In setting out a year's programme for work in the rose garden, it must be borne in mind that, firstly, most amateur growers have a daily calling that limits the time available for gardening; secondly, weather conditions govern our activities; and thirdly, rose-growing should be a pleasure and not a burden. The work must be fairly evenly distributed week by week.

It is not easy, with the mild climatic conditions of Australia and New Zealand, to choose a time at which one can say the rose year begins. One thing of which we can be certain is that New Year's Day is not the appropriate date. Most of our autumn blooms have finished by 30th April, but the plants are far from dormant; they are still fully clothed with foliage. However, this seems to be the best time to commence work for the new year. The dates given are for cool climates, such as Melbourne. Adjustments must be made for warmer or colder areas.

1st to 15th May. Never leave it later than this period to dig out and burn all the plants you have decided to discard. Remove some soil, leave the hole open, and obtain and store some virgin soil. There will still be a few blooms to gather.

Plant cuttings. Planting should be done in tropical areas.

15th to 31st May. Apply a little lime every few years if tests show soil to be very acid. Preparation of new beds or rejuvenation of old beds should be done before the end of this time. Only winter-blooming roses will still be producing flowers, except in the warm areas such as Perth, Geraldton, Brisbane, and Townsville.

1st to 15th June. This period has been the most popular planting time in most parts of Australia and New Zealand, but is fast becoming less popular than July. Dead, sickly, spent, and twiggy growths can be cleaned out of all plants, leaving less work for the busier time to come. Check over gloves, secateurs, and saw. Have stakes on hand.

15th to 30th June. In a big garden, where labour is not available in abundance, planting and pruning may be commenced.

1st to 20th July. The best time for both planting and pruning. Immediately after the pruning do any winter spraying that is planned. Promptness is particularly important if tar distillate is used. Clean up all old leaves and remove weeds. Turn over surface soil to a depth of three or four inches. Keep new plants damp.

Earlier pruning in warm climates will give earlier spring blooms and so possibly miss thrips invasion.

20th July to 15th August. Check all ties on standards and climbers. Spread compost, animal manure, or artificial fertilizers.

15th to 31st August. The growth-buds are breaking into leaf. Aphides are appearing and must be attacked early. E605, Systox, Lindane, or DDT in white oil or wax should be applied. Perth, Brisbane, and Townsville will have rose blooms to cut.

1st to 30th September. Roses will be growing strongly. Watch carefully for all pests, especially aphides, mildew, and caterpillars, and at first sign of any of them apply the appropriate spray. Water well and do not be misled by light showers of rain. Wind can cause a lot of damage at this time. Early-blooming varieties will be rewarding us in the cooler areas, especially some of our own Australian R. gigantea hybrids; in the warmer areas, such as Brisbane and Townsville, there will be an abundance of blooms from Hybrid Teas, and rose shows will be held. The mixed spray used in July could be repeated with advantage.

1st to 20th October. Keep the plants clean of pests and well watered at regular intervals. Keep the surface soil loose. Watch for wilt, unusual in recent years, but a great potential menace. Disbud. If you intend exhibiting blooms, covering should be commenced between 15 th and 20th October. Hot dry winds.

Thrips appear, sometimes in tremendous numbers. Never fail to spray with E605, Systox, Lindane, or DDT at this time. Do not leave it later than this to commence spraying each ten to fourteen days with a TMTD preparation, such as Thiotox. As it is compatible with E605 and BHC, it will save time and work if a mixed spray is used, wherever these insecticides are indicated.

20th to 31st October. The year's biggest flush of blooms in most parts of Australia and New Zealand. Roses that bloom only once a year do so in springtime. Climbers will be covered with flowers. The season for rose shows in the cooler areas is the last few days of October. Thrips can ruin a whole spring crop of blooms; see that they do not spoil yours. Never allow faded blooms to remain on plants. In areas where roses bloom early they will be breaking into fresh growth again at this time.

1st to 10th November. Still lots of roses. Cutting blooms either for use or after they have faded must be done correctly and regularly. Do not manure. Water regularly.

10th November to 10th December. The Wichuraiana hybrids will be displaying masses of colour. Other roses will have completed their spring blooming, been cut back, and be in strong growth again. They can be sprayed as a preventive against black spot and mildew there are no blooms to spoil. No manure, plenty of water. Watershoots will be appearing. A mulch may be applied. In the cold districts the main spring blooming occurs in the early part of this period, and in the very warm areas the second blooming will commence.

10th December to 10th January. The rate of growth of the roses increases with the longer hours of sunshine and the higher average daily temperatures. The blooms will be brilliantly coloured but small and fleeting. Flowers for indoor use must be gathered as fairly tight buds, handled carefully, and the stems re-cut under water. Draw any badly placed watershoots to the outer part of the plant. By 10th January you must decide which of two courses you prefer to follow for the remainder of the year: (a) a continuance of steady blooming in moderate numbers, which will decrease in late March and become sparse by mid April; or {b) sacrificing blooms from mid-February until early April with a big flush of blooms of good colour and size in mid-April. In climates warmer than that of Melbourne these dates will all be later. In Perth the autumn flush of bloom is timed for mid-May. Sunburn can cause extensive damage if the soil becomes too dry. Thrips will usually still be present, but seldom do any harm because blooms open too quickly. Mildew and aphides will cause very little bother. Black spot may be causing defoliation; repeat TMTD sprayings at regular intervals, in any case. Do not cut blooms with long stems. Climbing canes will be growing to a length sufficient to necessitate tying them to supports to prevent their becoming damaged. Tie them vertically until May or June.

10th to 31st January. Usually hot dry weather with frequent scorching winds from inland. If you have chosen to have steady blooming, keep on watering regularly. If you have chosen to have better blooms, in profusion but in a shorter and later period, omit watering during this time and do not cut blooms with long stems. Watch for black spot. Do not manure. Rose-growers in dry areas such as Perth and the inland parts will need to water occasionally.

1st to 3rd February. This and subsequent periods are discussed at length in Chapter14. If steady blooming is desired the soil will not have been allowed to become dry, and manuring and continuance of regular watering, together with routine removal of blooms, will constitute the main needs in management of the roses for the remainder of the year. If a heavy crop of autumn blooms is the objective the soil will be fairly dry and must be heavily watered, then manured and watered regularly thereafter. The manuring in either case should be a little heavier than that usually given in August. Do not dig it in. See that secateurs are in good order. Prepare new beds before mid-March.

5th to 10th February. Carefully examine plants for dead or sickly wood and remove it. Water regularly.

10th to 16th February. Those who reside in the cooler areas and desire good blooms in mid April must do their summer trimming. Roses in climates warmer than that of Melbourne will grow faster and should be trimmed later than in Melbourne, for which these dates are arranged. Sydney and Auckland growers should wait another week. Perth, northern New South Wales, and southern Queensland will need to do their summer trimming nearly a month later. Northern Queensland growers can have roses at any time of the year, but must allow less than eight weeks from trimming time to blooming. Southern Tasmania and the colder mountain areas of the mainland will have an earlier onset of winter and growers there must trim early, allowing for slower growth and earlier blooming. Trimming in any climate can be followed by a spraying with a preparation to reduce the incidence of autumn mildew. Secure new climbing canes to supports.

16th February to 15th March. Where plants have been summer-trimmed there will be very few blooms, and most of them will be the result of your having missed cutting back some small branch. Growth will commence and later become vigorous. Then flower-buds will form. Where little or no trimming has been done there will usually be a good showing of colourful roses. In a cool season they are delightful, but a few hot days can ruin the whole crop. Watch for early mildew. Spray with wettable or colloidal sulphur as a preventive; it is less likely to appear if one has been regular in spraying with TMTD. Add BHC or E605 to kill aphides or caterpillars. Use Alboleum for established mildew. Keep the beds damp and well mulched. Exhibitors may add a little more manure. Prepare new beds before it is too late. Perth and Brisbane rose-growers should do their summer trimming.

15th to 31st March. Early mildew is almost certain, and control measures are essential unless the grower chooses only varieties that are highly mildew-resistant. A few odd blooms of poor quality will be opening. Prune winter-blooming varieties.

1st to 8th April. Soil-stirring, watering, anti-aphis and anti-mildew spraying. No spraying should be done later than this period except in the warm zones where the roses bloom later, and so, if in doubt, err on the safe side by doing it between the named dates. New beds can still be prepared, but planting in them must be left till later than usual.

8th to 30th April. Plenty of blooms of glorious colour, the best of the whole year and unmarred by thrips. Usually calm weather. Autumn blooms of some varieties are smaller than the spring blooms, but most roses last longer at this time; they are more brilliant and are spread over a longer period. This again is rose-show time. Go to the shows, take your friends, discuss with other growers the habits of roses you do not know well, choose varieties to plant in the coming winter, and place your order with a reliable nurseryman, duplicating chosen varieties to make your list up to your required number. Rose-growers in tropical Queensland find this their best planting time.

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