AN ADVENTUROUS DAY IN THE ROSE GARDEN
By Carol Brown
When one of Subrosa’s editors approached me with the idea of writing an article on my experiences when bringing a friend to The Huntington Rose Garden for a first visit, my first reaction was that I was being asked to do a “Homework Assignment.” So, here is my story of the many adventures that can occur in one day in The Huntington Rose Garden.
It all started when Clair Martin mentioned at one of our regular Saturday Volunteer meetings that he wanted us to start propagating the older roses in the garden. He also wants to put together a catalog of pictures of roses to be on sale at the Great Rosarians of the World V celebration on January 23, 2005.
My friend, Chris Artale, an up and coming new photographer, came to my mind as the perfect person to take some photos of the roses in The Huntington Rose Garden. When I asked Clair if he would be interested in having Chris do this, he said, “Sure, that would be wonderful.”
Then I asked Chris if he would be interested in volunteering some of his time for this project. He jumped at the chance. He had never been to The Huntington and was curious to see the place I rave about so much.
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'Belle Story,' a David Austin Rose - photo by Chris Artale |
So, early one Sunday morning in April (when the garden was in full bloom), we set out for The Huntington. I was not sure we would be able to get in at this early hour (8 AM) and was preparing Chris for the fact we might have to wait until at least 10:30 AM opening for regular visiting hours to begin. When we approached the guard at the gate, I was wearing my purple Great Rosarians shirt and my Volunteer nametag, and said that we were there to photograph the Rose Garden for Clair (I just love name dropping). And we were granted entry (Chris was very impressed).
For those of you who have never been to the gardens in the early morning, it is like being in Heaven. The birds were all singing; squirrels were dancing. Yes, that's right, dancing. There was still a chill in the air and there was not a soul around.
So much for the peace and quiet. Chris started taking pictures almost immediately, asking me to hold his light reflector so he could get the optimum light. He was like a kid in a candy store. So many roses, and only so many batteries for his camera. He was like a mad man, with his humble assistant in tow.
As we were deep in one bed of David Austin roses, (trying to get the optimum shot of the perfect bloom) we were told to “get out of the rose bed” in a rather authoritative voice. When I looked up, there stood Marty Burkard. I introduced her to Chris and explained our mission, and she said she was just kidding; we should get back to work.
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'Indian Gold,' a Floribunda - photo by Chris Artale |
At this point, we had been at it for about two and a half hours with hardly a water break. The temperature was now nearing 80 and I was relieved when I was asked by a woman what we were doing. When I explained, she asked if we would please take a cutting of ‘Fandango’ (hint, hint, Clair), saying that she couldn't find it anywhere. She then started talking to Chris about his photography, explaining that she and her husband were professional photographers. One thing led to another, and the three of them were going on about cameras and lenses, etc., and I got a needed break. Chris and the couple exchanged business cards, and we got back to work.
While Chris and I moved over to the Hybrid Tea roses, we noticed someone standing under the large tree painting. I was quick to note that the "someone painting" was none other than Ms. Jane Seymour, the well-known TV and movie actress. Ms. Seymour was preparing for the Plein Air Paintings Show as part of the San Marino League’s Invitational “Paint Out” Show and Sale to be held May 1-2, 2004, right here in the Botanical Center. Jane Seymour was honorary chair of the event this year and among those artists featured. The San Marino League is a community-oriented organization, and one of the entities that receive financial support from their activities is the Endowment Fund used to maintain the houses, bell and other fixtures that are expressions of Japanese culture found in The Huntington Japanese Garden. This is in addition to their Docent work. Again, Chris was impressed.
By the time we were finished for the day, Chris had taken some two hundred photos. Our experiences that day will be long remembered. We were both filled with an appreciation for a special place, both as a newcomer and as someone who visits The Huntington as a Rose Workshop Volunteer on a regular basis.
Carol Brown, Saturday Workshop, Propagator, Deadheader, and Plant Sale Volunteer