Hidden Landscape Gems

by Heather Prince

1426 Oak Ave, Evanston, IL 60201 www.cityofevanston.org/government/departments/parksrecreation-community-services/parks/merrick-rose-garden Admission: free Open to the public

Tucked away on a leafy corner in Evanston is a quiet formal rose garden enclosed by a wrought iron fence and anchored by a tall, elegant historic fountain. It’s a chance encounter as you cut through side streets to avoid traffic or stumble across it while at a wedding in one of the churches across the way. The scent of roses invites you in to walk the crushed stone paths, exploring the hundreds of varieties and enjoying the crisp formal lines of sheared hedges, low brick walls, and neat granite benches.

The north end of the garden sits at grade with neatly divided rose beds. As you continue south, the space is anchored by a sunken lawn panel often populated with picnicking families, studying students, and residents soaking in the sun and fragrance. Mature dwarf Alberta spruces provide pyramidal focal points along the lawn panel and offer winter punctuation in the garden. At the south end, the crown jewel of the garden is the Centennial Fountain surrounded by mixed plantings of four-season perennials and flowering shrubs. This intricate, cast iron three-tier fountain was originally installed where Sherman Avenue meets Orrington Avenue and Davis Street in 1876 to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and was moved to the Merrick Rose Garden in 1951. Decorated with water-spouting birds painted white, that have been called alternatively swans, herons, storks, or cranes, it adds a dramatic musical water feature to the space. A cool, relaxing spot on a hot summer day, you might find children dipping their hands in the spray and counting how many birds they can find.

Dedicated in 1948, the garden was named in honor of Clinton Merrick, a prominent attorney and second ward alderman and designed by Ralph Melin, the city of Evanston’s landscape architect. Originally, the garden had more than 1,000 roses in 48 varieties, chosen by C. Eugene Pfister, president of the National Rose Gardens Association. By 1969, the garden was up to 1,200 roses and 65 varieties. A popular place to picnic or for small gatherings, by the 1980s, a facelift was needed. In 1987, a new brick outer wall, wrought iron fence, and an irrigation system were installed. The walls used bricks from the old brick city streets. By 2003, another renovation was required including new lighting, irrigation systems, and reconstructing the retaining walls. By 2004, the rose garden was filled with about 2,000 roses and 200 varieties. It is an All American Rose Selections, Inc. display garden and each year the garden receives new donations of roses from AARS before they are available in retail nurseries. This small garden is an excellent example of a formal rose display with multiple uses. It is a lovely place to gather ideas for clients that prefer a structured garden style with strong axes and a good opportunity to evaluate rose performance in the landscape.