WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Story by Molly Grove, Hall High School
Everyone loves looking at the beautiful flowers in the spring and summer, but did you know that the preparation starts in the fall?
At Elizabeth Park, in West Hartford, home to America’s oldest public rose garden, Ms. Rosemary Aldridge and a team of volunteers begin planning their elaborate display of tulips.
Starting in October, the tulips are planted and set to bloom in the spring. Following that, summer plants called annuals are planted.
However, this hard work starts earlier than most would think. Ms. Aldridge begins evaluating the garden in April, when the tulips are abloom. She stays around six to nine months ahead in planning the coming year’s layout.
This beautiful garden couldn’t be done without the help of the green thumbed volunteers, who work daily to prepare the tulip beds. With a list of about 20 total volunteers, Ms. Aldridge calls on only three or four of them each day. The volunteers work tirelessly, and it all pays off when the public gets to enjoy the gorgeous arrangements.
West Hartford resident Gene Leach has been walking his dogs almost every day in Elizabeth Park for over forty years. Mr. Leach states that “the whole park is just unusually attractive.”
He also noted that during a conversation with one of the park’s gardeners, he mentioned that he frequently runs into people from all over Connecticut, and the gardener told him that “they come from all over the world.”
Come and see the tulips in bloom in the spring, thanks to all of the hard work of Ms Aldridge and the volunteers.
The FOX 61 Student News program empowers Connecticut middle and high school students to explore the world of multi-media journalism by giving them the opportunity to capture, edit and publish original content under the guidance of industry professionals.
Each student produced and hosted segment will showcase a local story or event, highlighting all that is great about our state. Segments will be featured on-air during Friday's Morning News at 7:45 a.m., 5:45 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. news and during the FOX61 Morning News on Saturday at 7 a.m., and right here on FOX61.com!
Stay tuned and keep an eye out for the next news star! If your school would like to get involved learn more here or email us at studentnews@fox61.com.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.