210 COMMON SENSE GARDENS 



where he spends much of his time studying their 

 habits or watching them grow, revelling finally in 

 their luxurious bloom. Unfortunately in the neigh- 

 bourhood of New York and to the northward, we 

 are limited in the use of Roses; there are compara- 

 tively few varieties that do well under ordinary 

 garden conditions, and that can be brought into 

 satisfactory bloom without the services of a skilled 

 gardener. 



Although a Rosebush is a thing of the most ex- 

 quisite beauty when in flower, its foliage is so sus- 

 ceptible to mildew and rust and the ravages of 

 insects, that by the time the bloom has passed the 

 plant presents a bedraggled appearance, and grows 

 more shabby as the season progresses, so that it 

 detracts from the freshness of its surroundings and 

 casts a sort of blight over the other flowers. If 

 for no better reason space in the garden should 

 be given to but few Roses, and they ought to be 

 so placed that by the end of June they will be 

 overgrown by the other plants, and their shabbi- 

 ness covered up. The principal features of a small 

 garden should be its freshness and vigour, and 

 freedom from any suggestion of disease among the 



