Roses are blooming at The Ringling

/
The flowers in Mable Ringling's rose garden are in full bloom. (Staff photo / Thomas Bender)

The flowers in Mable Ringling's rose garden are in full bloom. (Staff photo / Thomas Bender)

By SUSAN RIFE

Minding Mable Ringling’s roses is a full-time job for Loretta Bestpitch, curator/horticulturist of the rose garden on the grounds of the Ringling Museum. This year’s gardens, now at the peak of their bloom, include 1,164 rose bushes, many of them new after last year’s excessive rains flooded the garden for about three weeks.

[singleGallery galleryid="368514" size="600"]

“It just takes a little bit of TLC for growing roses here,” said Bestpitch, who is in her seventh year in charge of the rose garden after earning a degree in horticulture and training as a gardener at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Plenty of sunshine is required, along with constant vigilance against black spot, a fungus that thrives in Florida’s heat and humidity. “You have to attack it before it starts, really,” Bestpitch said.

The rose garden, along with the rest of the Ringling grounds, is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can wander for free; museum admission is required for all galleries and buildings on the campus.

Last modified: April 24, 2014
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published without permissions. Links are encouraged.