The year 2002 has been declared by Congress to be the Year of the Rose, and in Longmont, the community has already started celebrating. On April 6 and 13th, volunteers helped plant 1,400 roses in the city's new rose garden in recently renovated Roosevelt Park.
Last fall, Girl Scouts from Longmont Troop 485 wanted to do something positive in response to the terrorist attacks. "At first, they wanted to raise money for people in New York, but then decided to make a contribution close to home," said Tammy Glose, a co-leader of the troop. The troop worked with the the other Scouts in the Mountain-Prairie Division 1 Council. "So, they raised money for 66 roses for this garden. Then they wanted to help plant them. I'm so proud of these girls." The girls also plan to care for "their" roses as volunteer gardeners, helping with weeding and watering.
As a memorial rose garden originally dedicated to the veterans of all wars in 1945, it was an appropriate place to make a contribution. With the new design of the area, people will be able to "adopt" beds of roses or purchase memorial bricks to be set in the paths to honor the memory of a loved one.
While the Scouts were raising money for new plants, the existing roses were dug up by the Longmont Parks Dept. and replanted or potted up for the winter. During the park renovation, the garden was redesigned and rebuilt. "We gave away many of the roses to city residents, too, " said Nada Fisher, supervisor of the Longmont Parks and Forestry Dept. "They could take a piece of the park home with them, and now the old roses are planted all over town. I get calls from people telling me that their rose is doing well."
In Ms. Fisher's office is the plan for the new garden. It is a standard rendering, in black and white, but as she describes the different themes, it's easy to imagine the actual garden glowing with color. The roses will begin blooming by the Fourth of July, she said. She is especially pleased with the area she calls the "Shakespeare Garden." "I was able to find varieties named after characters in his plays," Ms. Fisher said, "such as "Wise Portia" and "Sweet Juliet" , as well as one named after Shakespeare himself. "
The garden will celebrate its grand opening the last weekend of August, with a district rose show and Rose Society meetings. The Rose Garden is located on the West side of Roosevelt Park in Longmont and is open to the general public to enjoy.
For information about selecting and planting roses and other cultural care information about all types of gardening questions, contact your local Extension office. In Boulder County, the office is located at 9595 Nelson Road or at 303.776.4865 and ask for a Colorado Master Gardener.
For more information on Gardening, contact your
local Colorado State University Extension office. |
