VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse Mill Rose Garden construction
Desiree Robinson: Usually this is one of the busiest times of year at Syracuse’s Mills Rose Garden. But while the roses are reaching peak bloom, this is keeping visitors on the outside looking in.
Robinson: Peak bloom season has arrived at Syracuse’s Mills Rose Garden. But this year, visitors will have to enjoy the roses from a distance. The garden is fenced off while crews replace aging pathways as part of an accessibility improvement project.
Sonia Kragh: It’s wonderful that it’s open to the public most of the time, and this is going to make it even better because there are people who wouldn’t have been able to access it that will be able to.
Robinson: The project has also led to the cancellation of this year’s Rose Day celebration, one of the garden’s most popular annual events. Still, volunteers continue working behind the scenes to keep hundreds of roses healthy as they move into peak bloom.
Kragh: So our old garden rose section, which are roses that are originally propagated in the 1800s and earlier, are in peak bloom right now. The rest of the garden is just starting to go into bloom.
Robinson: For longtime rosarian David Stever, caring for roses has been a labor of love for nearly five decades.
David Stever: My wife loved roses. I loved my wife. So I started planting roses.
Robinson: What started with a few rose bushes has turned into a lifelong hobby and a connection to the Syracuse gardening community.
Stever: I just like being out. If I have to have my favorite, it’s hand watering, just to get up close and get a good look at them, see how they’re doing.
Robinson: And while visitors may have to wait a little longer to walk through the garden, Rose Society members say the improvements will help ensure even more people can enjoy it in the years ahead.
Robinson: Rose Society leaders say they are considering a smaller Rose Day event this September if construction is finished on time. In the meantime, the group’s annual Rose Show is still scheduled for later this month in North Syracuse. Reporting live in Syracuse, I’m Desiree Robinson.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — June is typically one of the busiest months at Syracuse’s Mills Rose Garden, when roses reach peak bloom and visitors walk the garden’s pathways.
This year, however, visitors will have limited access as a construction project aimed at improving accessibility closes much of the garden during peak bloom season. This construction has led to the cancellation of this year’s Rose Day celebration.
The project will replace aging pathways that have become difficult to navigate for visitors and volunteers, according to Sonia Kragh, Syracuse Rose Society member.
“The paver material and the bricks were either worn or just very slippery in some instances,” Kragh said. “So it wasn’t good for walkers or wheelchairs.”
While the closure has limited public access, Kragh said the society supports the project because it will make the garden safer and more accessible.
“It’s wonderful that it’s open to the public most of the time, and this is going to make it even better because there are people who wouldn’t have been able to access it that will be able to,” she said.
The timing of the project coincides with peak bloom season in Central New York.
“Our old garden rose section, which are roses that are originally propagated in the 1800s and earlier, are in peak bloom right now,” Kragh said. “The rest of the garden is just starting to go into bloom.”
The closure has also affected the Syracuse Rose Society’s regular activities. Members who typically maintain the garden on a set schedule now must coordinate their work around construction hours and access restrictions.
Rose Day, an annual event held at the garden during peak bloom season, has been canceled for June. Kragh said organizers are considering holding a smaller event in September if construction is completed in time.
Despite the closure, the Syracuse Rose Society plans to hold its annual Rose Show on June 20 at the Masonic Temple in North Syracuse. The event allows growers to exhibit roses and floral arrangements that are judged by certified judges.
For longtime rosarian David Stever, growing roses has been a passion for nearly five decades.
Stever said he first began planting roses shortly after buying a home in the 1970s.
“My wife loved roses. I loved my wife. So I started planting roses,” he said.
That interest eventually led him to join the Syracuse Rose Society, where he learned more about different varieties and connected with other gardeners.
Today, Stever maintains about 500 roses and said one of his favorite parts of the hobby is the time he spends caring for them.
“I just like being out,” he said. “If I have to have my favorite, it’s hand watering, just to get up close and get a good look at them, see how they’re doing.”
Although visitors may not be able to fully explore the Mills Rose Garden this summer, members of the Syracuse Rose Society say the improvements will help make the garden more accessible for future visitors.