Rose (member) Garden  

Listing last updated on Thu Nov 2024

Hattiesburg, Mississippi
United States

The Denham garden was begun by J.E. Denham in 1919, and originally consisted of the garden belonging to the Denham house at S.E. corner of Miller and Green Streets in Hattiesburg Mississippi. The Garden was altered and expanded by Tat Smith Ott in the 1950s and expanded further by the present owner in the 1980s to incorporate the land lying adjacent to the North Bank of Gordon's Creek, stretching approximately from Green Street on the East to Lewis Street at its Western end. The Rose garden was planted on the gentle hillside that falls away to the lower garden and the creek bank. In general, the land slopes down toward the creek from Miller Street.  The result is that there is now an upper garden which consists of the old Denham garden, a middle garden which consists of the rose garden, and a lower garden that runs along the Creek bank and lies roughly 15 feet above the creek. There are woods at both the Eastern and Western ends of the lower garden and between the woods lies a long narrow lawn.  A small vegetable garden  and fruit orchard lies at the Eastern end of the lawn.

The rose garden contains approximately 100 roses, a few of which are Old Garden roses introduced prior to 1867. The collection consists mainly of China, Tea and Hybrid Musk shrubs plus Bourbons, Noisettes, Gallicas and Wichuraiana ramblers.  Any rose that will grow more or less trouble free is a possibility here. The only criteria for selection is vigor and garden worthiness; the foliage is as important as the flowers.