Garden Symposium & Rose Festival at Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery

14 years ago

The annual Garden Symposium presented by the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia, is being held on May 5th and 6th this year, along with their annual Rose Festival on May 8th. (The 2-day Symposium used to be in March)

This year, theyÂve asked me to present the program on roses. I had already started working on a presentation that I was calling ÂRoses 101Â. They loved the idea, and thatÂs what I will talk about on the morning of the 6th.

Other presenters are:

Paul Westerly, with a program on pairing perennials and grasses with roses.

Laurie Jamerson, talking about all aspects of growing and choosing boxwood

And Tom Burford, the EXPERT, will tell us all about historic apples and take us on a tour of the orchard.

Now that I look at the schedule and description of the programs in the brochure, it looks like all four of us will be running outside with the attendees to show them stuff in the cemetery. I hope it doesn't rain.

All of us in the East get pretty jealous when we see the fun they have at the Sacramento Cemetery at their Open Garden day in April. We can have some cemetery rose fun here on our Coast, too Â LynchburgÂs Rose Festival is on Saturday, May 8th Â there will be tours and plenty of roses for sale, propagated from the roses in the cemetery.

All the details are on the CemeteryÂs web site: www.gravegarden.org. I did a blog post yesterday with photos that I took in Lynchburg a couple of years ago, and I also included the Symposium brochure.

I have met quite a few GW friends in Lynchburg at their first two Symposiums. Who is coming this year?

Connie

Here is a link that might be useful: Blog

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Comments (10)

rjlinva
14 years ago
Connie,

I may be able to make it on the Saturday...if I'm not testing.

R
jerijen
14 years ago
Connie, I have been trying and trying to get information from them about this event, so I can put it into the May Rose Letter.
I did a little on it in the Feb issue, but with no details, even tho they said they would send. :-(

The other thing I would really LIKE is an article on the place.
No one there seems to be up to that. Can YOU?

I'm amazed that they're not happy to get free publicity.

Would you email me privately, so that I can get information from you?

Jeri
Ed., Heritage Roses Groups "Rose Letter"
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Sherry, I have been pondering your comment about my garden taking a back seat, and indeed it has - but it's by my choice. I much prefer gardening in a public place, with other people working with me and coming to see the garden. The cemetery rose garden is three acres, with a lot of sun and well-drained sandy loam soil, while my home garden is small and rather shady and has dense clay soil, soggy in the winter and hard as a rock in summer despite years of soil amendment. I enjoyed planning my garden, but tweaking and maintaining it isn't nearly as rewarding as caring for the cemetery garden. I also like managing people - that's what I did for a living. It's a lot different to do it with volunteers rather than paid employees, and I've learned that I need both a smile in my face and in my heart to do it effectively. I do have a nice garden at home, and this is the time of year when I have an illusion of control over it. While it's not my main focus, it still gives me pleasure. I am reluctant to have strangers come see it because I'm pretty well known as a Master Gardener and garden writer and rose garden manager, and it's very hard to live up to their expectations. But I happily share it with friends, family and fellow rose lovers - just not garden tours! About dealing with the early stages of a garden - because we have so much room in the cemetery, the roses were mostly planted with plenty of space to grow. Having the burial plots cleared of weeds and planted with roses was such an improvement that I don't think there was any pressure to make it look like a conventional garden. There was almost no pruning of the roses in the first several years. I think that I first visited it three or four years after its establishment, and it looked both barren and overgrown, with big unruly roses surrounded by weeds and wood chips. We've done a huge amount of work adding companion plants, including annuals that self-seed and perennials. That takes volunteer time to maintain them, of course. We volunteers primarily work on the roses, of course, but we like the big unruly look and focus on the roses being healthy and not blocking pathways or monuments. The garden is still mostly roses and wood chips, with plenty of weeds, but it looks more like a garden now than it did before. The cemetery went from roses only to roses with companion plants - at home, my experience was more like Jeri's with the Stagecoach Garden (which is a little gem). I filled in with perennials and annuals and the garden was quite pretty in early days while the roses got established, but it's changed a lot as the roses and trees have shaded and crowded some of the planting beds. It still is pretty but it's not got the variety that it once has - the roses dominate. Anita
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Yes, Stephen Scanniello has been to Sacramento before, just once. So have Dr. Malcolm Manners and Pat Shanley. However, it will be great to have them come here again. I'm on the Heritage Rose Foundation board with them and will be tied up in a meeting on Sunday rather than in the garden with Jeri and other folks. I really hope that people spend a lot of time on Sunday enjoying the roses in the cemetery and that's where my heart will be! I hope to get over there mid-afternoon after the meeting is over, with any of the board members who'd like to come. Looks like we will do the rose sale of anything left over on Sunday. We'll also have access to the visitor's center and can sell our aprons, shirts, and other rosy items if anybody is interested. And we'll be selling the DVD with the documentary about the roses! It's looking good, and will be a great way for people to hear from some of the key people of the garden and to see it digitally. Anita
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bettyd_z7_va
14 years ago
Connie,

I will be there Saturday for sure, if nothing happens. I will really try to be there on the 6th, but can't come on the 5th. DH has a Drs appointment on the 5th.

I already have my list made.

Betty
hartwood
Original Author
14 years ago
Jeri, you've got mail.
hartwood
Original Author
14 years ago
I'm bumping this up.

With all the recent chatter about the rose festival at the City Cemetery in Sacramento, I wanted to remind folks that we have a similar event here in the East.

The Lynchburg City Cemetery is a rosarium, an arboretum, a museum, and a treasure. I am honored that they asked me to present this year's rose program, and I can't wait. It is May yet?

Connie

Here is a link that might be useful: Lynchburg Symposium details and brochure
jerijen
14 years ago
Connie, I am glad you posted this event.
I used your information to update what I had, for "Rose Letter," but I would very much like to have an article on that beautiful place for "Rose Letter."

Would YOU consider writing one?
Those folks just do NOT communicate.

Jeri
bettyd_z7_va
14 years ago
Hi Connie,

I'm still planning to be there the 6th and 8th. I'm soooo looking forward to it.

Today was Home and Garden Day here in Lynchburg and I had looked forward to it since last year. DH got sick last week and had surgery Thursday. We are still in the hospital, so.... I missed the tour. He is doing well and if he continues to improve we may be home by the weekend.

I'm so thankful he came through ok. He has been through so much health-wise in the last 2 years. Hopefully he will be with me at the Festival.

I feel the same way you do...Is it May yet?

BTW.. DH and I were talking today and we are going shopping for flowers as soon as he feels up to it to make up for missing the Garden tour. YEA!!!!

Plus, you know I've got to buy roses at the festival ;o)

The only downer to all of this is DH won't be able to dig ANY holes for all of these plants. Wonder how much I have to pay 16 year old DS to dig! lol

See ya there,
Betty
myloki
14 years ago
Wow, I wish I could go all three days so I could see all the speakers, but I might be able to go Saturday. Sounds like a nice day of roses.
-Stephanie
myloki
14 years ago
Robert, did you find out if you are testing that day? I am planning to go and maybe bring my MIL along. Connie, will you still be there on Saturday?
-Stephanie
bettyd_z7_va
13 years ago
I'm bumping this up so nobody forgets.

I went by today and bought 8 roses, but forgot my list. When I got home and checked my list, I had 6 more that I wanted. DH even picked one out!

Signed up for Connie's presentation on Thursday! I can't wait!!!!!

Betty

Garden Symposium & Rose Festival at Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery

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Garden Symposium & Rose Festival at Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery

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