WEST HARTFORD, Conn.-
Roses are more than just flowers to John Mattia.
He calls them his grandchildren, and when the 68-year-old talks about the 200-plus rose bushes in his backyard, his voice bursts with excitement.
So it's no surprise the expert hybrid rose grower is itching to see one of his own creations, the Elizabeth Park Centennial Rose, bloom for the first time in the rose garden at Elizabeth Park.
It's a personal highlight that coincides with Rose Weekend, a celebration of the highly romanticized flower. The annual festival, run by Friends of Elizabeth Park, begins Friday and will feature concerts, poetry readings, a rose show and children's activities.
Mattia developed the plant by cross-pollinating a pink and white rose with one that was entirely pink. The result was a creamy, white flower with raspberry tipped petals.
A retired public relations officer who has 41 years of experience growing roses, Mattia hybridized the centennial rose in 1999 and named it in honor of the park's 100th anniversary in 2004. As a fundraiser, he also donated its rights to Friends of Elizabeth Park, a nonprofit organization that assists the city of Hartford in caring for the garden.
"I'm giving something back to Elizabeth Park because it turned me on to growing roses in the '60s," said Mattia, recalling the spring trips to the garden he'd take with his wife.
Rose experts say this weekend will be a great time to view the 2 1/2 acre garden.
"Because it was a mild winter, everything came early," said Donna Fuss, the garden's rosarian and founder of the Connecticut Rose Society. "It's gorgeous. It's just gorgeous."
Roses, which usually begin blooming in mid-June in Connecticut and continue until the first frost, bloomed a week early at the park this year.
The festival will bring attention to a place often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of Connecticut's capitol.
"Elizabeth Park is really, I hate to use that cliche, but it's the best kept secret in Connecticut," Mattia said.
The park is home to the oldest and one of the largest municipal rose gardens in the nation. It is run by the city of Hartford, though most of it is located in West Hartford.
The rose garden showcases more than 15,000 rose bushes and about 800 varieties. There are roses of every shape and size with hues and names to conjure up thoughts of licorice, perfume and tangerines.
Some rose bushes, like the pure white Frau Karl Druschki, were planted in 1904, when the garden was created. Others, such as the centennial rose, are just taking root.
Elizabeth Park was once the estate of industrialist Charles N. Pond and his wife, Elizabeth, before being donated to the city of Hartford. The city hired Olmsted and Son to design it. Horticulturist Theodore Wirth was hired to design the rose garden, according to the Connecticut Historical Society.
Like a rose, the design is concentric, with four arched pathways covered in rambling roses leading to a gazebo in the center. Diagonal rows of rose bushes dance in its periphery, giving the garden a colorful but uniform look.
Though some of the roses, especially the modern varieties, haven't flowered yet, many of the bushes are in full bloom, enticing a multitude of people to visit.
On a recent afternoon, Dick Curtis, 59, of Salisbury wandered the garden, sniffing and smelling the flowers and finding himself entranced by the aromas.
"Sometimes, you'll think you could lick them like an ice cream cone," said Curtis as he bent down toward a blushing pink Tiffany rose. "I can't imagine they wouldn't taste as good as they smell."
The roses aren't the only landscape attraction.
The 102-acre park also offers an annual and perennial garden, as well as a rock and herb garden.
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