XXXII 



ON ROSES 



A-SPRAWL along the hedges where, earlier in the year, the 

 tawny hazel catkins hung, and the white cymes of the 

 Wayfaring Tree stood out against the tender green of 

 the new May leafage ; sending a swaying tracery of 

 slender shadows up and down the grass path of the 

 pergola ; making a bold block of colour around the 

 stained sun-dial within the Yew hedges ; throwing a 

 flower-starred tangle over the stones and stumps of a 

 rough bank ; peering and tapping at the windows of the 

 house everywhere the Roses charm us. 



It is a quality of the Rose that wherever it grows 

 healthfully it seems a part of its surroundings. There 

 could hardly be a greater contrast between the wild 

 exuberance of a country copse and the trim order of an 

 old garden in the Dutch style, with its straight, Box- 

 lined walks and its tall, sombre hedges ; but in each the 

 Rose picture seems perfect. The natural grace of the 

 wilding is not more in keeping with its environment 

 than the cultured refinement of the garden plant. Each 

 leaves an impression of propriety on the mind. The 

 plants fit in with their circumstances and conditions in 

 a way that creates a sense of natural suitability. 



There are many conscious reasons why people 

 plant Roses in their gardens for beauty of bloom, for 



fragrance, for the harvest of material which the plants 



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