A rose is a rose is a rose ...

The above photo shows you the Caldwell Pink Rose

“A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” was written by Gertrude Stein as part of the 1913 poem “Sacred Emily”, which appeared in the 1922 book Geography and Plays. In that poem, the first “Rose” is the name of a person. Stein later used variations on the sentence in other writings, and “A rose is a rose is a rose” is among her most famous quotations, often interpreted as meaning, “things are what they are”, a statement of the law of identity,

Now that that bit of trivia is out of the way, the above photo, I took at the Rose Gardens in Tyler, Texas (known as the rose Capital of America. They provide 60% of the roses sold each year), several years back. The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the nation’s largest rose garden, spanning 14 acres, with over 38,000 rose bushes of rare and cultivated roses. Varied colors from red, white, pink, blue, yellow, sea-green and purple. Some, to the touch have a velvet texture, others silky, but all are beautiful. You would be hard-pressed to find two identical strains of roses there.

When I lived in Tyler, I would go there three or four times a year just because it is such a calming atmosphere. Every October they have a Rose Festival and Parade and they also have a Rose Museum. I just recently found out that last year (2019), they were added to

the National Register of Historic Places (maybe this might get added in to your bucket list).

There is also an area situated in the Garden; a 1-acre Heritage Rose and Sensory Garden, which has antique rose varieties dating to 1867. Situated in the southwest corner of the Garden, it contains over 30 varieties of 19th century garden roses, along with many perennials which bloom all summer long.

It’s like walking around in a special place set aside from heaven, pure and simple.

There many names for the roses at the Rose Garden. One, named Marilyn after Marilyn Monroe. A few other named roses are: Belinda’s Dream ... Sea Foam (a climbing rose if I remember right) Cecile Bruner ... Red Cascade (this one can grow to 6 to 7 feet wide, so you better have ample space available) ... Butterfly Rose, and Caldwell Pink just to mention a few.

I won’t profess to having a green thumb even if (God bless her), my mother tried to show me the way, but I know what I like, and for me, that’s all that matters. What else can I say? I’m a sucker for beauty.

While this challenge is running, I will change the photo once each day so you can see other portions of the special place.