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ROSE GARDEN
The Rose Garden Committee is a dedicated and hard working group of volunteers who have restored and now maintain the Brookdale Park Rose Garden in Essex County. They rebanded in 2003 under the leadership of Bob Kroeckel and started without a budget, a working water system or community assistance.
In the years since 2003 they have re-aligned the brick borders of the 25 rose beds several times, replanted over 600 roses, resurrected every rose bed and have been instrumental in restoring the beauty of the Brookdale Park Rose Garden to our Essex County residents. They now work in partnership with the Brookdale Park Conservancy and are an important partner with the Essex County Parks Dept.
The Master Gardeners have kept the original garden bed design of a center circle garden and then rectangular beds that follow down the slope of the hill in Brookdale Park. Some of the beds have been abbreviated because of too much tree shade. This year the new arbor will be planted with Sally Holmes and Compassion climbing roses. The beloved original fragrant red hybrid tea roses, Mr. Lincoln and Chrysler Imperial, are being maintained but the majority of new roses are disease resistant hybrid and antique shrubs. They have installed most of the “Earthkind” roses that are appropriate to our zone 6 garden, such as, Sea Foam, Carefree Beauty, Bonica, New Dawn and The Fairy. This year they are adding Belinda’s Dream and Mutabilis. There are a few of the David Austin shrubs such as the Graham Thomas and Perdita and will add more this year. The Canadian red shrub Champlain does very well as do the Danish Poulsen Renaissance roses - Sophia and Clair. The hardy and disease resistant mid-Western Griffith Buck and Radler roses are well represented in the Rose Garden. We are adding more of the older French antique shrubs this season.
The Master Gardeners do not spray fungicide in this public park. They use a balanced rose fertilizer twice a season and apply granular Epsom salt to each rosebush several times a season. The Rose Garden pH tests acidic every year. The garden is located in the midst of evergreen trees and suffers the high pH of Essex County air pollution. Because of this, granulated lime is judiciously applied every autumn. The 2-3 inch cedar mulch applied to every rose bed depletes the soil tested nitrogen. All weeding is done mechanically rather than with the use of herbicides.
The Rose Garden Committee has a short wish list for the coming season i.e. shredded leaf mulch rather than cedar mulch and also dedicated snow fencing to protect the Rose Garden in the winter yet allow the community access for sledding.
The Garden is physically open to the public (no fences) and there is ample seating on park benches in the Rose Garden area. There is no admission charge.
This special Master Gardener endeavor meets Thursday mornings from mid-March thru November. They are readily available for rose garden questions and compliments. New volunteers are always welcome.
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