%oses 
Flowering Shrubs 
Fruit Trees 
3 
“He who would have beautiful roses in his garden 
must have beautiful roses in his heart ” 
There is no other business so fraught with sentiment, or that has the peculiar lasting fascination, 
as the business of Rose growing. We have always been among Roses, where they ran riot along the 
fences, clambered up the front gallery, and covered the trellises with a wealth of bloom and fragrance. 
“He who would have beautiful Roses in his garden must have beautiful Roses in his heart.” There 
is no greater refining influence in Nature than that imparted in the cultivation of the beautiful in 
tree, shrub, and flower. T!he hearts of children are more closely bound to the sweet and pure ties 
of home if that home is embowered with leafy surroundings and fragrant flowers. The children 
will grow up and go out from these homes with Roses in their hearts to bless the world. 
Among all the flowering shrubs that grace the garden, none can compare to the Rose. Of diverse 
color and character of foliage, of endless design and color of blooms, it lends itself to a wider range 
of decoration than any other single group of plants. The Rose is truly termed “The Queen of 
Flowers”. And no garden or planting scheme is complete without its Rose bed. 
Cultural Directions for Erwin s Roses 
LOCATION 
Select a sunny location where water does not 
stand after a rain, and as far away as possible 
from large trees and shrubs, as the roots of these 
usually extend farther than the branches, and 
sap the ground for a considerable distance. Do 
not plant on ground where roses or other trees 
have grown old and died. A sandy loam soil is 
best with a clay sub-soil but roses will do well 
in almost any soil if it is well fertilized, drained 
and cultivated. If the only available site is damp 
or soggy all the time, drain it with tiles or stones 
laid at the edge of the beds. 
PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 
If possible, have the beds plowed or spaded as 
deep as 12 to 18 inches, turning the top soil under 
and thoroughly pulverizing the soil a week or 
more before planting in order to let it settle. 
PLANTING 
Open the package of roses as soon as they arrive 
and plant at once or dig a trench and cover the 
roots with moist or wet dirt and the tops with 
straw or burlap to prevent drying out. Prune off 
any broken or bruised roots and small branches 
and cut the heavy canes back to about 6 or 8 
inches above the graft or union of the root stock. 
When requested to do so we will be glad to prune 
the plants ready for planting before making ship¬ 
ment. 
Dig a hole large and deep enough so that the 
top of the graft will be at least three inches be¬ 
low the ground level, with the roots extended in 
a natural position. Fill in the hole with loose 
dirt and soak with water and after refilling the 
hole use both feet to tramp the earth firmly 
around the roots. Loose dirt should then be 
raked to them, leaving only an inch or so of the 
cane showing, and when signs of new growth 
start, this may be worked down to a cultivating 
level. 
Many of our customers are finding the secret of 
success in growing roses by planting them in the 
fall and early winter months, and more are buy¬ 
ing roses in the fall. Usually the weather is ideal 
fo" outdoor work and the plants are easily es¬ 
tablished and ready to grow at the first hint of 
spring. Order as early as possible. The demand 
for the choicest varieties is frequently such that 
the stock is exhausted before the season is over in 
the spring. 
CULTIVATION 
The roots of roses should not be disturbed but 
the surface of the bed should be kept cultivated to 
a depth of two or three inches by going over it 
every week or ten days. If this dust mulch is 
maintained it will conserve the moisture and save 
a great deal of labor in watering. Should the 
beds become too dry soak them thoroughly by 
allowing the water to run directly on the ground 
and after the surface begins to dry, cultivate as 
above. Liquid manure applied at the rate of 
about a half gallon to the plant every two or 
three weeks will be of benefit during the grow¬ 
ing season. 
PRUNING 
Roses should never be allowed to go unpruned 
from year to year. The Teas and Hybrid Teas, 
commonly known as everblooming or monthly 
blooming roses, bloom on the new wood produced 
each growing season and only three or four of 
the most vigorous canes should be left on the 
plant and these cut back to a height of not over 
eight or ten inches above the ground level. The 
Perpetual, Hybrid Perpetuals and allied families 
of bush roses should be reduced about one-half 
and thinned by taking the week canes and stems 
out. 
Climbing roses as a rule should not be pruned 
heavily after the first year. Tlhe frame work 
branches should be trained against the wall or 
fence and may be shortened in after years if de¬ 
sired. Each season the weak and dead branches 
should be removed on all types of climbers. Those 
listed as monthly bloomers such as Climbing 
Luxembourg, Columbia, etc., should be pruned 
more heavily than the varieties which bloom only 
once or twice during the season for the reason 
that they bloom on new wood during the growing 
season while those making a large burst of flowers 
in the spring and only intermittently thereafter 
usually bloom on wood grown the preceding year. 
Probably the best time to prune roses in this 
latitude is during the month of January or the 
early part of February. 
Additional information on page 30. 
