Kelleher Rose Garden

With the addition of a hundred more roses, the ambitious restoration of the historic, Shurcliff-era rose garden in the Back Bay Fens was completed in the spring of 2008. Thousands of new roses have been planted, attractive and informative signs put in place, and all of it lovingly cared for by hundreds of volunteers in the regular Tuesdays with Roses volunteer evenings.

Rose Garden Spring 2009 Photos | Rose Garden Fall 2009 Photos
Rose Garden Fall 2008 Photos

Waking Up the Rose Garden 2010

A Special Valentine

Due to the overwhelming success of the Valentine's Day Rose Sponsorship offer, the Conservancy will be making this a yearly campaign.

A dozen roses may last only a week, so why not give the gift of a rose bush that your Valentine, and all park visitors, will enjoy for years to come!

As part of the Conservancy's ongoing efforts to restore and maintain the Kelleher Rose Garden in the Back Bay Fens in cooperation with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, we will plant 50 new rose bushes this spring. The roses will include both 2010 All-American Rose Selection (AARS) winners as well as historic Shurcliff-era roses that were introduced as early as the 1920s, and planted in the original garden in the 1930s. Roses are listed below.

Sponsorship is $50.00.

On Valentine's Day, your valentine will receive an E-card from the Conservancy to say that you have sponsored a rose. It will include the name of the rose so that you and your Valentine can visit your sponsored rose in the Kelleher Rose Garden over the years to come!

Roses available for sponsorship include:
Carefree Spirit (2009 AARS Winner)
Cinco de Mayo (2009 AARS Winner)
Easy Does It (2010 AARS Winner)
China Doll
Granada
Gypsy Dancer
Hansa
Secret
Night Owl
Suffolk
Papa Meilland
Climbing Cecile Brunner
Climbing Mister Lincoln
Climbing Summer Snow
Etoile de Holland (Historic rose)
Texas Centennial (Historic rose)
Talisman (Historic rose)

Click here to view a sample Valentine’s Day E-card.

Preparing Your Roses for Winter

In colder climates such as ours, it's often necessary to give your roses some extra winter protection. Hybrid teas in particular appreciate this extra care.

Bring in compost or mulch, and form 12" cones around each plant. Pack the compost or mulch snugly around the base of each plant. This is called "hilling", and the purpose is to moderate the temperature of the ground and bring heat up from the soil to the crown and lower reaches of the rose bush. In the spring, once the ground has thawed, you can remove the compost or mulch (which can be used elsewhere in your garden) and remove any winter dead ahead of the growing season.