“The gentle rose offers a powerful joy known only to the heart.” (Andrew Pacholyk)
During our past road trip travels, I’ve often noticed how the state of Texas often goes boldly big in showcasing its prominent history and distinctive cultural ways. That list would of course include: (1) the “Wild West” allure of its vast open prairie, (2) its fervent gun toting ways, (3) those densely populated urban giants of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso, (4) a strong legacy of winning football teams and (5) the seemingly endless construction of underground mining shafts devoted to oil and other kinds of petroleum products throughout the desolate expanses of America’s second largest state.
So it’s no surprise that during our latest road trip, I must add the sweet sights and scents of a rose to my Texas obsession with “bigger than others” attention. For during our recent visit to the Rose Garden Center in Tyler, Texas, Ruth and I discovered in early afternoon Friday the reputedly largest public collection of roses in the United States, occupying over 2,000 bushes of 500 different varieties along its 14 acre site. Know then that we faced a relatively tight time schedule to reach our upcoming Dallas vicinity destination, so we decided it best for this latest excursion to avoid as much as possible the stifling Texas afternoon heat. Thus, we would spend the bulk of our time there along a shaded “Camellia Garden” and nearby densely arranged array of colorful rose blooms innovatively titled “The Idea Garden.”
After a short rest overlooking a rock lined pond area called the “Meditation Garden”, we would allot limited time to then sample the more sunny interior portions of the Tyler Rose Garden.This vicinity fittingly known as “The Maze” would require us to zig-zag somewhat haphazardly amid several rows of modern rose plantings of various sizes, shapes, and colors. So I invite you to open your heart by feeling the Texas joy of bigness in this awesome display of roses in the following photo collection.
Snippets of a Traveling Mind 
It is a very nicely laid out garden. I would like to return when all are in bloom. The Museum inside has an entrance fee but the gardens are free.
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Nice place! This road sign to Jelenia Góra is very interesting, reminds some interesting views of the Bóbr river, which divide the city and finally create beautiful gorge at its end.
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What a lovely collection and display of roses. I had no idea there were so many different varieties and colours.
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