War for the Roses

Tom McCloud says he doesn’t have time to smell the roses at the Westminster Civic Center. However, McCloud, the center’s lead groundskeeper, has just enough time to take care of the 1,574 rosebushes in 178 varieties to make sure the colorful plants keep winning the city recognition.

Recently, the local chapter of the All America Rose Society awarded the landmark Rose Gardens its top award for outstanding maintenance. McCloud has played a major role in gaining recognition for the 36-year-old garden as its caretaker for the last 19 years.

The 15-acre Civic Center site keeps McCloud scurrying between the tidy lawns and the rose beds, making sure they haven’t been stricken with disease or infested with bugs.

The roses are so vibrant and bountiful that passersby have been known to snatch one or two, even a full bouquet. But they can be fined as much as $300 and possibly given a three-month jail term.

McCloud said he tries to be pleasant when confronting those caught in the act of rose thievery, letting them know of the penalty, but he is still amazed at the audacity of some.

One day, the first thing he saw as he began his shift at 8 a.m. was a woman walking away with a “big bouquet.”

“If everybody came and picked the roses, there wouldn’t be any left,” he said. “Occasionally, I’ll notice some buds missing from a plant where I know I haven’t cut.”

Before he took the job, McCloud said, he had some experience with roses because his father grew them at home. “My father had a green thumb,” McCloud said. “He always enjoyed having roses around.”

Gardening as a hobby has turned into a profession for McCloud, who said his satisfaction comes when the Rose Gardens are recognized by city officials and the Rose Society.

“I take pride in keeping everything looking really nice,” he said.

As he tours the grounds, he moves quickly among 40 rose beds spread over the center. He inspects the flowers and removes dying buds and weeds.

“I really don’t have a chance” to admire the roses, he said. “I just look for a problem with insects or fungus and the health of the plants.”

According to a city spokesman, the Rose Gardens are one of only 140 public rose gardens in the nation that display a collection of the best new varieties, donated by various hybrid growers.

The local rose society, which inspects the gardens every year, helps growers develop new varieties. Although the city’s roses are not part of a test garden, many plants are found here before being available to the public.

For visitors, the city provides maps for a self-guided tour with names and locations of the different varieties. Although not all are tagged, rose names such as Gypsy, Sun Downer and Timeless can be found on the plants. The city’s official rose, a deep red variety, is named Roundelay.

For information, call (714) 898-3311.

*

Alex Murashko can be reached at (714) 966-5974.