Annie, I'd like to hear about that Montreal garden too. Ann, it sounds like you are right about it being R. bruonii. It was definitely huge, and no blooms at all that day. Thanks for the info! Malmaison, I was surprised at how much I liked MAM, they had several specimens and they all looked great to me. One of the happiest looking plants in the garden, and a very shapely bush habit. Bon Silene was as big as an ornamental tree. It was a huge plant, perhaps the biggest tea rose I've ever seen. Nur Mahal was grown as a free-standing shrub. The plant was wider than tall, with an open habit and arching canes. I thought of a fountain when I looked at it. It is not a huge plant, and will fit nicely in my garden. Just guessing, I'd say maybe 4 ft tall and perhaps 5 ft wide. I was like a deer caught in the headlights will all these old roses around me, I'm afraid I didn't sample the fragrance on this one. A guy walking around alone in a giant rose garden in Texas could get beat up for looking like he's TOO interested, so I didn't go out of my way to stick my nose into too many blooms :-) In the book, 'The Organic Rose Garden', Liz Druitt raves about this rose's scent. MadGallica, thank you for the info on brunonii ... I am sure you are right. A person could have crawled up under it and been hidden from view it was so mushroom-like and massive. In the step garden area, I think the designer was going for a "knock-your-socks-off" view as you enter the garden from above. That would explain why they had so much of one variety in that area. It is definitely impressive from that vantage point. Valerie, I felt really fortunate to have seen that many old roses in one day at one garden. It says volumes for the city of Fort Worth to offer something like this free to their citizens. Randy

In the Bay Area... I second the UC Botanical Garden. (I'm a member, it is a gem.) Nearby you can visit our beautiful Redwood Regional park. Walk the French Trail & the Chown Trail for a good workout among huge trees and an amazing stream. Wear your hiking boots, it can be muddy in February. Along Skyline Boulevard, between the Botanical Garden and Redwood Park is a place called Huckleberry Nature Preserve. It is a beautiful, mostly flat mile or so long trail that has an interpretive guide. In San Francisco, you could have a great time walking through Golden Gate Park and Crissy Field. Strybring Arboretum is fabulous, and there is a living roof on the new science museum that is pretty cool. Walk up the hill from Crissy Field to Pacific Heights and enjoy the mansion gardens. (Hint, there is not a weed or fallen leaf for blocks and blocks.) Sonoma Horticultural Nursery is a great place to visit, even if you don't want to buy anything. Their grounds are fabulous-acres and acres- and some of their rhodos will be in bloom by then. There is a demonstration garden outside Sonoma called Crossroads (I think.) It is series of changing gardens done by designers. I could go on and on... Here is a link that might be useful: East Bay Regional Parks

Hot Springs is (I think) 3 or 4 hours from me, & we usually go there when we have time off. I'm not at home now or I'd look up the camping place we stayed at last time. I think it was on the way to Albert Pike, which is also a good place to visit. We pitched a tent on one side of the road & could walk across the road & alittle way further & the kids could swim. It wasn't too crowded (& this was summer) & the water was clean. There's also the hiking trails - I've got pictures & pictures - just not digital. Since you're driving through, you should visit Queen Wilamenia (misspelled) & Petit Jean Mountain. At one of them (they tend to run together in my mind because we always do them all at the same time) you can stay at Mather Lodge. It is gorgeous to see the mountains & clear skies just as the sun's coming up. Everytime we've gone we always got up earlier than most of the others & it would be so peaceful. There's also a trail you hike that's a mile or two & at the end of the trail you come to this waterfall & there's huge rocks all around. There's also Crater of Diamonds which I didn't care for but that's because it was hot & I didn't find a diamond. Crator of Diamonds is where you can dig for diamonds & you keep what/if anything you find. You can bring your own tools or rent what they have. In Hot Springs there is a park you should also walk through. My husband treated me to a stay at the Arlington, the big fancy hotel there for my birthday one year. And, take some milk jugs & get some of the free water they have for the taking. I think it's one of the best tasting water around (none of that chorine smell & taste). If you have time, you should call 1-800-NATURAL I think is the number for a vacation guide. I think that's where I got mine. If you'd like, I can look up all the places we've stayed at & email you the information. BTW, do you have an Arkansas map?

Nice photos- thanks for sharing. I was there a couple months ago and it was just starting to leaf out. This is such a neat place- it is probably the northern most permanent, public collection of plumeria and exotic fruit in FL if not beyond. Parts of the exotic fruit section looked rough also- not sure if you walked to that part? If I lived slightly closer I would volunteer on occasion. I imagine it is difficult w/o a full time caretaker. Many of these plants can get by on their own at some level, but they still require some amount of care. I hope that all of their visitors leave at least a small donation; this can at least help with fertilizers and other products which are not cheap.