This past weekend was the cemetery's annual Antique Rose Festival. My husband and I drove down on Saturday. The weather was perfect!
The roses were just starting to flower. (This spring, things are all a little bit late.) I spent most of my time admiring the roses, and visiting with the folks that I know there. It's been at least four years since I last visited, and it was good to catch up and hear what's been going on. I did take time to snap a few photos for you.
This 'Harison's Yellow' was a fountain of gorgeous yellow flowers.
My favorite rose was this one ... sadly, it had lost its tag and no one was sure of its identity. The plant was large (5' high and about 6-or-more feet wide), the white flowers are about an inch and a half in diameter, and the incredible fragrance was perfuming that entire end of the garden. Any ideas?
The icing on top of this event for me is that there are dozens of varieties of heritage roses for sale!
I was tempted by so many of them! In the end, I followed my heart and only brought home one ... "Polk Street Noisette". It's a rose that was found at an old house in the neighborhood beside the cemetery. No one working the sale could tell me anything about it, but I didn't care. I have a fondness for found roses, with their stories of survival and discovery. This new rose is already planted in my garden, in the front yard rose border. I can't wait to see what it does as it grows!
In addition to the cemetery, we made two other stops in Lynchburg while we were there. More to come, later in the week.