Rose Family Garden
The renamed Rose Family Garden is headed up by master gardeners with advisory support from the Santa Fe Native Plant Project (SNaPP). The project brings new life to the space currently occupied by the now-dormant Earth-Kind® Rose Field Trial garden between the upper and lower parking areas. It features primarily native plants in the Rosaceae family to demonstrate their variety and use as waterwise choices in Santa Fe. It also shows that there is a way to have an attractive garden without using exotic species, though some of the surviving Earth-Kind® roses may remain.
The new plantings provide resources for native bees, butterflies, other pollinators and beneficial insects. The plantings may include, for example, Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa), Woods Rose (Rosa woodsii), Cliff Rose (Purshia stansburiana), Fern Bush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium) and Apache Plume (Falugiaparadoxa). The final selections depend on the availability of plant species and irrigation water. Since this area is adjacent to the Native Plant Demonstration Gardens established by SNaPP, the intent is to complement these gardens and further beautify the Extension campus for those walking between the Extension Office and the Exhibit Hall.