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Writer's pictureJan Peterson

Take Time to Smell the Roses

Often we don't take the time to sit, reflect and enjoy all the beauty around us and we miss an opportunity to relish the flowers that are in season. June is typically rose season and many varieties are in full bloom right now in New England.


If you have the chance, take time to visit a rose garden this June. One of best rose garden treasures in Connecticut is at the Elizabeth Park Conservancy in West Hartford. In 1894, Charles Pond donated his estate to the City of Hartford to be named a public park in honor of his wife, Elizabeth. Three years later, the City of Hartford hired Theodore Wirth to design the grounds, oversee the park and install a rose garden in 1904.


The Elizabeth Park Conservancy was formed in 1977 when Friends of Elizabeth Park organized to save the historic rose garden from almost certain demolition. Helen S. Kaman was the first president of the organization and was instrumental in saving the garden. Helen was an artist, engineer, and community leader of many talents and interests. A painter all her life, she exhibited in many New England galleries. Helen had a keen interest in horticulture and understood the importance of urban public parks as a place for people to gather, get away from life's problems, and enjoy nature and outdoor beauty. The Elizabeth Park rose garden is named after her.


Today the rose garden has over 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of old and new roses. For more information visit: https://www.elizabethparkct.org/


Here are a few photos of roses from our farm in Ecuador for your visual enjoyment:


Photo Credits: Alkavat Roses


“A rose dreams of enjoying the company of bees, but none appears. The sun asks: ‘Aren’t you tired of waiting?’ ‘Yes,’ answers the rose, ‘but if I close my petals, I will wither and die.’”

– Paulo Coelho




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