WALSH’S HANDBOOK OF ROSES 
15 
PRACTICAL POINTS FOR 
The Planting of Roses may be done in October 
and early November, before the ground freezes. 
Dig good, large, deep holes. Spread out the roots 
evenly over the bottom; shake the plant lightly as 
you fill, so the soil will set evenly about the roots. 
When the hole is nearly filled pack the soil firmly. 
This is to close up all air-spaces. Budded Roses 
should be planted 2 inches below the collar, or bud; 
that is, below where the Rose is united to the stock. 
By planting 2 or 3 inches below the surface, new roots 
are produced from the base of the Rose. The 
collar of the plant should be set not less than 2 
inches below the surface of the soil. Few varieties 
thrive at all on their own roots, so the majority 
of Rose plants are budded. Budded plants make 
more growth in one year than own-root plants in 
two or three years. 
When planting is finished, a good soaking of water 
would be beneficial, if the ground is dry. The dis¬ 
tance apart for planting Roses may be varied accord¬ 
ing to the space at command, or the size of the bed. 
It may be 18 by 24 inches, or 24 by 24. Some varie¬ 
ties require more space than others. For winter 
protection draw the earth up around the base of the 
plants to a depth of 8 inches, similar to the way you 
hill up potatoes or bank celery to blanch. This 
will shed the water and keep the base of the plant 
in good condition during the winter. It is not the 
very low temperature so much as the moisture which 
causes greatest winter-killing or damage to Rose 
plants. After the earth has been drawn up as above, 
mulch the surface with 4 or 5 inches of coarse litter 
or strawy manure. This will serve as a protection 
from cold, conserve moisture, and be a fertilizer. 
Where burlap or evergreen branches can be obtained 
readily, place these over and around the Rose bushes. 
This will furnish shade from the sun in February and 
early March, which sometimes proves injurious, 
exciting the sap into premature action. These direc¬ 
tions are intended to apply to Hybrid Perpetuals 
particularly. With Hybrid Teas, cover the entire 
plant with earth, or at least protect the branches 12 
to 16 inches above the ground. 
Pruning. Pruning should be done as soon as the 
frost is out of the ground in the spring. Cut out all 
the old wood; that is, wood which flowered last year, 
and leave three to six of the strongest shoots of last 
year’s growth, but cut these back to 8 to 12 inches 
from the ground. The stronger-growing shoots 
should be cut to 12 inches and the weaker to 8. 
ROSE-GROWERS, continued 
People usually do not prune severely enough to 
obtain the best results. This applies to Hybrid Per¬ 
petuals more particularly, but to other kinds of Roses 
as well. Hybrid Teas should be pruned lightly, cut¬ 
ting out the dead wood and weak shoots and shorten¬ 
ing the strongest shoots from 4 to 6 inches. With 
Rambler or Climbing Roses, remove the dead shoots 
and thin out the tall shoots, cut back when necessary 
to within about 3 inches of the base. This method 
will also apply to Austrian Roses. Rugosa Roses 
may be pruned to suit location, height, etc., and for 
the purpose desired. 
With all Roses, remove any shoots, commonly 
called “suckers,” which spring up from the base of 
the plant. A person soon becomes familiar with the 
suckers from root-stocks or Brier suckers. They 
are easily distinguished by the seven to nine leaflets 
to each leaf-stem whereas budded stock suckers, 
except in a few instances, have but five. There is 
also a difference in the color of the Briers, easily 
detected after a person becomes familiar with the 
plants. 
Disbudding and Cutting. For large flowers, dis¬ 
bud freely on all varieties that form large clusters of 
buds, and the resulting flowers will be much finer 
than any would have been if all had been allowed to 
mature. The center bud of a cluster usually is the 
strongest, and, for exhibition flowers, this alone 
is retained; or, if it is malformed, the best remaining 
bud is chosen. When the Roses are blooming, cut 
the flowers freely, as then the plants continue to 
flower longer. It is best to cut early in the morning, 
before the flowers are fully open, and take as long a 
stem as the growth will permit, seeing, of course, that 
an eye, growing outward, is left below the cut. 
Cultivating. An important requisite is hoeing. The 
ground should be hoed or loosened up at least once 
a week after the plants begin to grow. Do not wait 
to do this until you see weeds growing. Keep a 
dust-mulch covering the surface of all ground not 
protected by a heavy mulch. 
Another important point is watering. In dry 
weather you must keep the ground moist to have 
Roses in good growing condition. This should be 
done early in the morning or late in the afternoon. 
Roses are heavy feeders and require soil to be 
liberally supplied with water so they can take up 
the plant-food in the manure you supply. Above 
all, observe carefully. Watch your plants grow. 
Learn their needs by noticing how they behave. 
To Destroy Injurious Insects Wk lek Attack Rose Bushes 
The question is often asked, “What shall I do to keep my Roses free from insects?” The following 
simple remedies the writer has found to be effective, having used them for many years. The remedies are 
easily applied, and no injurious results arc produced by their use. 
One of the first enemies to attack the Roses is a Slug or Worm which makes its appearance as soon as 
the second or third leaf is formed. It will be found inside a leaf that is either rolled or folded. 
For this, dust Hellebore on the leaves early in May when the second leaf appears on the young shoot. 
Usually two applications are sufficient, unless washed off by the rains. If the White Thrip or Hopper 
appears, it indicates lack of moisture in the soil; this Thrip will not attack the plants except in hot, dry 
weather. Call into requisition the force-pump or hydrant hose, and wash the bushes on the under side of 
the leaves. Do not wait for rain; delays are dangerous. If you water the plants regularly—just as regularly 
as you would feed animals—in dry weather, you will not be bothered. 
For exterminating Aphis, frequent spraying with force-pump or hose will prove effective and beneficial. 
For mildew, sulphur dusted over the affected plants is good. For Rose or Hessian Bugs hand-picking is the 
only effectual remedy. A good preventive is to plant some small white shrub nearby, viburnum or white 
weigela; these will attract the Rose bugs. A white flower has a peculiar attraction for them. You may 
have noticed how they select the white or lighter colored Roses rather than the darker colored. This bug 
is the most detestable and destructive pest to contend with. 
The McFarland Publicity Service, Harrisburg, Pa. 
