Roses Are Peaking

. . . at the Jasper Crane Rose Garden, Wilmington, Delaware

Enter here, from Van Buren Street

There's a rose garden in Brandywine Park that rivals some larger ones I've visited in Europe. It was established in 1933-'34 with the combined efforts of the City of Wilmington, the federal government, and Jasper Crane, a rose horticulturalist, after whom the garden is named. Volunteers from Friends of Wilmington Parks prune and fertilize the roses for months, bringing them to peak blossoming this time of year.

Just across Van Buren Street, which bounds the garden on its east side, lies a fountain modeled after one at Villa Petrala in Florence, Italy. The fountain and two long rows of Japanese cherry trees stretching to the east were a gift from J. Ernest Smith, a grieving Wilmington businessman, memorializing his wife, Josephine Tatnall Smith. Neighbors today call it "the Josephine fountain."

Below are photos I've taken in these two spots over a period of years.

early morning in the garden

Some are simple, while others are showy.

tangerine glory

classic red roses

recent arrivals

This is how a pink one unfolds.

anatomy of a rose

fountain in the center of the rose garden

at the fountain’s edge

mermaids at the base of the Josephine fountain

the day someone threw bubble bath in the fountain

springtime amid the cherry blossoms

Hurry don’t miss this year’s rose extravaganza!

Thanks to all who are paying subscribers! Your helping me buy film, which is my favorite way of photographing.

— Tom