I think I’ve found a pretty good spot to hide from the gardeners.  It is a little counterintuitive because I am hiding in the Garden’s most popular spot at the moment – the Bicentennial Rose Garden.  Why?  Because most people are dazzled by the overwhelming rainbow of colors that is about waist high.  Why should they look at the ground to find a humble dandelion?  Let’s hope the gardeners do the same.

Many people are stopping to smell the roses when they visit.  Quite a few are wonderfully fragrant.  However, it can be a fun game to try and find the most fragrant as you stroll among the hybrid teas and floribundas that fill the center of the Garden.  For example, if you stop at the beautiful pink ‘Kordes Perfecta’ you will appreciate the beauty of

Hybrid Tea Rose - Kordes Perfecta

the flower, but the fragance is almost non-existent.  Turn around to see another hybrid tea, ‘Sweet N Pink’ and you will find it lives up to its name both in looks and in perfume.  So what is the next rose like?  It is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Personally I think I have found one of the more fragrant spots.  I’m sitting near of the old garden roses found near the road. These old fashioned ones that are beautiful and fragrant.  So here I sit, surrounded by perfume, enjoying a classic view.  What else is better than that?  Instead of rambling on about the different roses, I’ll just show you some.

Hybrid Tea - Sweet N Pink	Floribunda Rose - Rainbow Sorbet
David Austin Rose - Carding Mill	David Austin Rose - The Dark Lady
David Austin Rose - Cordellia	David Austin Rose - Lilian Austin
Noisette Rose - Blush Noisette (introduced in 1817)	Noisette Rose - Maggie
Hybrid Perpetual Rose - Paul Neyron	Hybrid Perpetual Rose - Reines des Violettes