McGill Rose Gardens - Charlotte's Secret Oasis

Just on the northern edge of uptown Charlotte there is McGill Rose Garden, filled with hundreds of different roses. It occupies about one half of a city street and sits near the auto scrap yards on one side, and at the edge of the Mass Transit Bus Terminal on the other. The fact that it is there at all is interesting enough, but the way it got to be there is even more interesting.

This is the history as per the brochure that is available at the McGill Rose Gardens;

In 1950, Henry McGill purchased a block of land that was home to a coal yard owned by W.A. Avant, owner of Avant Fuel and Ice Co. Henry McGill decided to keep the coal business running for a while afterwards. Helen McGill, Henry's wife, decided to beautify the area by planting two rose bushes. Helen eventually earned the title of "The Rose Lady" and added numerous rose beds over three decades. Henry lovingly maintained the the garden long after Helen's death in 1985.

In 1952, the McGill's opened the garden to the public for the first time on Mother's Day, and it was opened year round in 1967. The property was sold to the City in 1975 with stipulations; that the gardens would remain on the property, and that the McGill's would operate the garden on behalf of the City. Henry helped with the garden until his death in 2007 at age 103.

McGill Gardens, Inc, a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation was formed in 1996 to fulfill Henry and Helen's dream of keeping the garden alive for visitors to enjoy in the future.

The garden is lush and filled with over 1,000 roses and plants. They include native herbs and spices as well as 1,000 sunflowers each year which are havested and used to feed the birds at Presbyterian Hospital. The site includes a meditation garden for hospice as well as a children's garden for early exploration by tomorrow's would be botanists. Mixed in with this are various sculptures and statues that make gardening more that just about the flowers. The whole place is laid out with a casual indifference that only adds to its charm.

The garden is as large as it is dense, and at times it is easy to lose sight of the 65 story office buldings that sit less than 1/4 of a mile away. The area itself is, and has always been, industrial, so this Garden is somewhat of an Oasis. The varied landscaping, utilizing anything available, including this old railroad car, brings a new perspective to gardening. Daring to be different, while preserving the intended beauty, in the midst of an industrial area, is quite an achievement. To ensure that it is a gift that will keep on giving, long after you have gone, is quite a vision.