Promise of a Rose Garden

Imagine yourself in a deep forest of magnificent timber, and then you step into this.

Sun and cloud shadows sweep across row after row of roses in every color imaginable. I can’t resist taking pictures. Close-ups. Wide angles to show the scope of it.

Does this one have a scent? Mm-m.

And this?

I’m just back from a visit with my family in Portland, Oregon. They live in walking distance from Portland’s renowned rose garden in Washington Park, and my daughter promised we could walk there every day if we liked.

So here I am, ready to share with you some of the splendors of that place.

What a treat to be able to take all the time we want to enjoy this and know we can come back day after day. We took this walk several times, strolling through the woods and then immersing ourselves in the garden.

When I’m between writing projects and it’s time to breathe in, what better place than in the midst of roses.

On a clear day you can even see Mount Hood through an opening in the trees. No doubt they kept that gap on purpose.

The park itself is a wonder of natural beauty with the tall timbers and various features.

The nearby Japanese gardens are exquisite. The zoo is a short distance away.

But on this visit we focused on the rose garden because the roses are in their prime now.

My daughter and dog Ani led the way onto the “Queen’s Walk.”

And to the fountain.

It’s the oldest and largest public rose garden in the United States with more than 10,000 rose bushes. New rose varieties are tested at this International Rose Test Garden where some 650 varieties are displayed. Entry is free and dogs are welcome on leash.

So many roses. So many pictures to take. And to choose from for sharing. Here without comment are a few of my favorites. I can’t tell you the varieties. I only observed and photographed what caught my eye.

And so we depart. Back into the woods. Down the hill. Ready to return another day.