Two of these are very ancient, but the other three I have
made or re-made of late years. Still, even these new
beds do not bear to my satisfaction, and I am convinced
the reason is that stagnant water stands about their
roots. Whether I am right or not the laying of this
drain ought to prove. Also, I am taking a branch
through the doorway of the Fig house wall up to the top
corner of the New garden Rose-bed, where a great deal
of water stands about within a few inches of the surface
of the soil.
The fact is that when I made this Rose-bed ten or a
dozen years ago, the job was not properly done. It is
all very well to say that Roses like clay: so they do,
but I think that they also like drainage. It is not

D



50 A GARDENER'S YEAR

sufficient to dig out the top soil, replace it with a suit-
able mixture, and plant. There should be a layer of
rubble between the compost and the blue clay, into
which superfluous moisture can settle.
