The Poets' Garden, or Woodland Garden
Poets Garden in Spring
Photo courtesy of Barbara Veomett
As you enter the Poet's Garden at the north gate, the plaque on your right tells the history of the garden from its beginning in 1916 until 2005. The plaque was dedicated in loving memory of Eleanor A. McQuilkin, a poet and nature lover. Her son, William, was involved with the Sierra Club and it was her influence and monetary donation that helped restore the garden in 1992. The plaque tells the history of
the garden:
The woodland garden was first planted in 1916 to honor William Shakespeare on the 300th anniversary of his death. Members of the Rochester Garden Club met with Calvin C. Laney, who was the first Parks Superintendent (recommended for the job by Frederick Law Olmsted ), and John Dunbar, Assistant Superintendent of Highland Park, to choose the site and select plants referred to by Shakespeare in his writings. One hundred volunteers from the Rochester Garden Club, divided into teams of ten, planted and maintained the 275-foot-
long pathway.
A sundial and six benches with quotes from Shakespeare were donated to memorialize friends and relatives. People gave plants from their own gardens, a tradition that continues to this day.
Many of Shakespeare's plants failed to flourish in our climate so new selections had to be made. The garden became the Poet's Border. Later, the Rochester Garden Club installed an iron gate, featuring the garden's third name, Poet's Garden. Falling branches destroyed that gate during the fierce windstorm of 1998, a storm that also toppled several of the original trees. Happily, the gate was replaced, and in a spirit of renewal, young trees have been planted.
Over the years, the activity in the garden has waxed and waned. During one week in the fall of 1968, Rochester Garden Club members planted hundreds of wildflowers, ferns, and shrubs, many rescued from a local highway construction site. "The material was quite literally dug from in front of bulldozers. It constitutes a major conservation effort," wrote an assistant chairman of the Poet's Garden, whose name has been lost
to history.
Since 1993, new trees, shrubs, ferns, and wildflowers have been planted with an emphasis on native species.
Since 1994, Audrey Fernandez, a Master Gardener, has been the chairman of a varying group of volunteers that include Master Gardeners from the Cooperative Extension, members of the Rochester Garden Club, and park volunteers. They meet regularly from March through October to maintain the garden, with the support of Mark Quinn, Superintendent of Horticulture, and other employees of the Monroe County
Parks Department.
The garden, described by Audrey as a dappled glade, still offers peace and serenity for those who seek it.
The Poet's Garden is an example of a public/private partnership that has lasted for almost ninety years. Flourishing even during periods of neglect, it has survived vandalism and changes in taste to remain what it was designed to be: a woodland retreat for nature-loving visitors.
"And this our life, exempt from public haunt
Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones and good in everything."
William Shakespeare, As You Like It