James P. Kelleher Rose Garden - Boston, MA - Rose Gardens on Waymarking.com

In the Fenway section of Boston, within the Back Bay Fens park, there is a keyhole shaped rose garden known as the Kelleher Rose Garden.

The entrance is on the west side of the garden. You pass through a trellis into the circular section of the garden. Rose plants surround you at this point: some are on the ground in individual bushes, tagged with their hybrid name. Some are climbing over trellises that span the pathway. At the center is a small, circular pond. Turn right to head toward the rectangular part. The rectangular part has paths that run the length of this part of the garden, with roses lining them, and the center part is grass. At the south end of the rectangular portion of the garden is a statue that is a copy of "Desconsol" in Spain.

The Back Bay Fens is a landscape transformation done by well known Fredrick Law Olmsted in the late 1880s. This was done partly because the fens had literally become a cesspool for the city and some thing had to be done. When the dam to the Charles River was built just after 1900, the Charles was transformed into a freshwater basin. This was bad news to the ecology of the fens, so something had to be done again. Arthur Shurcliff was called in to make new changes. One of the changes he made was to add a circular rose garden not far from the Museum of Fine Arts in 1930. The original intent was to be a place where the general public as well as rose enthusiasts could learn about rose culture and enjoy the roses. The garden was a success, and the rectangular addition was made in 1933. The garden was renamed the James P. Kelleher Rose Garden in 1975 to honor the Boston Park and Recreation Department's Superintendent of Horticulture.

The Kelleher Rose Garden was reopened in 2008 following restoration primarily by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy in cooperation with the Boston Parks and Recreation that started in 2001. During those years the groups brought together landscape architects, horticultural experts, and rosarians to develop a master plan. Where possible the original plans were used to develop the planting areas and paths. And a new irrigation system was installed, as well as new signs for visitors.

Parking: Good luck finding a legal spot. There is on street parking along sections of Park Street/Boylston Street and the Fenway that line the park, but much of it has areas where it is not allowed or for permit parking only. Other areas like around the Museum of Fine Arts are filled most of the time. There isn't even a public parking garage close by (the closest I know is under the Prudential Building, about a mile away). Giving directions to the garden are not easy as there are several ways to get to the garden, but just walking toward the waymark should be sufficient. From the Museum of Fine Arts, there is a bridge over the Muddy River near the road intersection of the Fenway and Forsyth Way.

Information was taken from the brochure available on site, and is also downloadable on the Emerald Necklace Conservancy's web site, provided below.

Garden Name: James P. Kelleher Rose Garden Location: Back Bay Fens (Olmsted Emerald Necklace), Fenway, Boston Hours: Every day during daylight hours from May to September. Fees: 0 Website: [Web Link] Parking: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/04/2012 50 State Redhead visited it