Award-winning San Jose Municipal Rose Garden An American Gem
For nearly an entire decade, I photographed the beautiful roses at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.
The city of San Jose has named the beloved garden, founded in 1927, a historic landmark.
It is located in the equally beautiful San Jose Rose Garden District. Elegant homes in this lovely area are among the nicest in San Jose. Many date back to the early part of the past century. Many also have gorgeous flowers in their yards.
At the approximate center of the nearly 6-acre rose garden ~ featuring more than 3,500 rose bushes and almost 200 varieties ~ is a soothing waterfall that often drowns out the car and truck noise from nearby, busy roads.
The garden is part of a larger, 11-acre park that also features grass lawns, an area for music or weddings, and a variety of trees within the fenced area and along it. Some shed the most beautiful white blossoms I’ve ever seen. At times, in mid- to late spring, it rained blossoms on me and my equipment. It was surreal. Others are towering, magnificent redwoods.
“The AARS named the SJ Municipal Rose Garden as ‘America's Best Rose Garden,’ making it the winner in the first nationwide competition ever.
The garden was officially dedicated in 1937, but “groundbreaking took place on {April 7}, 1931,” in the midst of The Great Depression, according to Wikipedia.
I photographed professionally for an international flower company, and I loved the varieties and experimental roses I was able to photograph. I also photographed many that were not proprietary photos, and you will see a selection of my photos on this website.
“As an official Display Garden for the All-America Rose Selections …, the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden receives AARS award-winning roses in advance of public release,” Wikipedia noted.
I first saw the garden in 2008 with my lovely wife Kathleen, when we lived in Cupertino for nearly a decade. It was a short, quick 10- to 15- minute drive on back streets to reach the garden for me.
I learned from docents that the garden had fallen into disrepair.
“In the early 2000s, city budget cuts impacted the garden, which led to the AARS placing it on probation,” according to Wikipedia. “In 2007 Friends of the San Jose Rose Garden … was established, a volunteer nonprofit organization whose mission was to restore and renovate the garden.”
Rose, Sparkle & ShineSparkle & Shine rose photographed by Glenn Franco Simmons at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.
Their very hard work has paid off beautifully.
“In 2008 the AARS lifted the garden from probation and restored full accreditation, and the following year over 800 new roses were planted as part of the restoration project,” according to Wikipedia. “On May 2, 2009, it was rededicated as an official AARS test garden, one of 23 in the {United States} and the only one in Northern California.”
Quoting from Wikipedia, awards followed:
• “On {Dec.} 15, 2009, the restoration of the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden was nationally recognized on the Corporation for National and Community Service website.
• On {Aug.} 12, 2010, the AARS named it “America's Best Rose Garden,” in the first nationwide contest of its kind. The winning garden was selected based on beauty, creativity and community involvement.’
Rose, Cherry ParfaitCherry Parfait rose photographed at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, which is one of America's best rose gardens. It is a treasure.
The awards were well-deserved and garden volunteers and the friends’ organization behind them have put in long, long hours and are so very dedicated.
From all of us who have relished the garden and become invigorated by its beauty: Thank you, Friends of the San Jose Rose Garden! We appreciate your work throughout the year, without which the garden would not flourish like it does and draw so many visitors ~ not only from the South Bay, greater Bay Area, but from all over the world. When you are at the garden on busy days, you can hear many languages spoken. A sort milieu of cultures mingle in awe at the beauty these volunteers nurture. If you would like to see more rose photos from this outstanding garden, please visit my Roses As Art group that contains many galleries of different roses.
