Stark Bro's Landscape Architects and Ornamental Nurserymen Louisiana, Mo. 



How to Plant Pruning Winter Protection 



.Vo. / shows rose bush planted too deep. No. 2 is planted just right. No. 3 illustrates proper 



pruning immediately after planting. No. 4 shows dirt mounded up the following 



Fall for protection against Winter injury. 



roots of the roses will go down to considerable 

 depth, therefore the top rich soil and manure 

 should be at some depth under the surface of 

 the ground. 



Laying Out the Beds 



Of course it ia understood that the 

 roses should be kept in beds by themselves. 

 Do not try to mix roses and other flowering 

 plants in the same flower bed. The beds can 

 be laid out in any manner desired, but they 

 should not be too complicated. An arrange- 

 ment of simple rectangular beds, possibly a 

 circular bed will give most pleasing effects. 

 See diagram on page 26. Do not make the 

 beds in fancy scrolls, as beds of this kind are 

 not only unsatisfactory, but they are hard to 

 maintain in neat condition. 



Winter Protection 



Many of the roses, especially the Hybrid 

 Perpetual class are hardy enough to go 

 through the Winter without any protection 

 whatever; however, it is very little trouble to 

 furnish a moderate protection and it is 

 always safest to do this. Some of the more 

 tender sorts of the Tea and Hybrid Tea class 

 are not so hardy and should by all means be 

 protected. After a frost or two has occured 

 in the Fall to ripen up the tops of the 

 rose bushes, the soil should be mounded up 

 and packed in about the base of the bush to 

 a height of 6 or 8 inches. In order to make 

 it easier to apply the mulch, the rose bushes 

 can be headed back to within one foot of the 

 ground. See diagram on this page. Assum- 

 ing that the dirt had been mounded up about 

 the base of the bush, the next step is to apply 

 a coating of rough manure on the surface of 

 the beds. Then on top of this, a layer of 

 dead leaves can be placed, or in case it is not 

 convenient to secure dead leaves, straw or 

 corn fodder can be used for this purpose. 

 Weight the leaves or straw down so it will 

 not blow away. 



IMPORTANT. Do not make the covering 

 or mulch too thick and heavy or it will 

 smother out and kill the roses. When the 

 Spring begins to open up, the mulch can be 

 removed gradually from day to day, then the 

 tops headed in closer, as described in the 

 paragraph on pruning. It is not advisable 

 to attempt to protect the climbing roses 

 further than mounding up the earth about 

 10 or 12 inches about the base of the plant. 

 Practically all of the climbing roses are hardy 

 enough to take care of themselves without 

 protection. 



Time to Plant Roses 



As a general rule., roses should be planted 

 in the Spring. This applies to the Central- 

 West and the Northern states. In the South, 

 Fall planting is to be preferred, also there are 

 many of the hardier climbers, Rugosa type, 

 and some of the Hybrid Perpetuals, which 

 can be planted very successfully in the Fall, 

 even in the colder climates. However, as a 

 general rule, it is safest to plant in the early 

 Spring. Fall planting of hardy shrubs and 

 most shade trees gives splendid results. 



Receiving the Plants 



When stock is received from the nursery, 

 it should be unpacked and all packing material 

 shaken out from the roots, but be sure that 

 your beds are ready to receive the plant 

 before you unpack. Do not expose the roots 

 of the plants to sun, wind or frost. While 

 you are planting one bush, keep the roots of 



the other plants covered up with a wet sack 

 or cloth. Sometimes when the plants are 

 delayed in transit, they may become some- 

 what dried and shrivelled, in which case the 

 roots can be dipped in thin mud just before 

 planting, and in extreme cases it may be 

 advisable to bury the plants in moist earth 

 for two or three days before planting. This 

 will give them an opportunity to become 

 plump before being set out. 



Pruning the Roots 



Give each plant a careful pruning with a 

 sharp knife, cutting off all broken or bruised 

 roots. The holes to receive the plants should 

 be dug large and deep so that the roots can 

 be spread out. When planting, work the 

 soil in well around the roots and spread the 

 roots out so that they will be in their natural 

 position. Do not plant the rose bush too 

 deep nor too shallow. By examining the 

 plant carefully, you will easily recognize the 

 depth at which the plant stood in the nursery 

 row, as all of that portion of the plant which 

 was above the ground in the nursery will be 

 more or less green, while the portion that was 

 underground will be brownish or dirt colored. 

 The following is a safe rule: Plant the rose 

 bush one to two inches deeper than it stood 

 in the nursery. See diagram on this page. 



Distance of Planting 



The distance of planting depends on the 

 type of rose. The strong Hybrid Perpetual 

 roses should be planted about 2)^ or 3 feet 

 apart. Teas and Hybrid Teas can be planted 

 about 2 feet apart while the Dwarf Polyantha, 

 such as Baby Rambler, Clothilde Soupert, 

 Jessie, etc., can be planted as close as a foot 

 to 18 inches apart. Climbing roses can be 

 planted as close as is required to cover the 

 desired space. 



Pruning the Tops 



Immediately after planting 

 the roses, use a sharp knife 

 to prune back the tops. As 

 the plant comes from the 

 nursery, the top will be any- 

 where from 1 to 2^ feet 



in height. Most of this top should be cut off 

 immediately after planting, each cane being 

 headed in so that there are only three or 

 four buds left on the cane. See diagram, 

 this page. In cutting back, prune about a 

 quarter of an inch above a bud which points 

 out from the center of the bush. This will 

 tend to make the rose bush spreading instead 

 of tall and spindly. If there are too many 

 canes on the bush some of them should bo 

 cut out entirely, always removing the weaker 

 branches. For further details, see paragraph 

 on Pruning on following page. 



After the rose is planted it is advisable to 

 mound the dirt up to a height of 3 or 4 inches 

 about the canes. This moist earth will keep 

 the canes plump until they get started to 

 growing. Later in the Spring, after they 

 start growing, the mound about the plant 

 can be leveled down. 



After the roses have been set out, they 

 should be frequently cultivated or hoed, at 

 least once or twice a week. Whenever it 

 rains the surface soil will pack down and when 

 it dries will be hard, therefore, cultivate soon 

 after each rain. This is important, as fre- 

 quent cultivation maintains a dust mulch, 

 which prevents the evaporation of the mois- 

 ture in the soil. 



Planting 



Pack the soil in tight around the roots; 

 leave no air pockets. A lack of firming the 

 soil is often responsible for the failure of rose 

 bushes to live. After the hole has been half 

 filled with earth, pour in one or two buckets 

 of water and allow it to settle. Then fill up 

 the rest of the hole with dirt. The soil may 

 be moist enough not to require any water, 

 but some water will do no harm and may be 

 a great help in assisting the plant to get es- 

 tablished quickly. The top two or three 

 inches of the soil should not be tramped, 

 but should be put in loose. 



Rose Enemies 



As is the case of all other growing plants, 

 the rose has certain enemies; however, by 

 careful watching and a little attention, the 

 rose enemies can be kept well under control, 

 and will give very little trouble. 



Mildew on Rose Foliage 



In wet seasons a powdery white mildew may 

 get on foliage and young buds. This is con- 

 trolled by spraying or sprinkling with a 

 solution of Potassium Sulphide, which can be 

 procured from your local drug store. Use 

 one ounce of Potassium Sulphide to two 

 gallons of water. The solution should be 

 applied when the first signs of mildew appear 

 and then applied at intervals of a week or 

 ten days until it is controlled. 



Another material that will control the mil- 



Photoftraph, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y 



net for everybody Madame Caroline Testout, the official variety 

 nf The Rose Festival of Portland, Oregon. Succeeds everywhere. 



Dorothy Perkins 



Makes a charming hedge 



when trained on a fr.ncv 

 dew is Bordeaux Mixture. 

 Also the simple method of 

 dusting flowers of sulphur 

 upon the foliage is effective 

 in preventing mildew. This 

 should be applied early in 

 the morning when the dew 

 will assist in holding it on 

 the foliage. 



Leaf-Eating Insects 



Sometimes certain in- 

 sects eat the foliage of the 

 rose. The Rose Slug, which 

 is a slimy snail-like insect, 

 eats the green out of the 



[27] 



