HOW TO GROW ROSES 
Other Planting Information on Pages 10 and 11 
THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT factors in 
rose growing are buying top grade plants, 
and proper planting. 
Roses prefer an open area, free of tree 
and shrub roots, where they get half a day 
or more of sun, preferably morning sun. 
Keep roots moist and covered when 
planting. 
Most any well drained soil, not too 
acid or alkaline can be made into good 
rose soil. Prepare the holes for planting 
well in advance. Dig holes 2 feet deep 
and 18 inches across. Add to surface soil 
10% peat, 10% rotted manure and 5% 
rotted compost. Mix well. When planting 
re-dig holes, build a cone-shaped mound 
in the center, spread roots over cone; bud 
union (bulge on understock where top is 
budded on the stock) slightly above level 
of the ground. Fill in, firming with feet; 
water thoroughly. 
Roses are heavy feeders. Fertilize from 
mid-March to mid-September, using 1/2 
cup of well-balanced fertilizer per plant. 
Dig a trench around plant, fill with water. 
When water settles place fertilizer in 
trench, fill with water again and cover 
after water has settled. After first appli- 
cation of commercial fertilizer a mulch 
of well-rotted manure may be applied. 
Roses require plenty of water. Keep 
beds moist at all times. Frequency de- 
pends on soil, from once or twice a week 
in sandy soil, to once in two weeks in 
heavy soil. Allow water to run slowly and 
soak deeply. 
A generous supply of water will produce 
sturdy and more vigorous plants and will 
increase the quantity and quality of 
blooms. 
Weeding is a garden job that never 
ends, but it can be greatly simplified by 
the use of a mulch. Peat moss, buckwheat 
hulls, compost, well-rotted manure or 
some appropriate shredded material, helps 
to keep down weeds and to keep the soil 
in the rose bed damp and cool. Where no 
mulch has been used, light cultivation of 
the surface soil will probably be necessary 
to remove weeds and prevent caking. 
Avoid deep cultivation which will damage 
small roots growing near the surface. 
Spraying or dusting to control fungus 
diseases and insects is another important 
summer chore. Sprays or dusts should be 
applied at ten-day intervals during the 
early morning or late afternoon. During 
wet spells, the frequency should be in- 
creased as blackspot and mildew increase 
rapidly in these periods. Remember that 
the spray or dust must cover the underside 
of the leaves as well as the top to gain 
the maximum effect. Summer chores in 
the rose garden are neither difficult nor 
time-consuming, but they require regular 
attention. 
January is the best month for pruning 
bush roses in California. As much as pos- 
sible cut out the old wood and shorten 
back the new growth about 1/2 of last 
year’s growth. Cut out twiggy growth and 
cross branches. When cutting blooms leave 
3 or 4 leaves with the top one pointing 
in the direction you wish the growth to go. 
PRUNING CLIMBING ROSES. For the 
first two years after planting do not prune 
climbing roses. From third year on cut 
back all new growth '3 right after the 
flowering period. Climbers which bloom 
once a year bloom on wood produced the 
previous year. Prune these right after 
flowering to allow a good growth for next 
year's flowers. 
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to outside 
L andicane with Reses 
There simply is no landscaping problem for which roses would not offer a charming solution. 
There are the bush roses for formal and informal plantings, the floribundas for lining driveways, 
walks, and the like, climbing roses to cover walls, trellises and fences—and there is always the 
tree rose for beautiful accent. Choose from our selection on pages 39 to 44. 
