11 Oct 2023
A new project is underway to restore St Albans’ Civic Rose Garden with the aim of creating a city centre open space which can be enjoyed by residents all year round while also bringing additional biodiversity to the area.
The garden is situated to the north of the Civic Centre and behind the buildings on the east side of St Peter’s Street. It has fallen into decline over the last few summers with many flower beds empty and overgrown with weeds which previously would have been filled with roses and summer bedding plants.
There is very little of interest in the garden during the autumn and winter months apart from the appearance of a few spring bulbs, and the garden frequently attracts all-day drinkers and other undesirable elements.
St Albans resident and retired garden designer Christine Graves raised the neglected state of the garden with Deputy Mayor Cllr Josie Madoc in February, who approached parks manager Nick Sherriff to look at ways to improve the garden.
Council contractors John O’Connor agreed to weed four of the empty beds so they could be sown with annual flower seeds obtained from Pictorial Meadows, the seeds used so successfully at the London Olympics.
These were sown at the beginning of May by four volunteers from Sandridge Road Allotments and have been flowering profusely and attracting many bees and other pollinators.
On May 8, as part of the Big Help Out organised as part of the Coronation of King Charles III, 20 volunteers met to weed and plant a 30 metre long shady border with hardy herbaceous perennials that were suitable for those particular conditions.
With the help of watering from the John O’Connor team and weeding by a couple of volunteers, all of the plants are now thriving.
Two further beds at the top end of the garden have been weeded and partially planted by volunteers during September and an offer has been received from Rochfords of Hertford to donate new roses and planting materials.
Roses will be planted over the next few weeks and the Deputy Mayor will visit and plant a rose on Sunday November 19.
Further sessions to cultivate, weed and plant are planned for Sunday October 8 at 2pm and Monday October 16 at 9.30 am. More sessions will be added at a later date and the garden will also need continuing care and maintenance.
Project spokesperson Sarah Gooden said: “We are looking for more volunteers, and further donations of plants, in particular hardy perennials, would also be very welcome.
“Anyone wanting to get involved or who would like further information can get in touch by email at garden.regeneration@gmail.com
“We have also made attempts to research the origins and history of the garden but so far little has been discovered. We would love to find out more. Do you know anything about the history of the garden or do you have old photographs of the garden? If so please get in touch.”
