|
Kansas City's municipal rose garden in Loose Park is the
realization of a dream that began in 1931, when a group of
citizens under the leadership of Laura Conyers Smith established
the Kansas City Rose Society. The first garden contained 120
rose plants. Today, there are about 3,000 roses of nearly 150
varieties in the 1.5 acre garden.
The rose garden has been
maintained through a partnership of the Kansas City Rose Society
and the Kansas City, Missouri, Board of Parks and Recreation
Commissioners. The Rose Society furnishes all the roses while
park employees provide ongoing care. In addition, Rose Society
members volunteer hundreds of hours each year to assist the
Loose Park staff with pruning in the garden.
The garden's circular plan
was the concept of famous landscape architect S. Herbert
Hare. In 1965 the garden was officially named the Laura Conyers
Smith Municipal Rose Garden.
Through the years, the
Friendship and Memory Rose Program has provided funds for the
upkeep of the garden. Each year, about $5,000 is spent
replacing roses. The Rose Garden is an accredited All-America
Rose Selections (AARS) Public Rose Garden, one of only 130
nationwide. Here rose lovers may view the performance of a
wide selection of roses grown under Kansas City's climate
conditions.
To celebrate the height of the
rose season, the Rose Society annually sponsors Rose Day in the
garden on the first Sunday in June. In the Fall, the Kansas
City Ballet has performed in the garden on the Tuesday evening
after Labor Day. Every year, about 250 hundred weddings are
held in the Rose Garden..
In 1944, the West Garden was
dedicated to the heroes of World War II.
The new Italian stone
fountain was dedicated in 2002. This sparkling centerpiece was
made possible by generous contributions from private donors.
In 2008-09, an extensive renovation of the
garden was undertaken thanks to funds raised by the Society from
public and private donors. The project included improved
drainage and irrigation systems, installation of metal edging, improvements to the north shelter, installation of an interior
circular walking path and the planting of about 1,200 new roses
in the re-defined beds.
|
