Boston's secret garden has nearly 200 varieties of roses. "It smells just like you think it does."
Frederick Law Olmsted transformed Boston with the Emerald Necklace. One of the first formal landscapes of the park system was the James P. Kelleher Rose Garden, which continues to attract visitors.
"Olmsted designed the Back Bay Fens in the late 19th century. The landscape kind of changed after he died when they dammed the Charles River up at the Museum of Science and they had to replant the whole area," said Declan Battles, marketing and communications manager of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.
Nearly 2,000 plants
Designed in the 1930s, the garden still has lots of visitors in the city, along with volunteers who help take care of it.
"Rose gardens were all the rage in the early 20th century," said Battles.
The blooms have been popular ever since, transporting people into a real-life fairytale.
"In the early 2000s the conservancy worked with the city of Boston to renew it, so that involved bringing in rosarians putting the turf down, putting irrigation in there, replanting the rose beds, weeding," said Battles.
With nearly 2,000 plants and almost 200 varieties of roses, Battles describes it as Boston's own secret garden.
"Now is probably the best time to look at them," he told WBZ-TV.
Fountain restored
Roses of all colors and sizes greet you as soon as you walk through the gates. Displayed through lined pathways lined with benches and on arched trellises, guests get a 360-degree view of the most beautiful roses. The garden's focal point, a fountain that wasn't operational for years until a little over a decade ago.
"The cherubs around the fountain were not the originals, they were stolen sometime in the 60s or 70s, so the ones there were replaced in about 2014," explained Battles.
Thanks to funding from the conservancy, the cherubs were replaced and the fountain restored.
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy partners with the city of Boston to care for the garden, pruning and weeding every day. The group also runs volunteer cleanups every Tuesday through September.
"Of course, it's a very popular place for people to get engaged, get married, I couldn't tell you how many phone calls and emails we get," added Battles. "People just appreciate nice flowers and it smells just like you think it does."
The peak blooms are through the end of June. The garden is open from April to October. Guided tours are also available. Click here for more information.
