How Do We Get Large and Abundant Roses?!

We all love roses, and we love to enjoy them in our garden and in our house all the year round, if possible... And we shall be delighted to learn, on good authority, that this is possible, and with the greatest ease. All we need is to know the secret!

Here, Madam, is that little secret!

When the rose bush overflows with green leaves and buds (the 'buttons'), do not hasten to count these buds, rejoicing in their number... Rather pause a moment, observing their positions on the branches, and pick off, or cut with your hand, the small secondary buds, keeping only the large bud at the top of each branch. In this way you assure yourself a large rose... as appears in figure 1, where the arrow points to the bud that must be cut off...

And when the rose opens at the top of the branch, cut it with a sharp knife, and slantwise, as in figure 2. Thus you open the way for the appearance of new buds, and quickly.

And do not leave the withered blossoms on the mother plant; cut the branch above a leaf bearing five green leaflets, to prepare the way for a new bud to appear at its neck, as in figure 3.

And when all the roses on the mother branch have opened, cut the whole of it on a slant, as appears in figure 4. For this method allows waves of new branches to come, bearing at their tips new buds or 'buttons.'

Madam... when you pick roses from the garden to adorn the corners of the house with them, keep one eye on the rose and one eye on the future — on the possibility of the roses' continuing to open regularly and always... And you are assured of obtaining roses of large size if you carry out all the simple instructions given here.