For avid rose lovers, Longmont blooms brightest
By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News
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It's hard not to love a rose garden. The cultivation of roses as a garden
flower began some 5,000 years ago, and for good reason. Not only do shapes,
colors and scents inspire "oohs" and "aahs," roses also are used as symbols
of love and beauty, war and politics.
In this month's Gardens on the Go, the featured destination is the Roosevelt
Memorial Rose Garden in Longmont. The garden is right in the heart of Longmont,
in Roosevelt Park. When the garden was first created in 1946, it was intended
as a memorial to veterans of all wars.
Those who haven't visited the rose garden for a few years will be in for
a pleasant surprise. The garden was completely redesigned and replanted
in 2002 and now sports raised planters, concrete curbing, wrought-iron
trellises and a pergola. Nada Fisher, horticulturist and garden caretaker
for Longmont, was instrumental in the redesign of the garden.
Two additional memorial beds were created at that time. One is a tribute
to the veterans of World War II, and the second, called "Remember Me,"
is a memorial for victims of Sept. 11, 2001. Appropriate varieties of roses
have been planted in each bed, such as 'Purple Heart' in the WWII bed and
'Firefighter' in the 9/11 bed.
In the early 1950s, the Roosevelt Memorial Rose Garden was designated as
an All-American Rose Selection display garden--one of only four in Colorado.
The AARS organization conducts long-term tests on new varieties of roses,
then makes the best ones available to the public. This year's AARS selections
are planted in a separate bed at the Roosevelt garden.
At present, the memorial garden is home to 190 varieties of roses in 60
beds, with a total of about 1,800 plants. A majority of the plants are
AARS winners. Visitors will find hybrid tea roses, floribundas, grandifloras,
mini roses, climbers, shrubs and low-growing carpet-style roses.
While Longmont's parks department cares for the roses during the growing
season, the city has lots of help. Numerous individuals and organizations
in the Longmont area contribute both time and money to keeping the garden
beautiful. Among them are the local Lions Club, the Hoe and Hope Garden
Club and the St. Vrain Rose Society.
The St. Vrain Rose Society holds a competitive rose show each year at the
senior center adjacent to the garden. This year's show, planned for Aug.
23, will be open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. For more information,
call Ken and Linda Chandler at 970-587-5666. There's also an annual rose
sale, held as a fund-raiser during the Arbor Day celebration in April.
To reach the Roosevelt Memorial Rose Garden, turn west off Longmont's Main
Street (U.S. Highway 287) onto Long's Peak Avenue. Follow this street about
five blocks to Bross Street. The garden is located along Bross Street,
between Long's Peak Avenue and Eighth Avenue. It's at the west end of Roosevelt
Park.
The Longmont garden is not gated. It's officially open every day from 5
a.m. to 11 p.m.
Thanks to Bill Paul, parks director for Longmont, for providing a history
of the Roosevelt Memorial Rose Garden. Next month, we'll continue this
series with another garden that's located within a short drive of Fort
Collins.
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