“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge … is the only guardian of true liberty.” —James Madison
Like nature, liberty cannot be taken for granted—ever vigilant, we must nurture and protect it.
REGIONAL GARDENS: Veterans Memorial Rose Garden in New England
by Mary Free, Extension Master Gardener
Photo © Mary Free
Designed by landscape architect Thomas H. Desmond and installed in 1947 to honor veterans of World War II, Veterans Memorial Rose Garden in Norwich, Connecticut displays about 2,500 rose bushes in 120 varieties. It amassed its collection, in part, through participation in the trial/display garden program of All-America Rose Selections* (AARS), the premier rose testing program in the United States from 1939 to 2013. Over two years, AARS trial gardens evaluated new rose varieties, assessing traits such as disease resistance, growth habit, hardiness, and bloom frequency, form, and fragrance. At the end of the test period, certified display gardens showcased the top-performing rose(s) from trial gardens across the country that had received AARS recognition and endorsement. Additionally, memorial donations have been used to purchase roses as acknowledged by signage in the garden beds.
Though the roses bloom into fall, they are in peak form from June to mid-July. Visitors can appreciate their beauty by sauntering along winding pathways or by resting on the benches or in the covered pavilion that overlook the garden.
Video (watch in 4K for best quality) © Mary Free
The gently-sloped, two-acre garden is part of a 384.8-acre municipal park, first established on lands donated in 1906 and, two years later, named Mohegan Park “to pay tribute to Uncas, Sachem of the Mohegan Tribe who deeded the area to the first settlers of Norwich in 1659.” A Heritage Sculpture at the park center recognizes over three centuries of friendship between the peoples of the Mohegan Nation and the City of Norwich.
Mohegan Park includes deciduous forest dominated by oak trees and red maple swamps as well as recreational areas—paved footpaths and dirt hiking trails, playgrounds and picnic areas, and swimming and fishing at Spaulding Pond (view a map of the park and watch a video of pollinators foraging on autumn-blooming asters near the pond). The biodiversity of the park was documented in a spring 2002 BioBlitz hosted by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History. In a 24-hour period, shortened by an hour-long torrential thunderstorm, 119 scientists surveyed the area and identified 1,898 species, including 529 plants, 77 birds, and 886 insects.
If New England is too far a destination to stop and smell the roses, then satisfy your olfactory and visual senses at the Memorial Rose Garden at Arlington, Virginia’s Bon Air Park (featured in the July 4, 2019 post: Blooming RED, White, and Blue). It also displays more than 120 different varieties of roses. While there, stroll over to enjoy the many native perennials and shrubs at the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia demonstration Sunny and Quarry Shade Gardens.
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*All-America Rose Selections, Inc. has been superseded by American Garden Rose Selections™.
References
1947 Rose Garden Dedication. Iconic Norwich.
Mohegan Park. from Historic Municipal Parks Survey (Mohegan Park) – 1995.
Moran LA. Winter 2017-2018. Connecticut’s Historic Rose Gardens. Connecticut Explored. 16/1: 42.
Veterans Memorial Rose Garden. Facilities. City of Norwich.