16 EDWARD LEHDE NURSERIES, GARDENVILLE, N. Y. 
Practical Rose Culture 
Plant—Prune — Cultivate—Protect 
Preparation oj Rose Beds —-Roses are heavy feeders 
and require a rich loam in which to produce their best. 
In preparing the bed, dig up the ground to a depth of 
12 to 18 inches, and replace about one-fourth of the 
bulk of the soil with well-rotted cow or horse manure. 
Select the spot for your Rose garden where the sun 
shines for at least half a day; out in the open where there 
is little chance of large trees or bushes robbing the soil 
of its nourishment. Avoid low spots, where the water 
stands for any length of time after a rain. Plant Roses 
where they will have their own room and never among 
other plants. 
Pruning Before Planting —Prune away any broken 
or mangled roots, remove any weak branches and all 
but three or four canes. Roses planted in the Fall should 
be cut back halfway until spring. In the spring they 
should be cut back to four or five buds. 
Planting ■—Roses should be planted as soon as they 
are received. If this is not possible, bury the roots in a 
shallow trench and cover tops with straw or burlap. 
Set the plant in the hole, spreading out the roots care¬ 
fully and cover with good soil, and firm thoroughly. 
Roses will not thrive and grow if the soil is not thor¬ 
oughly firmed about the plants. If the ground is very 
dry, fill the hole with water when it is about two-thirds 
full of dirt, and allow this to settle before throwing 
back the rest of the dirt. 
Plant deep enough so that the 
union of; bud and stock is 1 
inch beneath the surface. 
Mound the soil around the 
Rose bushes when planting in 
the spring, and remove in 2 or 
3 weeks after the growth has 
started. This prevents the 
Rose from drying out by sun 
and wind before the roots have 
become established. This is 
done again in the fall for 
winter protection and re¬ 
moved about the 10th of April. 
Plant the Roses 15 to 18 inche s 
apart, according to size. This 
distance is sufficient for most 
of the Hybrid Teas and Baby 
Where to prune a rose Ramblers, though a few of 
bush each spring. the more vigor & ous Hybrid 
Teas may be planted lh£ to 2 feet apart. Hybrid Per- 
petuals should be planted 2 feet apart each way, the 
Climbers about 6 feet apart if planted in rows. Climb¬ 
ing Roses are planted in the same way as the bush kinds, 
but at a greater distance apart. Pruning of the broken 
and dried branches should be done when planting. Pro¬ 
tect the canes from wind and sun until root action has 
started by wrapping with burlap or straw or by laying 
down the canes ana covering lightly with soil. Estab¬ 
lished plants need only be pruned to keep them within 
bounds; this should ba done after blooming or during 
the winter. 
Care After Planting 
Cultivation —Cultivate the top inch or two of the 
soil on the Rose bed each week and water thoroughly if 
the weather is dry. Much of this labor of cultivation 
can be eliminated if the beds are covered with a 2-inch 
mulch of grass clippings, peat moss, or strawy well- 
rotted stable manure about June 1st. A trowel full of 
bonemeal, another of sheep manure or a small handful 
of Vigoro worked about each plant twice each season 
will produce a healthy, profuse blooming plant. 
Correct planting depth. Planted too shallow. Planted too deep. 
Yearly Pruning —The same general pruning require¬ 
ments hold for every type of Rose bush except the 
Climbers, Harison Yellow, Persian Yellow, Hugonis, 
and Rose species which require special treatment. The 
first step in the spring is to clean the base of the plant, 
removing all suckers, dead wood, and weak growth. 
Then remove the old wood which has bloomed for 
2 years or more. It is easily recognized by the dark color 
and its general appearance. These varieties mentioned 
should be trimmed after they are through blooming. 
Hybrid Teas —The second step, shortening the 
branches, requires a little more care and thought. The 
Hybrid Teas should be pruned according to the type of 
bloom desired. For average pruning, remove about two- 
thirds of the previous year’s growth. If you want 
Roses for bouquets (long-stemmed) remove about three- 
fourths of the previous year’s growth. For exceptionally 
fine individual blossoms, prune even lower, and leave 
but two good canes on the plant. 
Baby Ramblers —The base of the plant should be 
cleaned of weak growth and the spent flower heads 
should be removed before going to seed, if you desire 
continuous bloom all summer. 
Climbers keep growing from near the top of the old 
canes. Therefore, cut out only dead wood, and such 
branches as tend to spoil the shape of the bush. Leading 
Climbers are such as Paul’s Scarlet, Dr. W. Van Fleet, 
and Primrose. 
Winter Protection — If the winters are severe, the 
Hybrid Teas should be protected in the winter by hill¬ 
ing up the earth about the stems in the autumn, and 
after the ground is frozen protected from alternate thaw¬ 
ing and freezing by covering the entire mound with 
leaves or evergreen boughs. 
Spraying and Dusting 
Powdered sulphur sprinkled on the plants once every 
two weeks will control mildew. A frequent spraying of 
the plants with Black Leaf 40 will kill plant lice or 
aphis which are a common Rose pest. A thorough dust¬ 
ing of Roses with a mixture made up of one part lead 
arsenate, one part tobacco dust, and nine parts dusting 
sulphur is a fine preventive as well as a cure for most 
all Rose diseases. 
