Yesterday afternoon, after I finished mulching with my stalwart volunteers at the rose park, I came home to pick up my husband, Bob. We had a mission to accomplish.

Two years ago, in my search for Elizabeth Pond’s final resting place, Bob and I wound up down the road a block or so in the north end of Hartford. We had been at Spring Grove Cemetery to see Elizabeth and Charles Ponds’ crypt. I had read about Old North Cemetery and I wanted to visit that, as well. Old North was Hartford’s burial ground from the early 1800’s on. I knew that it was Frederick Law Olmsted’s final destination. He was also a designer of the cemetery, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. I wanted to visit his grave and pay my respects to the father of the American Park System.

Old North

Old North is the wrought iron gated community of all the founding fathers and mothers of the Hartford we know today. Names like Morgan, Griffin, Bushnell, Wadsworth and Colt, to name a few, are all planted there. But, the first time we saw the place, we were appalled at its state of disrepair! Poison ivy clutching gravestones making them illegible. Weeds as high as my chin in mid-June 2009 obscured the beauty and serenity of the place! It made us so sad to see what this awful economy had done to a place that should be revered as a monument to history. The city just could not afford to tend it anymore. On our way out, I spotted an old rosebush by the front fence. Her bloom was finished for that year, but I vowed we would return to see her again.

To make a long story short, I spoke with the local paper about Old North. That fall, the city came in to mow…and they mowed the old girl right down to the ground. I brought Stephen Scanniello from the Heritage Rose Foundation last summer (2010), hoping he could identify her from her limey-green foliage. Old Garden Roses need two year wood to bloom on. I knew there wouldn’t be any blossoms in June of 2010. However, he said the best thing to do would be to wait one more year.

Rose Discoveries

Hence, our trip to Old North Cemetery yesterday afternoon. Old North has a Friends’ group, now, and it is much less neglected than it was just two years ago. Bob and I went on a tour there in April, and about 60 people showed up which made me feel so happy! I love the peace and beauty about the place…giant tulip trees and majestic Victorian monuments…and my long-awaited old rose in full bloom!!!

She is just beautiful. A fountain of lime green with mauvy blooms the size of a small macintosh apple, the blossoms almost form a perfect ball. She has a gazillion petals and smells heavenly. Last night I sent out pictures and descriptions to rose friends all over the internet. My friend, Chris, seems to think she might be ‘Belle Sans Flatterie,’ a beautiful name for a beautiful rose. Do you have any idea who she might be?

I brought home cuttings (with previous permission from the city Director of Public Works) and will be potting them up. After she has finished blooming at the graveyard, I will go and get some suckers, too. This will be my present contribution to preserving rose history in my area, and I am very proud to do so!

Till next time…