Garden description: The JCRG is a public garden maintained by volunteers of Friend’s Of Wilmington Parks for the Delaware State Parks. It was established in the 1930’s and contains approximately 650 plants, of which there are a variety of shrubs and climbers.
Who are the gardeners: A dedicated group of volunteers from Friends of Wilmington Parks.
Why do you garden: All the volunteers find it is very relaxing and a way to interact with friends. All the “thank you’s” we receive from our visitors are very rewarding.
How has gardening impacted you during this time: It is a safe way to join friends. We can accomplish a lot but keep our distance. We all brought a chair, formed a big circle, and enjoyed each other’s company on Mother’s Day as we had no place to go.
What do you have in your garden? Each year all the roses are evaluated by our rosarian and their overall health is determined and a decision is made to allow them to remain or replace with a new, more pest resistant plant. We are also trying to present more fragrant varieties.
Do you have any problems with disease or pests? If so, how are you dealing with this problem? With roses, there are always pest issues so they are sprayed regularly by a professional. We are now having issues with the Spotted Lantern flies. We are trying to spray to control them. We also have a deer problem which began last year. They were eating all the new growth. We installed a deer resistant product which appear to be working well.
