For planting roses a good garden loam with organic matter is
important. It must contain peat moss, leaf mold, compost,
rotted or commercial manure, and the bed should be prepared
as far ahead of planting as is feasible in order to allow
for settling of the soil.
Fall is the best time for setting out roses, but you can
plant in spring. When they arrive from the nursery, plant at
once. If they have dried en route, soak the roots and put
the tops in a bucket of water before planting. Trim back any
roots that are weak, long or broken at this time. Dig a hole
that is wide enough to allow the roots to spread without
crowding.
The rose is properly placed when the bud (the point where
the top joins the roots) is just under the ground surface.
Space hybrid teas about 18 inches apart in any direction.
Prune the branches 6 to 10 inches from the soil.
To grow good roses it is necessary to cultivate, to prune
and to spray. If you have a well-cultivated bed you need not
worry about watering. But if you start to water in hot
weather, you must keep it up, soaking the roots thoroughly
about once a week.
Spraying every 10 days guards against the diseases and
insects that attack roses. Nicotine sulphate wipes out the
green lice; arsenate of lead is used against chewing
insects; or sulphur and arsenate of lead may be used in a
dust, as may DDT dust.
Winterize your roses by mounding sod around them after the
first frost, or mulch with straw and evergreens. In cold
parts of the country, remove the supports from the climbing
roses and place the canes on the ground, peg them, and cover
with soil mounds.
In spring, cut back your roses to within 6 inches of the
ground. Ruthlessly lop off all but three or four canes on
hybrid teas. This pruning will give you strong plants. When
your plants grow out from spring pruning, you will have to
disbud, cutting off all the buds except the top ones on the
cane. This is the way to grow large blossoms.
About the Author
Paul Curran is CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and
webmaster at Trees-and-Bushes.com, providing access to their
nursery supplier of a range of quality plants, trees, bushes,
shrubs, seeds and garden products. Visit
their roses section to find a great selection of rose bushes for
your garden