| In 1970, the Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance was established at the Arboretum near the [[Barnhart Rice House, Wooster, Ohio]]. Mrs. Samuel Forbes of Cleveland donated the funding for its creation, and the roses were a gift of Mr. Joseph Kern, a well-known rose nurseryman<ref>Robert E. Whitmoyer, <i>The View From the Tower</i>, p.39.</ref>. The 2.7-acre garden reached a peak of about 1500 rose bushes representing 500 varieties, some of which were rare when the garden began<ref>Melissa Green, "Roses are for show at research center," Akron Beacon Journal, 24 July 1994</ref>. The rose garden declined throughout the 2010s due to an incurable disease called rose rosette, and in 2019-2020, all of the roses were removed and the space cleared for an experimental space, starting with trial plantings of coneflower varieties, hydrangeas, and native honeysuckles<ref>Linda Hall, "Secrest Arboretum replacing its acclaimed rose garden," Akron Beacon Journal, March 18 2019</ref>. | | In 1970, the Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance was established at the Arboretum near the [[Barnhart Rice House, Wooster, Ohio]]. Mrs. Samuel Forbes of Cleveland donated the funding for its creation, and the roses were a gift of Mr. Joseph Kern, a well-known rose nurseryman<ref>Robert E. Whitmoyer, <i>The View From the Tower</i>, p.39.</ref>. The 2.7-acre garden reached a peak of about 1500 rose bushes representing 500 varieties, some of which were rare when the garden began<ref>Melissa Green, "Roses are for show at research center," Akron Beacon Journal, 24 July 1994</ref>. The rose garden declined throughout the 2010s due to an incurable disease called rose rosette, and in 2019-2020, all of the roses were removed and the space cleared for an experimental space, starting with trial plantings of coneflower varieties, hydrangeas, and native honeysuckles<ref>Linda Hall, "Secrest Arboretum replacing its acclaimed rose garden," Akron Beacon Journal, March 18 2019</ref>. |