Antique Rose Emporium

The Antique Rose Emporium is for rose lovers and green thumbs of all ages. Begun as a way to catalog antique roses (roses that were once available commercially, but now are no longer), the Emporium has blossomed into a resource for botanists and weekend gardeners alike. The Emporium also has two display gardens in Texas, which feature antique roses that have resurfaced over the years.

Flowers Take Root in Central Texas

While you can easily order roses online, seeing a garden in bloom is something you can only do in person. The Antique Rose Emporium has two such gardens: one in San Antonio and one in Independence. Both are situated in historic cities. San Antonio, of course, is famous for the Alamo; Independence gets its name from the same era, when Texas revolted against Mexico to create its own republic.

For the last two decades, the Emporium has collected flowers and information about the hearty variety of plants that can survive in Texas. In time, the collection of plants grew; the gardeners have combined a variety of roses with native plants in a way that recreates gardening techniques from the 1850s. In a part of the state rich with history, it's interesting (and beautiful) to see gardeners turn back the clock, too.

Central Texas is rife with plants. In fact, Independence, Texas is near Brenham, the bluebonnet capital of the world. Brenham is also home to quaint bed and breakfast inns that likewise capture and celebrate the history of the region. You can stay in a log cabin, a Greek Revival home, or in the bunkhouse of a ranch hand. Go back in time to an era where you could stop and smell the roses--and it would take all day.