THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



plan could have been made to fit, so that a roughly truncated triangle, 

 perhaps unconsciously inspired by some of M. Gravereaux's rose garden 

 designs, seemed better fitted to the ground than any other shape. 



On the slopes surrounding the triangle will be grown a collection of wild 

 roses, grouped according to their native countries, which will show the 

 student, as well as the passer-by, the varieties we owe to the different parts 

 of the world. The walks surrounding the garden will be quite different 

 in character. The one to the north follows the slope of the road and 

 allows for the planting of Wichuraiana roses which are well shown trailing 

 over the ground. The walk on the eastern side skirts along a high ridge 

 of rocks, admirably adapted also for growing certain types of roses. The 

 walk on the west lies on a considerably higher level and will give an out- 

 look over the enclosure of the rose garden into the garden itself. 



An enclosure has been thought necessary, not only as a means of pro- 

 tecting many of the valuable plants from possible pilfering, but also as a 

 means of displaying many of the climbing roses. Some grading has been 

 necessary but now this is practically finished and the garden only awaits its 

 enclosure before it may be planted. An iron trellis has been thought the 

 most practical, not only as being more permanent than wood, but' as giving 

 better ventilation than a stone or concrete wall, which would induce 

 draughts and consequent mildew. 



Carrying out the lines of the surrounding walks, the walks inside the 

 garden itself converge on a summer house which is to be the central point 

 of the design and which is principally intended to display the tallest grow- 

 ing varieties of climbing roses. This central summer house is to be sur- 

 rounded with posts and chains on the lines of those so successfully used 

 in M. Gravereaux's garden, and between these will be great hanging 

 bouquets of weeping roses. 



The formal breaking of ground took place last spring on May 4th, and 

 during the summer most of the grading was completed. The members of 

 the Horticultural Society and the Botanical Garden are eager to make a 

 rose garden which is larger than the very successful one at Elizabeth Park, 

 Hartford, Conn., now one of the points of pilgrimage for all rosarians and 

 all lovers of beauty who are in New York or its neighborhood, and they 

 want the garden to be as perfect as it can be made. You can readily 

 imagine that a bed of twenty or thirty plants of a new rose will be far 

 too tempting to be left unprotected, so that it seems reasonable to safe- 

 guard them as soon as possible by a proper enclosure and gates which may 

 be locked at night. 



In closing let me quote these words, in rather queer rhythm, from the 

 Flora of John Rea, published at London in 1665 : 



" Tell me what flow'r kind Nature doth disclose. 

 May be compared to the lovely Rose ; 

 Whose Beauty, Virtue, Scent, and Colours are, 



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