little use to do it when the buds once begin to show
colour; start picking off the superfluous ones when they are quite small,
and the difference in size and shape is often amazing.

CHAPTER VIII

Enemies of the Garden

_Slugs, and how to trap them--Blight or green fly--Earwigs--
Wireworm--Snails--Mice--Friends mistakenly called foes._

=The best garden as a rule has the fewest insects=, indeed, no foe is
allowed to lodge for any length of time without means being taken for its
extermination. Some enemies are more easily got rid of than others; for
instance, green fly, or _aphis_ (to give it the scientific name), rarely
attacks healthy plants to any extent; it goes f