64 THE ROSE BOOK 



nowadays, but it is uncommonly delightful. But here, 

 as so often in rose growing, there are pitfalls. 



You must choose the proper sorts, or they will never 

 be able to withstand the aggression to be expected from 

 the other border flowers ; for flowers, like ourselves, are 

 quite alive to the importance of a " place in the sun." 

 Some get it and some do not ; it is all largely a matter 

 of personality. Choose, therefore, for the mixed border 

 -roses that can take care of themselves. One of the 

 easiest ways of aU to ensure an old-fashioned flower 

 border is to plant a few rose bushes in it. It becomes 

 old-world at once because you don't, in these days, 

 expect to find roses outside the rose garden. The 

 difference between the old-world and the modern in 

 gardening is very largely a matter of disposing the 

 flowers. If you put them just where you are told they 

 ought to be put, and where everybody expects to find 

 ^them, your garden will certainly not be old-fashioned ; 

 but if you disregard the conventions, though keeping 

 still an eye to propriety, your garden will not only 

 become old-fashioned (which, after all, may not be 

 whoUy desirable), but old-world also, and breathe the 

 old-world charm (which nobody can define but every- 

 body may recognise) — another thing, and altogether 

 more dehghtful and satisfying. 



If you can progress so far as to disregard the con- 

 vention that roses are out of place ans^where except in 

 the rose garden proper, there seems no good reason why 

 they should not go in the mixed flower border. A very 

 good reason, even, seems to exist if one chooses those 



