SIZE AND SHAPE OF BEDS

Articles In This Section:

· ROSE GARDENS

· SIZE AND SHAPE OF BEDS

· THE HOME ROSE GARDEN

· PUBLIC ROSE GARDENS

· MEMORIAL ROSE GARDENS

· ROSE TEST GARDENS

Often it is said that rose-beds must not be so wide as to prevent their being tilled without standing on the bed itself. Such beds against fences and hedges would never exceed five feet in width, for there would be only one side from which to work. With a path on each side of a bed it would be no more than ten feet in width. Those beds may be wide enough for most people, and I may be greedy, but I always feel that the paths get the best of conditions-plenty of sunlight and farthest from trees and hedges. I have reduced my paths to a minimum, leaving just sufficient room to work comfortably with hoses, tools, and barrow. Many more plants can be grown and the garden effect improved. Beds should not be more than ten feet wide for working from one side or twenty or thirty feet wide for working from both sides, because dragging hoses between plants entails a risk of damage

There should be plenty of water-taps. Short hoses are cheaper and easier to handle than long ones. Be sure that the plants on the edges of the beds get sufficient water.

Rose gardens may be of many kinds, such as the home garden, the public garden, the memorial garden, and the test garden. Each type must be considered in its own sphere.