NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones helped welcome visitors to the Huntington Botanical Garden.
“We are in the former rose garden inside Huntington Park. The rose garden unfortunately succumbed to a virus called rose rosette disease. It's an incurable virus that lives on in the soil,” said Mary Nelson with Newport News Parks and Recreation.
Wanting to keep this space special, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Virginia Living Museum, and Huntington Park neighbors came together to create the Huntington Botanical Garden on J. Clyde Morris Blvd.
“We used to bring our daughters here when they were little so we’ve seen it change over the years and when we had the opportunity to help put the flowers in, we were overjoyed,” said Daryl Russell, a volunteer.
“We saw various weddings take place as we were driving by we’d see beautiful brides when the beautiful roses were here. Now they can come to the beautiful botanical as well because it's just as pretty,” volunteer Aletha Russell chimed in.
The Russells are among dozens of volunteers who are surprised how fast everything grew since they planted seeds in January.
“They were tiny when we planted them, and now, the sunflowers especially are crazy,” said one volunteer.
“A lot of the plants are labeled and there's a self guided tour so you’ll see QR codes within the beds so you can learn more about the plants,” said Nelson.
And yes you can still book weddings and other events in this urban oasis.
“We hope to carry on the tradition of the former rose garden to provide a place where people can gather and learn and celebrate,” said Nelson.
The Huntington Botanical Garden and all of those who helped this garden grow are ‘Positively Hampton Roads.'
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