The American Rose Center at Shreveport, LA. Photo courtesy of The American Rose Society.
Join PRS at 2 PM on Sunday October 15 as we hear all about Ray and Marie Shipley’s 2700+ mile GRAND TOUR of Roses in Southern Public Gardens. We will hear all about their journey of a lifetime, and see stunning images of the many rose gardens that they visited along the way.
In May 2023, PRS Board Member Ray Shipley, with his wife Marie, began a GRAND TOUR of southern gardens, occasioned by their attendance in the American Rose Society’s national convention at the American Rose Center in Shreveport, LA. Starting in Western Maryland, they decided to drive the entire 2700+ miles and tour gardens along the way, crafting their tour plan with the use of the website http://ilovegardens.com/ which has an extensive listing of North American gardens by state and province. Highlights included the Atlanta Botanical Garden, with its noted orchid collection, and the Tyler Rose Museum and Rose Garden, which combined have over 32,000 plants with more than 600 varieties of roses.
At the American Rose Center in Shreveport, LA, they toured the recently completed 60 acre rose garden, which illustrates the history of roses in America. Volunteer contributions of $5 million to the American Rose Society enabled the construction of this garden, which includes Noisette Roses, the only class of roses that originated in the United States. One morning, they took the opportunity to drive 1 ½ hours to Tyler, TX to visit the Tyler Rose Museum and Rose Garden, which combined have over 32,000 plants with more than 600 varieties of roses. Inspired by the tour, Ray shared: “I normally pick at least one rose from each trip that I take, to add to my garden. In this case, I saw Roxanne Veranda, (a red floribunda) that I ordered from Heirloom Roses, and it now resides in my garden.”
This program is FREE and open to the public. You must register to receive a Zoom link. PRS members will have access to the recording on our website in the Members Only Video Library.
If you are not a member, and would like to access our helpful members only information and resources, or would like more information about Potomac Rose Society, please visit:
https://www.potomacrose.org/join-us
ARS Consulting Rosarians will earn one credit toward recertification for attending this program.
