THE ROSARIES. 



in fact it ought in a garden to exceed all the other dimming roses 

 put together. 



We arrange our hybrid perpetuals in one long bed, containing 300 

 plants, beside the croquet lawn. Adjouririg the croquet lawn we have 

 our bed of tea-scented roses. Over the central stream we have abun- 

 dance of the Felicite Perpetnelle. On one side the croquet lawn we 

 have also those sjjJendid pyramids of which I have already written 

 so much. 



Along the north border of the lake we have a series of about fifty 

 magnificent bushes of hybrid perpetuals, and near the Overfall we 

 have another group of all the kinds of roses, with Felicite's covering 

 the trees, together with the Glen and Rose bovvers ; so that we may 



say literally 



" To shallow rivers, to whose falls 

 Melodious birds sing madrigals ; 

 There will we make our beds of roses, 

 And a thousand fragrant posies." 



SHAKSPEARE, Merry Wives of Windsor. 



CLIMBING PLANTS. 





 " A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." KEATS. 



In all wild gardens climbing plants are essential to the general 

 effect ; and perhaps there is none more beautiful than the common ivy. 

 The colour and marking of the foliage are exquisite, as it is seen 

 creeping up a tree or paling when a young plant has grown from a 

 bird-dropped seed. When it has entwined round a tree, it grips it 

 with a fatal embrace, and sends forth its shoots to flower and seed ; the 

 seeds are then devoured by birds, which carry them to other parts. 

 Many trees in my garden are covered with ivy, which is useful where 

 a tree is not required to grow above a certain size. Branches of trees 

 covered with ivy and planted in the ground will not grow ; the ivy 

 appears to be covered with rootlets, but they are evidently not 

 real roots. 



