THE ROSE GARDEN 1 75 



shape alone in the garden details, as I have 

 elsewhere shown. I can conceive of beds and 

 borders of informal outline treated quite for- 

 mally in the planting and accessories. I can- 

 not imagine any benefit to the roses from 

 planting them anyhow. We know little of 

 the rose in a state of nature, for our garden 

 roses are mostly a product of the nurseryman's 

 art. They are perhaps the most artificial of 

 all flowers. 



We shall not therefore be in danger of out- 

 raging good taste if we make our rose garden 

 on formal lines, by which I mean if we plan 

 it on a symmetrical basis. 



The most common method is to cut the rose 

 beds in grass, and there is much to be said 

 in favour of grass as a setting for our roses. 

 In evolving a design it is well to obseri'e certain 

 points now to be mentioned. The beds should 

 not be elaborate in outline nor too small. The 

 groups should show a geometrical relation be- 

 tween their component beds in the way I 

 have advised for groups of flower beds generally. 



The illustration (Fig. 46) shows typical 

 rose gardens as I might plan them on a grass 

 space, and it should be noted that the outlying 



