COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Park of Roses is one of the largest public rose gardens in the United States and right now, it’s beginning to reach peak bloom for the season.

The park has more than 12,000 species of roses and is an accredited arboretum.

The land that's now the Columbus Park of Roses was originally a family farm in the 1800s. Columbus Mayor James A. Rhodes purchased the land in 1944 and converted it into a park for Victory Gardens during World War II. It's now full of vibrant roses, thanks to hardworking volunteers that help maintain the garden every year.  

Liz Cabot has been volunteering at the Park of Roses for more than 20 years. She comes once per week.

“We help with weeding, trimming, we deadhead and take the old blossoms off, we mulch and we do anything else that the staff, the Recreation and Parks Staff thinks needs to be done,” she said. 

Betty Blockinger is the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Volunteer Services Manager. She said the city works with 12,000-14,000 volunteers annually at more than 400 city parks.

“They’re so important. We rely on these volunteers so much. This park would not look the way it does without our volunteers and that’s throughout the city as well,” Blockinger said. 

Most of the volunteers have flexible work schedules or they’re retired, like Keith Poling. His favorite task is pulling weeds, but the work is never done.

"Every week we come back and there’s more of it. That’s kind of a good thing. It means that we’re needed,” he said.

Poling also enjoys the social aspect of volunteering, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Find more information about volunteering at the Park of Roses here, and the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks here.