50 Giessler’s Choice Roses 

Correctly Omnia BCKOSEs Bring Get? Satis /HHen. 
ROSE CULTURE 
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 condi- 
tion or inferior stock, whereas the true cause is generally due to the drying out of the roots. Avoid disappoint- 
ment 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, adda 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 recom- 
mend 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 general 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 hand- 
ful 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 thor- 
oughly 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. 
R. M. S. 
Queen Mary 

