We’re back in Connecticut for the fourth installment of the backyard garden trips this summer. The first stop is one of the most popular gardens in the state, Elizabeth Park in Hartford and West Hartford. The other is more of a hidden gem, the cherry blossoms at Norwich Free Academy.
Elizabeth Park
Hartford’s Elizabeth Park is a must-see for any horticulture enthusiast. Highlighted by their 15,000 bushes of roses displaying a jaw-dropping eight hundred varieties, this municipal rose garden is lauded as one of the best in New England. Designed by famed rose garden architect Theodore Wirth, the rose garden has been in existence since 1904. making it the oldest town-owned rose garden in the country. Keep a lookout for “Rose Weekend” or “Rose Sunday” in late June which is peak viewing and smelling season for the roses. (It is also a VERY well attended event, so get there early.)
In the 70s, due to lack of funding, the rose garden was standing in the shadow of a bulldozer. Luckily, concerned citizens stepped in to procure the necessary funds to keep the rose garden growing for another year. For over 110 years, the public has been able to stop and smell the roses at Elizabeth Park which first opened in 1904 and, even better, can do so for free, as there is no admission to the park.
Elizabeth Park is much more than its rose garden though. Other gardens on-site include a perennial garden, a shade rock garden, an herb garden, and a tulip garden. It has a premier restaurant, the Pond House Café, which is known for its fresh ingredients, some grown on-site! The menu at this classy establishment includes brunch options, salmon, sandwiches, short ribs, and salads.
Visiting Elizabeth Park
Elizabeth Park has two ponds to visit: Lily and Laurel Pond. Speaking of ponds, the former estate of Charles Pond is the land that the park sits on. After his wife passed on, Charles bestowed upon Hartford his property to be turned into a park named for his wife, Elizabeth. During Pond’s tenure, his manor and surrounding grounds were known as Prospect Hill. Today’s Elizabeth Park also includes greenhouses to explore, tennis courts to play on, and a takeout window called the Dog House to grab a hotdog. Pond’s former mansion became the park’s community center. Sunrise Overlook has a phenomenal view of Hartford’s skyline.
On the next beautiful summer day, make sure to take a stroll under the rose-covered trellises in Elizabeth Park. Enjoy this urban oasis and thank Mr. Pond for leaving his estate to the city for generations to revel in. The main entrance to the park is located at the corner of Asylum and Prospect Avenues. Elizabeth Park makes for an essential stop on the backyard garden trips tour.
Norwich Free Academy’s Cherry Blossoms
Norwich Free Academy, founded in 1854, is one of the most impressive-looking high schools that you’ll ever see. Four of the buildings, Tirrell, Slater Museum, Cranston House and the Norton Gymnasium, make the campus look like that of a college or a prep school.
Planted in the 1960s by Dr. Lewis Sears, with the support of a senior class gift, a series of Japanese cherry trees line the walkway leading to the gymnasium building. In May, peaking typically around Mother’s Day, these trees bloom a pale pink and are simply stunning.
At one point, more cherry trees were on the campus but were taken down due to restructuring the campus’s walkways. For many folks in the area, it is an annual tradition to visit the campus on Mother’s Day.
Slater Museum on the NFA Campus
The whole campus is certainly more reminiscent of a college than a high school. Walking around is pleasing. Norwich Free Academy is one of only two high schools in the US to house a museum. A visit to NFA’s Slater Museum, with a cast gallery of ancient and Renaissance-era statues is highly impressive. You don’t have to travel overseas to see such luminary statues as the Nike of Samothrace, Donatello’s David, and the Pieta. There are also collections of regional art, furniture, African art, and much more.
Connected to Slater Memorial Museum is Converse Art Gallery, with shows changing throughout the year. The juried Connecticut Artists’ Show, held in the spring, attracts entries throughout the state.
Visiting the NFA campus in May is truly beautiful. Combine it with a visit to Slater Museum and it’s a day well spent! Although May has come and gone, the campus of NFA is stunning any time of the year.
The gardens of Connecticut continue to impress with Elizabeth Park in Hartford and Norwich Free Academy’s (in Norwich) cherry blossoms that bloom in late spring. A trip to these two any time of the year is certainly worthwhile though.
For more backyard garden trips, check out the first Connecticut Backyard Garden Trip.
