How to Make Beds for Roses
1. Do not buy too many plants for the space. Do not make the bed over five feet wide. If wider, you will tread on the soil and make it heavy.
2. Remember, roses are usually planted twenty-one inches apart. (Do not plant Wichuraiana or Rugosa roses in the bed.)
Alternate the plants, as shown in the following diagram:
| (1) (2) (3) (5) (4) (6) (7) (8) | This saves garden space, and gives room for the roots. |
3. To be beautiful, roses must have plenty of good food. So dig deep; eighteen inches is a good depth. Fill this space with a mixture of soil and well-rotted stable manure. It is best not to let the roots of the roses touch the manure. Sprinkle a little soil over the manure before putting the plant into its place. If the ground is very damp, dig deeper than two feet and throw in a basket of stones, through which the water will drain.
4. Roses are received from the dealer either growing in pots, or dormant (dry), or with little balls of earth around the roots wrapped in damp moss.
The young inexperienced gardener will do best with the potted plants, but if the plants are dry and dormant (dormant means sleeping), it is well to soak the roots before planting. Never expose damp roots to the air. Keep in water or damp earth until planted.