March  6,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTURS  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
213 
Plans  for  a  Rose  Garden. 
The  plans  shown  on  this  page  are  drawn 
to  a  scale  of  20ft  to  an  inch.  That  Rose  beds 
should  contain  nothing  but  Roses  all  will 
agree  who  are  aware  what  a  gross  feeder  the 
Rose  is.  Of  the  two  plans  given,  the  lower 
one  is  undoubtedly  the  more  beautiful  and, 
perhaps,  also  the  more  convenient  for  allow¬ 
ing  of  work  among  the  Roses.  By  way  of 
variety,  a  few  of  the  beds  might  well  be 
devoted  to  dwarf  shrubs.  The  Rose  garden 
may  be  surrounded  with  Rhododendrons  or 
shrubberies,  in  which,  of  course,  the  dwarfer 
subjects  would  most  fittingly  be  chosen. 
Relief  and  shelter  would  both  be  attained  by 
this  encircling  belt.  Or  part  of  the  enclosing 
boundary  might  very  properly  be  formed  of  a 
large  rootery,  the  composing  stumps  and 
faggots  of  which  might  be  smothered  over 
with  Wichuriana  and  Rambler  Roses.  The 
formal  garden  would  thus  merge  into  the 
informal,  and  add  to  the  charm  as  a  whole. 
The  plans  adapt  themselves  to  many  varied 
situations,  and  save  for  their  central 
features,  can  be  altered  to  suit  the  necessi¬ 
ties  of  different  conformations.  References 
to  each  plan  are  furnished  underneath. 
Notes  on  Violets. 
The  Association  of  the  Bristol  and  District 
Gardeners,  under  the  chairmanship  of  Mr. 
Binfield,  held  a  record  meeting  at  St.  John’s 
Rooms  on  Thursday  evening,  February  27, 
when  Mr.  J.  C.  House,  of  Westbury-on- 
Trym,  delivered  his  lecture  on  the  Violet, 
and  which  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most 
enjoyable  evenings  this  society  has  ever  held. 
For  this  lecture  the  Bristol  amateurs  were 
invited  to  attend,  and  received  a  cordial  wel¬ 
come  from  their  professional  brethren,  and 
it  need  hardly  be  said  the  lecture  given  by 
Mr.  House  was  worthy  of  the  occasion.  That 
Mr.  House  has  made  a  special  study  of  tiie 
Sweet  Violet  cannot  be  denied.  The  Violet, 
Mr.  House  remarked,  was  deservedly  one  of 
the  ever  popular  flowers  of  the  age.  Many 
people  are  under  the  impression  that  there 
is  a  deep  secret  concerning  the  cultivation  of 
this  gem  of  the  garden,  which  he  admitted, 
but  which  he  said  was  that  of  “  painstaking  ” 
in  every  detail,  and  in  doing  everything  need¬ 
ful  well.  A  clear  atmosphere,  suitable  soil 
(which  Mr.  House  described),  and  an  open 
position  are  the  essential  conditions,  and  pro¬ 
viding  all  these  were  complied  with,  no  one 
need  hesitate  in  growing  the  Violet.  He 
recommended  propagation  by  runners,  put 
in  during  autumn  in  sandy  soil,  covered  with 
a  frame,  and  partly  shaded  during  the  first 
few  days,  and,  if  possible,  facing  south. 
Plant  the  roots  out  about  the  third  week 
of  April,  firming  the  soil  round  them,  and 
keeping  well  watered  during  the  summer 
months.  The  best  varieties  are  La  France, 
Princess  of  Wales,  California,  and  Marie 
Louise.  The  best  time  for  gathering  the 
blooms  is  in  the  early  morning  or  late  in  the 
evening.  The  lecturer  described  several  of 
the  insect  pests  and  diseases  which  the  Violet 
is  subject  to,  as  also  means  for  prevention 
and  eradication.  A  good  discussion  followed, 
and  Mr.  House  was  asked  several  questions, 
to  which  he  carefully  replied,  giving  many 
useful  hints  for  successful  cultivation  of  this 
floral  gem.  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Machon, 
President  of  the  Amateurs’  Association, 
seconded  by  Mr.  Groves,  Secretary  of  the 
Gardeners’  Association,  a  hearty  vote  of 
thanks  was  accorded  Mr.  House  for  his  most 
