PLANTING AND CULTURAL HINTS 
Open package as soon as received. If the roots are moist the plants 
may be planted at once. If, however, they appear dry, soak in water over 
night, and bury the entire bundle in a trench. Cover with earth and soak 
thoroughly. In three or four days the bushes will be ready to plant. 
Cut off all bruised or broken roots with a sharp knife. 
Loosen all labels, so as not to cut into plant. 
Select a location free of tree or shrub roots, and exposed to at least 
half a day sun. 
Dig a hole 18” to 24” in depth and width. If soil does not have 
good drainage, a gravel drain should be provided, Fig. 1. 
It is always well to prepare the soil in advance of planting time. 
A mixture of 10% peat moss, 10% well rotted manure, and 10% al- 
falfa meal or rotted compost if available will produce excellent results. 
If neither of the latter two materials are available, use 15% peat moss 
and 15% manure. Mix well with 70% top soil. 
Fill the hole half full of the mixture and firm well. Make a cone- 
shaped mound in center of hole, Fig. 1. Place crown of roots on cone, 
spreading roots, Fig. 2. Fill in above roots with soil and fill basin twice 
with water, Fig. 3. After water has settled, remainder of soil may be 
filled in, making sure the bud union is level or slightly above the level 
of the ground. In colder regions the bud union should be 2 inches 
below the surface of the ground. Mound soil four inches above union to 
prevent drying out and leave until growth starts when soil should be 
removed to just under bud union, Fig. 4. 
All plants are moderately pruned. After planting, canes on bush 
roses should be pruned to six or eight inches while those on climbers should 
be 18 to 24 inches with the top bud pointing outward. Keep plants well 
watered all during the growing period. 
Should you find a plant that is slower than the others in leafing 
out, make a frame around it and fill with sopping wet peat practically 
covering the entire plant. Usually this will bring the plant into full leaf 
within 10 days. 
Roses prefer a soil slightly acid, but will tolerate a slightly alkaline 
soil, They seem to do well in both light and heavy soil, but must, however, 
have good drainage. 
Roses are usually hungry and thirsty. One of our most common mis- 
takes is not giving them sufficient water. Keep the ground moist. Water 
thoroughly each time. Frequency of watering depends on your soil, usual- 
ly from one- to three-week intervals. Water in morning only. 
In the early spring, mulch rose beds with either cow manure, peat 
moss or lawn clippings. Cow manure is excellent if clean, but foul weeds 
and insect pests may be brought into the garden through it. Feed each 
plant a half teacup of a well-balanced commercial fertilizer every six 
weeks during the growing season. 
If you do not use a mulch, cultivate the ground lightly after each 
watering; just enough to break the crust. Deep cultivating cuts the 
feeding rootlets. 
Keep the roses well watered in summer. Allowing them to dry and 
go dormant causes the bushes to defoliate and sunburn. 
Ground canes are the best wood on a rose bush. They are the soft 
new canes coming from around the bud union, with foliage and thorns 
identical to the older growth. Suckers come from below the bud union 
and have entirely different foliage, thorns and color. Suckers should be 
cut out as soon as identified. 
PEST CONTROL 
Roses, like all living plants, have insects and diseases to attack them. 
These may be controlled with little effort. The most important part of 
control is thoroughness and consistency. A program of spraying or dust- 
ing every ten days should be sufficient. 
There are many effective sprays and dusts on the market. Often 
similar materials are sold under different trade names. We have found 
Rix (two teaspoons to the gallon and Fermate one to two tablespoons to 
the gallon) to be very effective in the control of rust and mildew. Among 
the many excellent insecticides are: Vapotone, Extrax Delux, Isotox, and 
Malathion. In many sections Triogen, a combination spray is excellent. 
If one prefers dusts, duPont Rose dust, Ortho Rose dust, or a mixture of 
9 parts of 325 mesh ground dusting sulphur to 1 part Fermate. Powdered 
nicotine or rotenone may be added to the latter as an insecticide. 
A cleanup spray immediately after the winter pruning, consisting 
of 10 tablespoons of Bordeaux mixture to a gallon of water, is very ef- 
fective in destroying fungi spores. This spraying should be repeated 
just before the buds break in the spring. Spray the ground around the 
plant, after raking up and burning the old leaves, as well as the plant. 
PRUNING 
Pruning is very important. We cannot give complete instructions on 
pruning that will apply to all varieties and in all sections of the country. 
However, there are general rules that can be followed. As roses are 
produced on new wood, vigorous growth must be encouraged. During 
the dormant season, leave the new wood and cut out as much of the old 
wood as is possible and yet retain the form of the plant. Cut back about 
half of the previous year’s growth, cutting 14 inch above a leaf that is 
pointing on the outside of the bush. All dead and weak wood should be 
eliminated. Proper cutting of roses should be sufficient for summer 
pruning. 
CUTTING ROSES 
In cutting roses, always leave three or four leaves of the new bloom- 
ing wood, cutting about 14 inch above a leaf on the outside of the bush. 
Cutting roses in the late afternoon has been proven to be the most 
satisfactory time. Double roses should be cut as the petals begin to 
unfurl, single roses as the sepals separate, showing the color. Mash or 
split the ends of the stems about a half inch and plunge immediately in 
cold water up to the neck of the rose. Leave out of doors over night. 
Occasionally a variety will keep longer by plunging the ends in boiling 
water. Charlotte Armstrong is one of these. 
FlG.1. 
PLANTING 
SUGGESTIONS 
