I recently visited this little gem of a garden in Santa Rosa.  With me was my 12 year old friend, Jasmin.  I wasn't sure if a girl of this age would find this garden interesting or not.  Well, to my surprise and delight, she loved the gardens.  I loaned her a camera and didn't hear much from her for about an hour.  She was having the time of her life!

 I know of Luther Burbank because many things are named after him in my community.  But more important to me is that he developed one of my favorite flowers, the Shasta Daisy.  It stands about knee height, and just keeps on blooming.  I consider it a cheerful plant, and love to see lots of them in our garden.  Ok, I admit it again that my husband has the green thumb, and I just get to enjoy them.  Someone has to do the hard part...enjoying them!

The gardens are located on our main street "Santa Rosa Avenue," right across from our City Hall. Once you are in the gardens, you don't even notice what is going on around you.  That is saying something since the gardens are less than two acres and not that big.

If you haven't heard of Luther Burbank, he conducted plant breeding experiments that made him known around the world.  He introduced over 800 new varieties of plants, including over 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables.  In fact, you can thank him for those delicious baked potatoes you like to eat when you go out to dinner.  Luther Burbank died in 1926, but his plants and his gardens continue on.

Below are some photos that my friend Jasmin took when we were there.  Click on the photos to see a large version, and to see the caption.  Enjoy!