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Helen S Kaman Rose Garden

A Rose a Week

A Rose a Week is a celebration of Elizabeth Park's many historic roses, each with its own unique story. Posts are written by Head Rose Gardener Peter Winne.  

    Rose-blog

    Last Call for Roses!

    Late June, with its blooming arches and brilliant first flush of blossoms may draw the biggest crowds, but park regulars know the rose garden displays a second, albeit subtler, peak in early autumn. Cool September nights signal the roses to produce one final burst of color and growth. And connoisseurs will tell you that the hues are richer now than in mid-summer heat.

    Rose-blog

    My Favorite View and the Mystery Rambler

    In a previous post I wrote about my favorite rose at Elizabeth Park. I begin this post by presenting my favorite view at the park, namely a cluster of roses along the southern border of the park’s Heritage Rose Garden. 

    Rose-blog

    Rose Rosette Virus (RRV)

    So far I’ve devoted this blog to beautiful things in the garden, such as heritage roses and trellised arches covered in rambling blossoms. Today, however, we take a turn for the ugly to discuss a particularly virulent rose disease called Rose Rosette. To this not-so-scientifically-minded gardener the Rose Rosette Virus (RRV) reads like something out of a sci-fi novel: An otherwise healthy plant contracts a mysterious, airborne illness which corrupts its RNA, causing it to mutate into a prickly, discolored mass of grotesque foliage resembling a witch’s broom. The plant then develops a taste for flesh, devouring unsuspecting small children and pets.

    Rose-blog

    Summer Pruning at Elizabeth Park: How to Train Your Rambler

    The fireworks are spent, the 4th of July lawn games are packed away in the attic. Here at Elizabeth Park the dog days mean rambler pruning.

    Rose-blog

    Arches in Bloom: Dorothy Perkins

    It’s late June, which means the arches are in full bloom at Elizabeth Park. Endless clusters of delicate white, pink, and red blossoms cascade over pathways framed by arched trellises. Every year, starting around the summer solstice and lasting through the 4th of July, these ramblers all but eclipse the Park’s other roses, forming the backdrop for countless wedding photos and Instagram posts (see some of the best ones below).

    Rose-blog

    Follow elizabethparkroseblog on Instagram!

    Hey all, just a quick note to let you know A Rose a Week is now on Instagram. We’ll be posting photos daily (more or less) of all the beautiful roses we don’t have time to feature on the blog. Our handle is elizabethparkroseblog so please look us up!

    Here’s a sample of what we’ve been posting lately. This one is Florentina, a recently-hybridized climber from Germany.

    Rose-blog

    Amadis: The Perfect Climbing Rose

    Park Visitor: “What’s your favorite rose?”

    Me: “You want the long answer or the short answer?”

    Park Visitor: “I have time. Give me the long one.”

    Me: “Well, there are over 15,000 rose plants at Elizabeth Park and about 750 varieties of roses. And each one varies by the minute depending on light, time of day, weather, and season. So ask me a hundred times and I’ll give you a hundred different answers.

    Park Visitor. “Huh. Ok, give me the short answer.”

    Me: “Amadis.”

    Rose-blog

    Rosa glauca (or is it rubrifolia?)

    (Photos courtesy of Mike George)

    For the second installment of A Rose a Week we’ll be looking at another early bloomer in the Elizabeth Park Rose Garden.

    Rose-blog

    Rose Season Begins: Father Hugo

    Welcome to the first installment of A Rose a Week, a blog written by Head Gardener Peter Winne and dedicated to the roses of Elizabeth Park. What better way to mark the occasion than to start with the Park’s earliest bloomer? 

    Rose-blog

    Peter Winne's "Rose a Week" Blog

    A Rose a Week is a blog devoted to the roses of Elizabeth Park. As the oldest rose garden in the U.S., the Park is home to an unusually large number of older rose varieties, each with its own story. The aim of A Rose a Week is to tell these stories one rose at a time, approximately once per week, ideally as the rose comes into bloom. Each post includes photos of that week’s rose in peak bloom as well as a brief history and description, paying particular attention to the rose’s context within Elizabeth Park.