Monday, September 14, 2020

The War Memorial Rose Garden in Littleton, Colorado

Last week I visited the Littleton, Colorado War Memorial Rose Garden, located at 5804 S Bemis Street before a cold front was predicted to descend on our area with possible snow. I had heard about this garden many times but for one reason or another, I never had a chance to visit it.  Since we've been staying close to home these days I thought this would be a good opportunity to take a drive across town to finally see it.  I was glad I did! What a beautiful and peaceful place to visit.  Although it was early September many roses were in bloom and gorgeous.




    The War Memorial Rose Garden is one of only two All-American Rose Select designations within the State of Colorado and this makes the garden unique in character for our high desert plains. The park is dedicated to veterans who have served in any of America’s wars.  It was purchased by the city of Littleton in 1964 and contains over 1800 roses of all types—hybrid teas, shrub roses, miniatures, old garden roses, species roses, and climbers. 

    The Orian Sterne fountain (named for the daughter of W. C. Sterne, for whom Sterne Park is named), at the center of the garden, was originally built in front of the Carnegie Library at the west end of old town Littleton on Main Street.  It was placed in storage at the Littleton Historical Museum when the Santa Fe/Bowles intersection was reconstructed and then eventually moved to the rose garden in 1988.


    The rose is America’s national flower and the world’s favorite flower.  It is also the month of June's birth flower, and as a June baby, I've always loved roses.


According to the 120-year-old American Rose Society (ARS), the rose is a universal symbol of love, friendship, beauty, and peace; a flower of unsurpassed importance in art, history, literature, and music. 



The rose has been in cultivation for over 5000 years and grown throughout history for medicine, perfumery, as a messenger of romance, and for its sheer beauty. Thousands of varieties of roses exist today.




Roses come in every size from 12-inch miniatures to towering 20-foot shrubs and climbers. They have been bred to every possible shade and combination of reds, pinks, yellows, and whites, with some variety suited to almost any climate in the world.



I enjoyed walking around the War Memorial Rose Garden and admiring all the varieties of roses.  Many had plaques to identify their variety located in front of them.  The memorial website also has an interactive map with what roses are planted in each section.


In 1995, Dr. William Campbell and South Suburban Parks and Recreation, in addition to numerous individuals and organizations, contributed funds to design and construct a Victorian-style gazebo in honor of his wife Linda Campbell, past president of the Arapahoe Rose Society and Denver Rose Society.

The memorial plaque adjacent to the gazebo reads:

"In Memory of
LINDA CAMPBELL

Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
Family & Friends"

A large sundial is located just south of the gazebo, which was installed in 1969.  The front of the sundial shows summer hours from April until September and the back winter hours October through March.



If you look at this view from the rose garden you can see a hazy view of a portion of the Colorado foothills.  The week I visited the War Memorial Rose Garden we were experiencing some smoke in our atmosphere from the Colorado wildfires. If you look beyond the rose garden border there was a private large vegetable and flower garden adjacent to it.



Peeking over that garden's fence were these magnificent sunflowers, along with hops growing on the fence, and a grand Cottonwood tree next to the parking lot.




Of all the roses I saw and enjoyed in the War Memorial Rose Garden, it was hard to choose a favorite, but this rose reminded me of ones that grew in my Mother's backyard so it would definitely be a contender.




In true Colorado "wait fifteen minutes and the weather will change" fashion we did get snow on September 9th!   The area where I live had five inches of snow.  The temperature went from over 100 degrees to below freezing in 24 hours!  We tied an all-time record with Rapid City, South Dakota, for the most extreme weather change in 24 hours!  Happily, the weather returned to normal very quickly and the snow melted at our elevation very quickly. We are now back to warm weather in the 80s and we felt grateful for all the moisture from the melting snow as we have been in a drought this summer.

Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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39 comments:

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

A rose garden is a special place as roses are a special flower. Add the memorial and this garden is indeed a beautiful, peaceful tribute. I'd love to spend a day there sitting and enjoying the flowers.

Maggie said...

As a June baby myself I love roses too! A visit to the Memorial Rose Garden would be an absolute treat for me. Your weather certainly is weird, one day very hot the next snow. I'm glad we don't have such drastic seasonal changes here in Derbyshire.
Happy MM.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Pat,

The War Memorial Rose Garden is beautiful, a lovely place for an outing. The roses are just gorgeous. I love the fountain and the quote on the plaque in the memory of Linda Campbell. Beautiful views and photos. The extreme weather and dramatic quick changes in temperatures is due to climate change. It can be scary, especially since there are climate deniers in charge. I am glad the snow has helped your drought. Lovely photos. Take care, Stay safe! Enjoy your day! Wishing you a happy new week!

Tom said...

...nothing is sweeter than a rose!

Angela said...

Gorgeous roses! I wish I could smell them!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

How amazing to see the snow. We watched the weather channel to see the changes and I even looked at a Vail webcam while it was coming down. Love all of the beautiful roses!

Joanne said...

Now that is some really crazy weather! Wow! Love that you got to see the rose garden before the snow. I was amazed at how many beautiful roses were still in bloom.

NCSue said...

Beautiful flowers but WOW - what a shocker to see the snow in the last frame! I'm NOT ready for winter, and thankfully we're nowhere near winter weather here in NC!
Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/09/going-buggy.html

Ruth Hiebert said...

WOW! This post is perfect for me. I love all flowers, but roses are my absolute favourite . I am also a June baby, so this flower is perfect for me. I would have taken far too many pictures at that pace. Thanks for sharing the beauty.

stevebethere said...

I enjoyed your post love all the colours too :-)

Have a bloomingtastic safe week 😷😷😷

Lydia C. Lee said...

So beautiful - but I love the snow shot!! We don't get that.

LV said...

Colorado is a state full of beauty. MY NIECE HAS A CABIN IN HARTSEL, Co.

Angie said...

Pat - how wise you were to visit the rose garden before the snow! Lovely, lovely, lovely. And amazing there are that many blooms in September. I wouldn't mind 5 inches of snow right about now - it would help with the drought and the blanket of smoke! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

Angie said...

P.S. Thank you for helping me identify the upright prairie coneflower!

Lady Fi said...

Gorgeous shots! Even that early snow is a wonder.

Dawn said...

Where we lived in NC there was a rose garden, it was so lovely. People from miles around take their wedding photos there.
Such beautiful roses and as a June baby I love them as well.
Those sunflowers are gorgeous too, another favorite of mine.
Oh man I have friends in Colorado and the snow...brr no thanks.
We've always said that here as well, don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change.
Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

Vee said...

Beautiful garden. Lovely gazebo. Crazy weather. I had asked my brother-in-law which states were his favorites (he's been all over). He said that Colorado and Maine were his favorites. After the big snow so early in September, he said that Colorado was out. Ha! Good thing it didn't last long. He says that it rarely does.

Donna @ Modern on Monticello said...

Wow- Crazy weather! So glad you got to see the garden and share it with us. Such a beautiful place. #HomeMattersParty

William Kendall said...

Beautiful and poignant.

ellen b. said...

What a beautiful rose garden.

Fun60 said...

Roses have always been special to me especially as a way of remembering someone. The memorial gardens look beautiful and a fitting place to remember.

handmade by amalia said...

So beautiful. And it looks like you had a lovely sunny day to go with the gorgeous blooms.
Amalia
xo

Powell River Books said...

Right in the middle of downtown Los Angeles there is a beautiful rose garden. Last time we visited USC for football we went to the garden to relax an read. - Margy

Jeanie said...

What a weather seesaw. I'm SO glad you got to that gorgeous garden before those beautiful roses were hidden under a blanket of white. The snow is so lovely -- if only we could just look at it and not be in it!

Tanza Erlambang said...

nice place with beautiful flowers

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Red roses, blue skies--who could ask for more?

Tamar SB said...

I can smell the beautiful roses from here!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Beautiful gardens and perfect day for your visit. I really like the words on the Linda Campbell memorial plaque.

Jim said...

Cool shots.

Judy Biggerstaff said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful pics of the roses. What a nice visit you had!

Marielle said...

These are beautiful pictures. It looks like a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing. Visiting today from the Friday Favorites link up. Have a wonderful weekend!

Lowcarb team member said...

What beautiful gardens these are.
A lovely post full of beautiful photographs and mosaics ... thank you.

All the best Jan

A Bit of the Blarney said...

What beautiful roses. I've never been there as we moved from Colorado and I'm embarrassed to say I've never been there. Thank you for sharing it with us!

betty-NZ said...

What a fabulous way to remember those who are gone. The flower are just phenomenal to see :)

Your link at 'My Corner of the World' is greatly appreciated!! I'm glad to see you this week!

diane b said...

That garden looks fabulous with all those beautiful roses. That weather change must have been a shock to the system. How do the roses fare in that weather?

Michelle said...

I love seeing the roses but it is a no for the snow! lol Too early! Thanks for linking up and have a great week ahead. I am still enjoying your food posts on Facebook. I love seeing what you cook!!!

Rambling Woods said...

Beautiful garden with a view..amazing

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Can’t believe how lovely those roses still were in September! “Were” probably being the operative word now. I thought about you and hoped you were doing OK during that crazy weather change (crazy even for Colorado). Our son and DIL texted pictures, much like yours.

EricaSta said...

A wonderful memorial with all this special roses. The weather changing, we get more autumn day by day.
Stay healthy and well.

Happy MosaicMonday