1S72. ] 
ROSES AND EOSE CULTUEE.-CHAPTER XI. 
93 
EOSES AND EOSE-CULTUEE. 
Chapter XI. —The Eosetum. 
HAVE never yet,” says a clever friend, in a letter recently received, u I 
have never yet seen a Rose-garden which altogether pleases me, although 
I have seen a great many which displease me.” I cordially concur in 
this opinion, but scarcely think it necessary to enlarge upon it; better 
certainly it is to show the desirable, than to lavish words on the undesirable. 
In the first place, let me say, that special knowledge—a wide and correct 
knowledge—of Roses, is required in order to work out a complete and effective 
Rose-garden. The knowledge of the mere exhibitor, valuable as it is in enabling 
him to fatten the flower, and to distinguish one variety from another, fails 
lamentably when trusted to arrange and plant a Rose-garden, where a wide 
and complete knowledge of the nature, habits, and capabilities of the different 
groups and varieties is necessary. If the amateur who aims at a satisfactory 
Rose-garden does not possess this wide knowledge, he should submit his plans 
to some one who does, vesting in him alike the power to follow out and 
act upon this knowledge, and the responsibility of the issue. This is my idea :— 
On a given space of lawn, place a series of beds of different sizes. Let them be 
•sufficiently distant from each other to admit of the introduction of single speci¬ 
mens of pillar and creeping roses, and also single specimens of evergreens. If 
the soil be of a suitable nature, or if such a soil (light loam or peat) be readily 
accessible, nothing can be in better taste than single plants of Rhododendrons^ 
Under other circumstances, Junipers and various moderate-growing evergreens 
may take their place. Roses, as a rule, especially when the plants grow old, are 
deficient in foliage, consequently a Rose-garden should be interspersed with 
specimens or groups of evergreens, and freely supported at the circumference by 
the same. Here also may be introduced avenues of Pillar Roses or arcades of 
Climbing Roses, beautiful features in the Rose-garden when so placed as not to 
mar or obscure the general effect. Returning to the interior, the groups 
and specimens of evergreens should be of various forms and shades of green, to 
prevent monotony, and should be so disposed as to heighten the effect by the 
agreeable contrast they present to the dominating colour (red) in roses. The 
edgings of Rose-gardens may, under some circumstances (by the side of gravel 
walks), be of white flint, the interstices being filled with stone-crop, by which 
arrangement are introduced two colours (yellow and white) deficient among 
roses. Ivy is also a good margin for gravel walks. But when the beds are on 
grass no edging is required—none admissible indeed, unless it be one of very 
-dwarf roses, such as the Miniature Provence or Lawrenceana. 
In forming a Rose-garden, the different groups of Roses may be used with 
•most effect in the following proportions :—Gallica or French, 1; Moss and 
Provence, 2 ; Damask and Alba, 1; Hybrid and Bourbon Perpetual, 6 ; Austrian, 
2 ; Sempervirens, Ayrshire, and Multiflora, 1 ; Hybrid China and Hybrid Bourbon, 
