I Met a New Friend Yesterday.

Before work yesterday, I wandered over to the Fernbank Rose Garden. My first time ever. Boy was I in for a great surprise.. I had no clue they had test roses there.. I saw new varieties that aren't available.. Did you know they were testing a yellow knockout rose? I met the head gardener, who incidentally gets to vote for her favorite roses in both AARS and ARS, Miss Connie. She was a wealth of knowledge and has my dream job. Far cry from ER nurse. The opposite of utter chaos. I didn't have my camera, but promise to go back and get photos. She helped me understand what roses do best in the hot and humid Southern climate... Best of all the garden is free to wander around in, as long as you don't pick the roses or let your little rugrats step in the garden..:)


The Robert L. Staton Rose Garden is open daily to the public free of charge The garden is located near downtown Atlanta at 767 Clifton Road. It is one of only three gardens in the United States that have both AARS and ARS test roses.
The garden is named in honor of the man who first established a rose garden at Fernbank in 1983. Bob Staton's love of roses, his desire to educate the public, and the absence of a test site in Atlanta's growing climate were key forces in the birth of the concept that evolved into the garden you see today.
The garden consists of approximately 1,300 roses from three sources: All American Rose Selections (AARS) test plants, American Rose Society Award of Excellence (ARS) miniature test plants, and donated named roses.
The Robert L. Staton Rose Garden is maintained by Fernbank Science Center. The garden is located on the property of Fernbank Museum of Natural History. The partnership of the Fernbank Museum and Fernbank Science Center has enabled this lovely garden to be available to all to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of roses. Be sure to visit the garden when in the area and return from time to time to view the varieties of roses being tested by ARS and AARS, as well as the seasonal changes displayed by the established roses.