Now in bloom, roses of various hues, sizes and fragrances — consider the the bright pink Pink Peace, the blush white Pristine or multicolored Chicago Peace — align the walkway leading to the gazebo in the Rose Garden and Arboretum at Renziehausen Park in McKeesport.
Visitors have called the walk a visual serenade.
The elegant flowers are among the 1,800 rose bushes reflective of the passion that fuels members of the Garden Club of McKeesport and the Pittsburgh Rose Society who volunteer there.
David McKibben, a rose society member, recalled that he has adored roses since his family visited the Columbus Park of Roses in that Ohio city back in 1954.
“Once you get past the prickles, it is the variety of shapes, sizes, and colors,” the Mt. Lebanon resident said.
Garden club member Fran Zalac said she likes roses for their appearance and iconic status in cultural lore. “They are so romantic,” the White Oak woman said.
Last month, the two organizations hosted the annual “Rose Day at Renzie Park” at the garden and arboretum at Renziehausen Park, 1400 Pin Oak Drive.
“We celebrate that we have all of these roses,and they are all in bloom,’’ said garden club president Marsha Pratt of McKeesport.
The free event included tours, rose propagation demonstrations; flower preservation and arrangement demonstrations, as well as questions-and-answers with experts.
The garden is maintained by the Garden Club of McKeesport. It is the second-largest rose garden in Pennsylvania, behind Hershey Gardens in Dauphin County.
Recently, the rose society staged a free Rose Expo at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library. There were displays and tips given about pest control and photography.
Formerly the Greenewald Dairy Farm, the property now housing the garden and arboretum was purchased by the City of McKeesport for use as a park in the 1930s. The city asked the garden club, which was founded in 1933, to plant a garden there. Since 1939, the garden club has leased the 6-acre space from the city.
Besides the 3½-acre garden, which also features butterfly and perennial gardens, the site includes: the two-story Margaret Larson House with meeting rooms, gift shop and kitchen, and named for a late garden club president, a water pond, wishing well and a gazebo where wedding ceremonies often are held.
Volunteers work at the garden on Wednesday mornings from April through November. The 42-member garden club raises money for site maintenance through fundraisers.
Mr. McKibben’s home with his wife, Cecelia, was twice featured on the Mt. Lebanon Garden Tour. Among the 75 rose bushes he tends in his yard is the pale pink New Dawn, his favorite .
“It is a beautiful color with a nice fragrance, disease resistant and does well in our climate,“ he said. “For ten years it has been coming back every spring.”
For Dorothy Zenkevich of the 77-member Pittsburgh Rose Society, her most treasured roses among her 40 to 50 rose bushes are a peach one called Touch of Class and a yellow one called Sunsprite.
“But all roses fill my heart with joy. Every one, especially when they start to open, are just the most beautiful flower,” the Whitehall woman said.
Mr. McKibben said there are 37 classes, or varieties, of roses recognized by the American Rose Society, and which are based primarily on their growth characteristics. Varieties include shrub, climber, hybrid teas, old garden roses (introduced before 1867), and others.
For weekend gardeners who want to grow no-fuss roses, he recommends carefree landscape roses that simply require watering and fertilization, and are the most resistant to disease and insects.
The Renziehausen Park garden is surrounded by a 10-foot-high fence that some deer have jumped. There are small structural openings through which they have squeezed, and an unlocked gate during the day through which they sometimes stroll. But human vandalism is not a big problem as there is 24-hour camera surveillance.
Besides an underground watering system, the most important element in maintaining the garden is the volunteers who plant, spring prune, weed, remove spent flowers, and more, and for whom their labor is an act of love.
“People need to come and see how beautiful things are here,’’ Mrs.. Zalac said.
Details: www.thegardenclubofmckeesport.org and www.pghrosesociety.org.
Margaret Smykla, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazete.com
First Published: July 11, 2019, 6:33 p.m.