Roses 
Rode Culiude 
Hybrid Tea Roses —When selecting a location for your Rose bed, preference should be given to a sunny, pro¬ 
tected spot which has sufficient drainage to prevent water from collecting in pools on the surface of the soil after a heavy 
rain. They thrive in any good garden soil which is not too sandy. Dig the bed as deeply as possible, at least 18 inches 
turning the soil over thoroughly. When a plant dies, the blame is often placed on the soil condition or inferior stock, 
whereas the true cause is generally due to the drying-out of the roots. Avoid disappointment by placing the plants in 
pails of water until the holes are dug and ready to receive each plant. Dig the holes 18 inches deep and large enough 
to allow the roots to spread out and down. If possible, add a quart of well rotted manure and a tablespoonful of bone- 
meal and mix it well with the soil before planting the Rose bush. Set the plant into the hole so that the graft (swollen 
part) is 2 to 3 inches below the surface of the soil. Fill in a little at a time, firming the soil thoroughly and puddling 
with water until the hole is completely filled. We recommend a mulch of peat moss from 1 to 3 inches thick over the 
entire Rose bed. This will conserve the soil moisture and help eliminate weeds. One bale will cover 100 square feet to a 
depth of 2 inches. Hybrid Tea Roses should be pruned in March. Cut the branches back to 3 to 5 eyes, eliminating all 
dead wood and weak growth. Roses are heavy feeders so fertilizer should be applied regularly. Use a good grade gen¬ 
eral plant food analyzing about 4-8-4, applying a small handful around each plant 12 inches away from the main stem. 
One pound will be sufficient for five plants. At the same time, apply one handful of muriate of potash to six plants to 
harden the wood growth. One pound will be sufficient for fifteen plants. This should be done in early Spring, early 
July, and again in mid-August. Water the Rose bed thoroughly and not more often than once a week. When cutting 
flowers, allow one set of leaves to remain on the branch. In late Fall, after several hard frosts, hill up the earth around 
the stems to a height of 8 inches. After the ground is frozen hard, mulch the bed with salt meadow hay. 
Climbing Roses —Follow directions given above except that pruning is done immediately after blooming and 
six to eight eyes are left on last year’s wood. 
52 
CARL GIESSLER, INC. 
