ROSE FESTIVAL IN FULL BLOOM AT HUNTINGTON GARDENS.

Byline: Michelle Mills

We've had a love affair with the rose for centuries. The thorny beauty has infiltrated our literature, our art and our imagination. This weekend, the Huntington Gardens will celebrate with a Rose Festival.

Mandatory for visitors during the festival is a stroll through the luxuriant Rose Garden. The site, created in 1908, was originally part of Henry Huntington's private estate. Estate records indicate that in one year alone, 9,700 roses from the garden were cut and used in household floral arrangements.

The three-acre oasis showcases nearly 1,500 different varieties of roses among the 4,000 individual plants, in a landscape of trees, statuary and green lawns.

Tented pavilions will be set up on the Rose Garden lawn for informal talks and demonstrations on rose-growing topics. Docent-guided tour will be available, and roses, as well as other plants, will be on sale in the main concourse of the parking lot. At 2:30 p.m. both days, Rose Garden curator Clair Martin will discuss and sign copies of his book ``100 Old Roses for the American Garden.''

Also part of the enjoyment of the Rose Garden is an elegant English tea. Set in the middle of this fragrant plot is a stately room in which to sip tea and nibble on finger sandwiches, scones and other delights, all with a view of the garden. The tea room is open from 10:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The tea is $11 and reservations are required. Call [phone].