76 A Little Maryland Garden 
Two other flowers seem to me purely 
Spanish. These are the malva bush and the 
Castilian rose. Wherever the Spanish have 
lived, on ranches and vineyards of the foot- 
hills, in little Spanish towns, or on the sandy 
outskirts of San Francisco, they have left these 
reminders of their presence. The sturdy, 
gay malva is not particularly attractive to 
me because of the tinge of magenta in its 
pink, but there is nothing finer and sweeter 
in all the rose tribe than the Castilian rose, 
or Rose of Damascus. It bears the con- 
centrated essence of the wonderful perfume 
of the rose. Large and almost single, its 
flowers are the most exquisite pink, a perfec- 
tion of pink, with the depth and brilliancy 
of the South. It grows tall and lissome, 
a creature of sun and breeze, endued with the 
wonderful gift of perfume, that awakens mem- 
ory and thrills thesenses. The poetry of Per- 
sia, the romance of Spain, are in the breath 
of this rose, which is the most divine odour 
in the world. 
Another rose that I cannot help mention- 
