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THE AMATEUE'S EOSE GAEDEN. 



NE of the first dreams in which au amateur rose-grower 

 indulges is the setting apart of a large space in the gar.^ 

 den for a " Eosery " or "Eosarium." The usual fate 

 of the dream is to be forgotten, for as a man acquires 

 experience in the cultivation of the rose, his taste im- 

 proves, and he discovers that roses are not particularly attractive in 

 the winter time, and that in summer a large extent of ground 

 covered with roses onh^ is not so splendid an alfair as it appeared in 

 the dream. In very large and very grand gardens, a " rosarium " is 

 a proper thing, just as a "pinetum" is a proper thing, and as an 

 " American garden " a properer thing. I thought of that when 

 writing the "Eose Book," and made a design for a grand rosarium 

 the subject of the frontispiece. As it has always been our custom 

 to have a gossip about roses at this time of year, I propose now to con- 

 sider this grave matter of a rose garden from the amateur point of 

 view, and in the interest of amateurs who are not possessed of bound- 

 less wealth and territory. In case any of our rose-loving friends 

 are just now in the first phase of the dream, I consider it my duty 

 to promote its dissolution, by modestly recording my opinion, the 

 result of much observation, that a rosarium is almost of necessity 

 a mistake, and that no genuine lover of roses — and I profess myself 

 to be one — will ever enhance his enjoyment of his favourite flower 

 by setting apart a great space in the garden, and filling that with 

 rose trees. I will cite one example just to the point, and that 

 is the Eosery at the Crystal Palace. The mount and the pavilion 

 are two fine features, and when the broad belt of roses, with which 

 the mount is girded, is in full bloom, the walk round is agreeable. 

 Eut as soon as the bedding plants on the mount are in perfection, 

 the roses are flowerless, and absolutely in the way. The plain fact 

 of the matter is that roses need relief: a compartment filled with 

 them is a delightful feature of a garden, and they are charming 

 things to be sjprinUed alout amongst evergreens, in mixed borders, 

 and in odd places everywhere ; but to cover a great extent of ground 

 with them is to court monotony, and reduce romance to beggary by 

 obliterating its lights and shadows, and its points and contrasts. 

 Eoses rising in masses out of grass turf are delightful ; roses inter- 

 mixed in clumps with evergreens have a peculiarly bright and telling 

 appearance. I know a few gardens where roses are grown well, and 

 in considerable numbers, and where they have a tenfold chance when 

 in bloom, and are not unsightly at other times, because they are 

 intermixed with fine hollies, sometimes set out in broad masses, with 

 rich backgrounds and belts of tree and shrub to give relief, and 

 where the most fastidious would not complain of satiety, and the 

 most rapacious rose-devourer would find enough. Give me well- 

 j)lanned walks that wind easily through smooth lawns and amongst 

 bold blocks of trees and evergreens, and I will rejoice if I see roses 

 at every turn, especially if they are grouped so as to bring out their 

 several colours, though it is a fortunate fact that if a clump of 



