CARE LEVEL AND CARE GUIDE FOR TOWNE & COUNTRY® TOWNE & COUNTRY® - Shrub Roses for tubs, Patios, Gardens and Landscaping. Ground cover roses of moderate growth. They are especially suitable for continuous, regular beds that are to give an impression of uniform masses. All the varieties are healthy, extremely hardy and luxuriant. TOWNE & COUNTRY® roses do not require any special soil conditions. They do best and develop maximum flowering in full sunlight.

Uses and advantages - Can be planted in large tubs and sinks. Even under these artificial patio/veranda conditions and with limited soil volume the roses display luxuriant growth and rich flowering. Watering and correct dosage of nutrients are necessary. - Can be used in beds in gardens and parks. No special soil conditions are required, althrough waterlogged soil should be avoided. The plants are most luxuriant and develop maximum flowering in sunlight. - Can be used as roadside vegetation in traffic systems. The plants hould be protected against salt spray and collected meltwater that is polluted by salt. - Can be included in shrubbery by extensivly cultivated open areas. The plants establish themselves quickly and are highly competitive to weeds.

Level 1 - Garden Character. Is used for planting where a high level of care is called for and where the impression created by planting is distincly that of a garden including tubs, patios. Weed control - During the growth period (1/4-30/9) weeds must not be allowed to become more than two weeks old. Chemical weed control should be avoided. During the functional phase the soil may be covered with wood chips etc. Pruning - Winter pruning should be carried out (1/3 of the growth). Dead/broken branches and prunings during the growth period must be removed. Fertilizsing - Maintenance fertilising should be carried out in March/April with NPK fertilizer 12-5-14 (8 kg/100 sq m) and in June/July with year-round fertilizer 23-3-7 (1 kg/100 sq m). A standard soil sample should be taken every five years. It should be noted that roses in tubs/sinks should be watered in the event of insufficient rain with min. 20 mm per watering.

Level 2 - Park Character. Calls for less care, with the impression conveyed very much that of a park. Weed control - During the growth period (1/4-30/9) weeds must not be allowed to become more than one month old. During the functional phase the soil may be covered with wood chips etc. Pruning - Winter pruning should be carried out in February/March (1/3 of the growth). Cut branches must be removed. Fertilizing - Maintenance fertilizing should be carried out in March/April with NPK fertilizer 12-5-14 (8 kg/100 sq m) and in June/July with year-round fertilizer 23-3-7 (1 kg/100 sq m). A standard soil saple should be taken every five years.

Level 3 - Natural Character. Calls for the lowest level of care, creating the impression of natural growth. Weed control - During the growth period (1/4-30/9) coarse weeds must not be allowed to become more than three months old. During the functional phase the soil may be covered with wood chips etc. Pruning - Heavy pruning should be carried out in February/March (2/3 of the growth) every 3-5 years. Prunings can be shredded and spread out over the planted area. Fertilizing - Fertilizing should be carried out in conjuction with pruning in March/April with NPK fertilizer 12-5-14 (8 kg./100 sq m) and in June/July with year-round fertilizer 23-3-7 (1 kg/100 sq m).

Plant material. TOWNE & COUNTRY® roses are produced both as budded plants and as plants grown from cuttings in 1,5 and 2 litre containers. In both cases planting gives quick results as the range is of good genetic quality.

Planting. The soil must be well-cultivated and drained. The plants do well in clay soil, loamy sandy soil, light sandy soil and humus-rich sandy soil. The soil should be in an averagely well-fertilized state with pH 6-7. Budded roses hould be planted 10cm deeper than the point of budding. This will enable the rose in the course of a couple of years to stand on iths own root, thereby avoiding suckers. After planting, the branches should be cut back to 25 cm. Roses grown from cuttings should be planted at the same depth as the soil in the container. A distance between plants of 50-60 cm (3-5 per sq m) is recommended. They may be planted at any time and only cut back if the planting is just before the cold season.

Care - in the establishing phase. Care in the establishing phase normally stretches over two, perhaps three years. Beds planted with Garden Character and Park Character should be tended manually 8-12 times each year. Each March/April, light winter pruning (1/3 of the growth) and maintenance fertilizing with NPK fertilizer 12-5-14 (8 kg/100 sq m) should be added in June/July. For areas planted with Natural Character, tending - either manually or by machine - should be carried out 1-3 times a year.

Care - in the functional phase TOWNE & COUNTRY® roses of the Garden Character and Park Character can be expected to have a life-span of 18-25 years in the functional phase. Light winter pruning (1/3 of growth) and maintenance fertilizing should be carried out as in the establishing phase. For areas planted with Natural Character a life-span of 25-30 years can be expected. For such areas hard pruning (2/3 of the growth) should be carried out every 3-5 years in February/March, followed up by the spreading of NPK fertilizer 12-5-14 (8 kg/100 sq m).

There should be no need to take any special measure against diseases or pests, provided pruning and maintenance fertilizing are carried out. The pH level should be 5-7. If the pH level is too high, there is a tendency for plants to be subject to mildew. Soil samples should be analysed at regular intervals.

All varieties of the TOWNE & COUNTRY® series are hardy and disease resistant. They are what is known in the trade as "field-resistant", i.e. mild attacks of various roses diseases may occur in the unfavourable conditions, but this will only have a minor effect on the growth and flowering of the plants. When more favourable conditions return, the plants temselves will be able to cambat the disease and grow through it - so do not spray them.

Pruning can be carried out using an ordinary hedge cutter or, in the case of level 3, a reaper cutter or similar.

Care levels and care guide. TOWNE & COUNTRY® can be used at three different carelevels. The following care guide is recommended for each care level. It should be noted that the fertiliser recommendation provided is for maintenance fertilising. It is assumed that the soil where planting is to take place has suitable nutritional levels, i.e. pH 6-7, Pt (the phosphorus level) 6-15 and Kt (the potassium level) 15-25. Possible corrections to these values should be undertaken during the first six months of growth.