Horticultural experts from the Denver Rose Society and Colorado State University?s Cooperative Extension will be on hand to demonstrate rose-pruning techniques and answer questions at the Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office rose garden on April 26, 2008 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office (JCSO) rose garden is the only public garden in the United States to be planted at a jail and maintained by inmate workers. Inmates receive training in horticulture and, specifically, in the planting and care of roses. As one of an estimated 130 gardens to be accredited through the All-American Rose Selection (AARS), the JCSO rose garden contains more than 400 different varieties of hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, miniature, climbing, hardy shrub, Old Garden, David Austin English roses and Dr. Griffin Buck hardy roses. No taxpayer dollars are used in the upkeep of the rose garden.
Several flowerbeds display current and previous years? AARS winners. Rose lovers can survey the new AARS selections before they are marketed, and may observe how these new varieties grow in the local climate and soil conditions.
The garden is located in the Jefferson County Government Complex, off U.S. 6 in Golden. The garden lies just north of the sheriff?s complex and detention facility in the bowl area adjacent to 10th Avenue. In case of rain, a rain date has been set for Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to noon.
