I actually have a camera for once in my life, so I decided to try it out at Columbus Park of Roses. The park doesn't go into full bloom until the 1st or 2nd week of June usually, but I figured I'd contribute anyways. I'm a total amateur at picture taking, but I was surprised at how well my little 12megapixel digital camera did. I shot most of the pics in a landscape picture which would explain the out of focus shots, but the color quality and detail was way above my expectations after I uploaded the pics. I had to enhance most of the photos with one click enhancements. A few are a little too green or yellow due to the intensely bright light passing through the leaves, but other than that, the shots came out better than I expected....but like I said...I'm a complete newbie. I only took a few pics, but I will go around and start a library of every rose in the park once they come into bloom this year and then take as many pics as possible of the park. The park is run mostly by volunteers which explains why it isn't exactly "pristine", but it is kind of nice in that respect because the park kind of let's the roses roam free so you can get a better idea of growth habits. This park used to be the park where the ARS did it's rose testing when the ARS's headquarters was in Columbus, OH.

Entrance...Park of Roses is on other side of shelter house.

The slight uphill walk to the main stretch.

Looking through the wooden arbor onto the stretch.

The front of the main stretch right in front of the wood arbor.

Looking back at the front arbor walkway.

As you can tell, the volunteers cut 95% of the roses down to the ground every winter, which is why they don't bloom until the beginning of June. Here they are beginning their new year with basal sprouts.

Not a lot in terms of minis, but here is a small mini-bed.

There are smaller beds off of the main strip. Here is a small one.

Near the front arbor walkway, looking right to the smaller righthand stretch.

The Park of Roses is a popular wedding location for the gazebos and long grass stretches, plus the shelter house. There was a marriage ceremony going on while I was there. They had great weather as it was sunny and about 70.

The center fountain not yet filled.

Fountain again.

Looking back at the front arbor walkway from the fountain.

A random shot near the fountain I took with the camera of the gazebo? where the ceremony was...fountain hedges in the foreground. Probably one of my "artistic" shots from the day. XD

The bed design they use for the 4 corners of the center fountain.

The smaller right stretch. The perennial garden in the background.

The small arbor by the right stretch.

They were walking around the perennial garden so I snapped off random shots haha. I'm sure the guy with the $5 billion Digital SLR was laughing at me...I was ha. XD

What has to be the largest friggin yew on the face of planet earth. I've seen big yews, but this monster is taller than the power pole and kids climb inside it all the time. The thing is just monstrous. I always laugh when I see people use them as small, shapely shrubs and I think of it in comparison. XD

The white gazebo?

Back on the main stretch by the center fountain

Walking closer through the center grass divide.

A family on the back portion of the park in the "gazebo"...I can't remember what it's called. This rear area is giant circle.

Another shot closer

Part of the circular rose beds that enclose the raised "gazebo". The are edged by knockout hedges or other rose hedges as a wall. The homes you see are Clintonville homes...pretty nice backyard area they have. XD

More of the circular beds...the separate antique rose garden is in the background past the trees.

Same circular beds. The larger roses are Graham Thomas and Heritage...the only 2 Austins in the main garden unfortunately. They are one of the few roses they don't cut to the ground. Surprisingly, they don't cut Double Delight to the ground either...not sure why.

{{gwi:1216830}}

The knockout hedges around the circular beds.

From the rear of the main stretch looking back towards the beginning. The wedding people were still walking around.

Again

Proceeding to the antique rose garden located past the main stretch...as you can tell it's pretty hairy and they do very little in terms of pruning back here.

Couple walking through the antique rose garden...which should be in bloom by the 1st week of May probably but I missed it last year.

Seeing as how there was no blooms, I was attracted by this pretty tree by the antiques. Note my laptop on the ground. XD I don't have a sim card for the camera, so I had to use the internal memory. Essentially, I took 5 pics, then I had to upload them on the laptop as the memory was full haha.

From the tree looking back towards the main stretch. "Artistic" attempt #2...at least you can get the general idea of what I was going for. XD

My camera has a flower close up shot mode that I experimented with. It auto-focuses so that kind of throws things off, but as far as pinks and most of the greens go, the camera is actually about dead on accurate.

Another

This shot came out ok from underneath the tree.

OK back to antiques...looking back to main garden from antique garden

Probably the thorniest rose in the entire park. Omar Khayyam. While the thorns break off easily and are not as large as New Dawns, they make up for it in how many there are.

{{gwi:313373}}

The weapon up close

{{gwi:313374}}

Another thorny one. Mrs. Anthony Waterer I believe

The antique arbor

From the front looking to the back I believe

The largest Zepherine Drouhin they have. Wish mine was this big.

The end of the antique park(rear entrance)

Walking back...ewww nobody is there....time to go up.

From the top looking back towards the front of the arbor walkway where we started

Shot of the circular beds from the top.

Ground view shot instead of above shot.

Near the front entrace is an Earth Kind experimental garden

Details...most of the Buck, Kordes, etc. roses are in there. Molineux is as well.

{{gwi:278569}}

Tried to get all the garden in, but I am standing in the back of it.

Luckily, we have a nice nursery(s) in Columbus. This is one of them. They just go their bare roots in. The bed in front is potted bare roots and there are 3 more beds in front of it all the way up to along the building. Out of the picture to the right is one big bed that is about the size of 2 of these smaller ones.