304 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



yield for vases ; and there is this subconscious one that 

 Roses fall into soft, gentle, and beautiful harmonies 

 without deliberate effort on the part of the grower, 

 giving him, out of the rich stores of their natural beauty, 

 a reward that he had hardly dared to hope for, much 

 less actively aimed at. 



It is hard to put Roses in wrong places in gardens, 

 provided they are such spots as the plants can grow 

 vigorously and cleanly in. The plants make their own 

 "circle." They create " atmosphere." They form at 

 once a home for themselves and a peaceful, perfumed 

 retreat for the garden owner. They may not form a 

 " Rose garden " in the accepted sense, but where they 

 are, in health and beauty, the garden is. 



Year by year we learn to love Roses more. Year 

 by year the Rose nurseryman extends his acres, and 

 gives us a larger and more varied selection. We delve 

 for pillars, we erect arches, we build summer-houses 

 less to sit in than to form supports for rambling Roses. 

 We form beds for Roses, we even put them in our 

 borders. For every Rose that is planted in good soil 

 the garden grows in grace. The old blazing Geranium 

 garden is gone, and in its place we have the garden 

 of tender-hued foliage, ruddy stems, and flowers that 

 we can gather for every purpose. Whether we have 

 a Rose garden, or a garden with Roses, our sense of 

 beauty and fitness is equally gratified. 



If there is one touch of pain in connection with Roses, 

 it is that we have to forgo so many beautiful varieties 

 from sheer want of room. The raiser multiplies sorts, 

 and proves to us that his novelties are superior to exist- 

 ing varieties ; but the older we grow, the harder it is 

 to part with old favourites. They have grown into our 

 lives, and cannot be turned out without laceration. 



