Emerald Necklace: Fenway Victory Gardens & Kelleher Rose Garden
Managed by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy since 2001, this series of gardens was design by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted over a period of eighteen years, from 1878 to 1896. Other well-known public gardens designed by Olmsted include Central Park in Manhattan, New York and the U.S. Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Olmstead designed landscapes for privately owned homes, including Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina for the Vanderbilt family, and his own estate in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is now part of the National Park Service.
On my last trip to Boston, I visited two of the gardens along the necklace: the Fenway Victory Garden and Kelleher Rose Garden. These gardens were a short walk from the Christian Science Plaza, which I visited on the same day, and served as a respite from the busy city streets.
First established in 1942 during World War 2, the Fenway Victory Gardens continue to bloom on the Emerald Necklace in Boston, Massachusetts, making the only victory garden to operate continuously since that time, and only one of two victory gardens still in existence. If the name of the gardens sounds familiar to sports fans, it's because this garden is located in the Fenway a few blocks away from Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Boston residents can become a member of the Fenway Garden Society and receive a plot to cultivate for $40 a year. Those who do not want the responsibility of their own plot can volunteer throughout the year.
Down the road is James P. Kelleher Rose Garden, opened in 1931. The gardens were designed by Arthur Shurcliff, who had worked under Frederick Law Olmstead. Shurcliff's other landscape designs include Boston favorites like the Charles River Esplanade and Franklin Park Zoo, along with Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The garden received its named in 1975 to honor of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s Superintendent of Horticulture. The garden features more than 200 varieties of roses, including breeds that date back to the time when the garden was first designed. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy has created an informative pamphlet with more facts about the garden's history, along with a map of the space.
Both gardens are free and open to the public. Fenway Victory Garden is open from dawn to dusk in spring, summer, and fall. Kelleher Rose Garden is open from 7 am to 5 pm, May through October. The main paths throughout the garden are easily walkable and accessible in a wheelchair, although gates leading to garden plots or the rose garden may be difficult to navigate.
Abby Epplett's Rating System:
Experience: 8/10
Accessibility: 8/10