CIty staff works diligently each year on more than 100 landscaped islands and gateways within the City of Roanoke. In many instances, permanent plantings of roses, grasses, daylilies or other perennials have been installed where flower beds used to be. Currently a small number of hanging baskets are hung each year between May and October in key locations near downtown, within Elmwood Park and the City Market. These baskets are donated annually by Valley Beautiful, who has been donating in this manner to the City of Roanoke for 25 years! Key landscaped areas include Wells Avenue and segments of the Lick Run Greenway near the Hotel Roanoke, the Mayor’s Monument and Elmwood Park, Mill Mountain Park and Lee Plaza.
Fishburn Mansion (Mountain View) and Rose Gardens:
Located at Mountain View, the rose gardens have been in place for more than 50 years and serve as the backdrop for dozens of weddings and parties each year. Hundreds of roses of all varieties, shapes and sizes greet the visitor with color between April and October each year. Additionally, staff continues to build the landscape palette at this site, with the eventual goal of developing the site as Roanoke’s unofficial “botanical gardens.”
Botanical Sabbaticals:
Roanoke Parks and Recreation offers several trips annually to a variety of gardens, conservatories, and interesting horticultural destinations. Previous trips have taken participants to Calloway Gardens in Georgia, Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama, plantations in the low country of South Carolina, Longwood Gardens and gardens in Washington DC. Join Marilyn Arbogast, City Horticulturist, as she leads groups on fun-filled trips! Click here to read about the next trip to North Carolina in June of 2011!