CHAPTER X 

 ROSE GARDENS 



The wrong old notion that roses should be grown only for cut flowers 

 or in a place apart, in bare dirt or in manure heaps How 

 roses may be restored to the garden with glorious new effects 



THE most inspiring rose garden I saw in England was that 

 of Mr. William Robinson, founder of The Garden, and 

 author of that immortal book, "The English Flower 

 Garden." To give any hint of this garden's beauty, 'three pho- 

 tographs at least are required. The one at plate 40 indicates 

 the general effect; one at plate 41 shows that the beds are not 

 one great expanse of dirt or manure, but are carpeted with ex- 

 quisite little flowers or shining evergreen foliage; while the one 

 at plate 45 makes it clear that these carpeting plants do not 

 seriously interfere with the quantity or quality of the roses. 

 Incidentally, these pictures ought to convince any fair-minded 

 person that the great apostle of landscape gardening in England 

 has been misrepresented by those who claim that he has no appre- 

 ciation of formal gardening. 



How much better this idea is than the one which has been 

 preached for half a century, viz., that the rose should be banished 

 from the garden and grown in a place by itself, called the rosery! 

 Everywhere you find the notion that a rose bush is fit for nothing 

 except to produce perfect flowers for cutting. And everywhere 

 you see rose gardens from which all romance has fled. They may 

 make a big show in June, but the rest of the year their beauty is 



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