At Nixon library, the subject is roses - Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Birthplace, Orange County, California

Sunset, May, 1994 by Lynn Ocone

May is the best month to see these Yorba Linda gardens

THINK "ROSE GARDEN," and the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Birthplace in Orange County probably isn't the first place to leap to mind. But former first lady Pat Nixon was an avid gardener, and the grounds of the 9-acre Yorba Linda museum honor her love of roses. They reign supreme both in mass plantings, including a new bed of 70 deliciously fragrant 'Double Delight', and in the intimate First Lady's Garden, where roses, irises, and perennials weave a luxurious tapestry. This month, when roses are in their glory, is the prime time to stroll the grounds.

FRAGRANT LESSONS

The First Lady's Garden, inspired by the legendary White House Rose Garden, consists of terraced beds, each dominated by a single floribunda rose variety, 'Amber Queen', 'Angel Face', 'French Lace', 'Sun Flare', 'Simplicity', and 'Showbiz' among them.

The 4-year-old garden offers many lessons. Bright pink flowers of 'Simplicity' and blue flowers of agapanthus, for example, make a stunning color combination. To soften the look of concrete tiers, the gardeners planted cascading rosemary, which blooms blue in winter. Rosy lavender 'Angel Face' was found to be sensitive to crowding, while scabosia, lamb's ears, and armeria proved to be good edging plants in the rose beds.

The Formal Garden, planted with traditional California plants including towering queen palms, kumquats, and clipped boxwood and myrtle hedges, features a 130-foot-long reflecting pool. The garden's ends are anchored by the library to the west and by the former president's birthplace, a 1912 farmhouse, to the east.

Near the pool's east end, glowing red, fragrant hybrid tea 'Mr. Lincoln' roses lead to a tiered garden amphitheater. Around the amphitheater's fringe, you'll find an assortment of roses. These include the burgundy red floribunda 'Pat Nixon' and a new planting of English roses including 'Abraham Darby', 'Cressida', 'Francine Austin', and 'Tamora'. Hundreds of 'Bonica' shrub roses ring the amphitheater like thick pink icing on a giant wedding cake.

Although roses are the main attraction at this time of year, don't overlook the nuggets of history revealed through other plants and garden ornaments on the grounds. The magnolia tree near the southeast corner of the amphitheater, for example, was originally planted by Mrs. Nixon at her California home, La Casa Pacifica, and transferred to the library garden in 1990. But the tree's roots go deeper than that: it is a seedling from a magnolia that Andrew Jackson brought from his home in Tennessee to the White House. Ornaments include the dove-of-peace weather vane in The First Lady's Garden, which is a replica of one George Washington ordered for his home in Mount Vernon.

The museum is at 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard. Admission costs $4.95, $2.95 ages 62 and over, $1 ages 8 through 11. Admission to the gardens is free with museum admission. Both are open from 10 to 5 Mondays through Saturdays, from 11 to 5 Sundays. Guided garden tours are offered at 11 on Saturdays during May and June. For more information, call (714) 993-3393.