BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BURLINGTON -- They knew when they went to jail that nobody promised them a rose garden.
So they planted one.
Inmates at the Boone County Jail's work camp are tending to a garden of miniatures, floribundas and hybrid teas.
Planted in the spring, the garden's in prime bloom now, boosted a little by the recent cooler weather.
The garden is a collaboration among rose-loving Jailer John Schickel, the inmates and members of the Boone County Garden Club. The jailer, looking for projects for inmates of the new work camp, thought of the idea.
The club helped choose the varieties.
The roses were paid for with money from a fund into which inmates pay for snacks and other extras.
"I admit it's my pet project," the jailer said.
"But we've had a lot of fun with it."
For help, he called Beverly Burcham, a member of the garden club and director of the regional Bluegrass District of rose clubs. The members were glad to get involved, she said.
"We're always looking for projects to do," she said.
Now they hope the collaborative effort might win some recognition. "It's a great idea," Mrs. Burcham said. "And it's a gorgeous rose garden."
The 40 bushes can be seen by the public noon to 2 p.m. Sundays through the end of the month.
