Evening star., 1928-06-18

The ability Of the people of Wash
ington to absorb into their gardens an
almost unlimited quantity of rosebushes
testifies to the love for the queen OF
flowers.
No doubt every large city in the land
and every small one, too, gets the rose
fever every Spring Perhaps 1t should
be called the ''rose-planting fever"
This is disease which attacks all
flower lovers at least once year. Some
times 1t is a steady fire, at other times
1t burns intermittently.
Rose lovers may become diSgusted
with their favorite plants when some
prize bush fails to do what they ex-
pected of it.
They may say TO friends "Oh. roses
are too much trouble to grow; am
going to give them up!"
When they stand in front of a florists
window, however, and see some perfect
flowers, their interest Immediately re-
wives; they go home again determined
to pep up" the old bush, to make
1t go through its PAGES.
II one has ever loved the rose he will
always love it. Surely 1t has not be-
come known as the queen of flowers
for nothing.
There is something about its won-
uEIlul UkUOSOliIS WIuCkl tudhC a lllClOllE
appeal to those susceptible to such at
traction. Not every one Is. of course
Some people do not like books or music
Others cry "Shame!" against such a
good game as boxing.
There Is nothing that one human
being can admire that some other hui
man being, presumably equally intelli-
gent, does not loathe, and vice versa
That comparatively few dislike the rose
speaks volumes.
One of the little considered charms
OF this incompatible plant Is the plain
fact that 1t challenges ones intelli-
gence, or such intelligence as one has.
The zinnia, for instance. is a flower
any one can grow. The same applies
to the petunia. About all the amateur
has to do is to put the seed into the
ground.
There are any number of these sure
FIRE" plants. JOY both to the expert
enced and inexperienced gardener. be-
cause they not only enable the latter
to have a garden that is beautiful, but
also permit the former to fill in with
surety the gaps between rarer plant
ings.
The last one to sneer at the easily
grown ANIMALS. let 1t be remarked in
passing is the seasoned gardener. the
man or woman who has put time.
money and love into the garden. He
knows that the easier a thing is to
raise, the better 1t Is from that stand
point, at least.
He would be heartily glad II his roses
were as easily grown as his petuniaS,
but since they are not he accepts them
for what they are, and rejoices In the
fact that they can be raised at ALL
Their challenge to his intelligence in
tereStS him, as all challenges made to
the brain interest mankind.
Defiance to physical powers is one
thing and must have an appropriate
answer, which may be either physical
or mental, although In most cases 1t is
perhaps more the former than the
latter.
The plain challenge to the brain
comes in gardening as In many other
activities of life. It comes TO the busi-
hess world when rival puts out sue
cessful product that the bright minds
of ones own firm simply overlooked.
The challenge comes to the art
world when some artist, whether he
be musician, painter or writer. achieves
work of authentic originality. Once
the thing is produced, the world ap-
plauds.
Even he who is envious-and how
many is his number!-admits the
greatness of the work. and then. If 1t
be great enough. goes on TO try his
hand at the same sort of thing He
does not call it imitation, but of course
that Is more or less what it is. II II