But there’s a great reason for it. I spent three hours hoeing and raking at the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden. The tagline on their site says, “…delighting you with a world class collection of almost 5,000 plants of more than 3,500 varieties of heritage, modern and miniature roses, initially planted by more than 750 volunteers in March, 1995.”

I participated as a volunteer with the Hands On Bay Area community group. They provided coffee, juice, and bagels to get us started, and then we set to work. It was a gorgeous morning, and the perfumed air was a benefit of being there. As were the roses, a sight to behold! There are nearing peak spring bloom. I met a woman there and we chatted as we worked, getting to know each other a little. We exchanged contact information, and perhaps we’ll get together for a walk or cup of tea sometime.

The garden is routinely tended to by volunteers; more can be learned here. Go ahead give a hand sometime. It’s a lovely environment, good exercise, and you might even make a new friend.