Sturdivant Hall is in bloom again. The museum’s heritage rose garden is being reestablished, thanks to a generous donation by Henry Brick Company and the hard work of several Sturdivant Hall board members.
The Sturdivant Hall Museum began the work of reclaiming the rose garden this year. 50 of the garden’s original 180 rose bushes had died due to a lack of regular maintenance during COVID and from the January 2023 tornado which caused widespread damage to the museum and its grounds. Board members replanted roses this month, all purchased from Petals from the Past nursery in Jemison. A new sprinkler system has been installed for watering the roses.
The rose garden was first planned in November 2004 with joint gifts from Henry Brick Company and the estate of Mercedes and Smith Howard, long-time local florists. The garden plan was drawn by Jason Powell, owner of Petals from the Past, and features all “heritage” roses dating to the construction and occupancy period of the historic 1856 antebellum mansion. The 1800s were the pinnacle for Southern garden roses—exemplified by gardens of Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, and many great Mississippi Delta plantations. The heritage rose varieties chosen for Sturdivant Hall’s garden are the same roses that were popular amongst southern gardens during the 1800s.
This project is one of many that the museum’s board has initiated to maintain and preserve the historic property for future generations.
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