Blogging helps me share things with people. My goal is for you to see something that brings a smile to you.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Some Dinosaur artwork

 There was a fund raiser at the LSUS campus.  While there I noticed these interesting sculptures.


 I think you can see why I took these pictures. 


Friday, April 27, 2012

American Rose Society home & the Shreveport Rose


Every year about this time I love to visit this place.
The Gardens of the American Rose Center - Home of the American Rose Society sign (4-27-12)
The home of the American Rose Society and their gardens.  Here's the link http://www.ars.org/   .
It is one of the most of the prettiest places I've ever seen.  I've written about it before (American-rose-society-home-garden   )  But its always changing and things are moved around so it well worth going back and seeing many times. 
    Two weekends ago my son went there to help out a friend of his get engaged.  The friend wanted it to be a total surprise for his soon to be fiance and  he wanted to make is so they would never forget it. He planned it like it was a group of them just going to spend the day there by him inviting a bunch of his friends to come along  so she wouldn't suspect anything.  The friend asked my son to take pictures and so my son borrowed the camera.  When he got home I had to help him with downloading some of it and of course I was curious as to whether the girl accepted or not.
   I was surprised to see how in full bloom everything was in his pictures.  I realized I had to get there soon or else it would be a while before they would be looking so pretty again.  I've been trying to get away with today finally being the day.

   What also made me want to go is twice I've had people find my blog by searching for the Shreveport Rose.  I knew the Rose Society had a whole bed of them and was determine to get some pictures of them with the labels so they could see how they change colors with age.
A bed of Shreveport Roses @ Gardens of the American Rose Center

A sign about the Shreveport Rose
 So here are some of them up close.
Shreveport Rose bush
Shreveport Rose

Shreveport Roses

Shreveport Rose bud

Shreveport Rose

Shreveport Rose bud
Shreveport Rose

Shreveport Rose

 One of the things that I find so fascinating about the Shreveport Rose is that when it first starts out its a peachy orange color (that's how they explained it to me at the center) then as it matures it turns more pink in color.  
Shreveport Rose
   It was so neat to see the different colors on the same bush.
Shreveport Rose
 The Shreveport Rose is not the only rose they have there.
One of the things I really like about the place is most of the roses are labeled so you know what you are looking at.
Fragrant Cloud Rose
Heart of Gold Rose
Lavag??? Rose
Tiger Tail Rose

Hot Cocoa Rose

Dixieland Rose
Alabama Rose
Pretty Lady

The do have some interesting features to make it enjoyable while you are looking at the roses. Such as this
Bell tower that rings on the hour.
Windsounds Carillon Tower
Durham Japanese Teahouse

The Danielsen wishing well
Or this sculpture that I didn't notice its name except that it was a Memorial garden.

Archie & Edalee Brandt Memorial Garden


Archie & Edalee Brandt Memorial Garden, different view of the sculpture 
Europeana Roses around  Archie Edalee Brand Memorial Garden
Meditation garden

pathway to the chapel

The Hardtner Chapel
The Klima  Event center
The Thigpen-Herold Administration building
 Even the resting places were pretty, like this bench.


 I must admit I do like seeing the flags blowing in the breeze while I was there.





 There were other interesting things to see like how they train new beds to grow.
 I really liked this one because you could see two different colored roses on the same bush. 

Some of the beds were just so pretty like these.
One of the many beds in full bloom at the Gardens of the American Rose Cemter


And they had other things growing too. Like these Hollyhocks mixed in with the roses.
Hollyhocks growing in between a rose bush
 and  this Rosemary herb.

But not all of the roses were in bloom. That's the beauty of the place they have it so there is something blooming most of the time.    I thought it was ironic that at the first bed that I saw of 'Love' it was not in bloom.  And then I started to notice other beds not blooming such as  'Quiet Place',  'Strike it Rich', 'Desert Peace' and 'Secret'.  I guess 'Secret' is just going have to be a secret to me for a little bit longer.  Here's 'Strike it Rich' not in bloom - (ah - I wonder if its trying to tell me something. )
A row of Secret rose bushes with no Roses on them

 I finally did see one 'Love' rose in bloom and just had to get its picture.
Love Rose at the Gardens of the American Rose Center
   The one thing I noticed about the 'Love' rose was how thorny the stems were compared to other roses.
'Love' Rose stems
  Finally -There were some roses named after famous people.
Here are just a few that turned out ok and  I was able to download.
Marilyn  Monroe Rose

Julia Child Rose
 And some who must be famous but I don't know who they are - but at least they have a rose named after them so they must have something going for them. Like this Gene Boerner rose.
Gene Boerner Rose
 I thought it was interesting that there were roses named after saints there too.
St Patrick Rose



Joan of Arc Rose

And finally in memory of Dick Clark.  I was surprised to see he had a rose named for him. 
Dick Clark Rose
 As I was leaving I always get a smile as I see this sign.


I Muse:  I wonder if they are going to plant a Dick Clark Rose bush on his grave?