Who Is It Named After? Herman W. Merkel Memorial Garden

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Many visitors to Glen Island Park on the Long Island Sound don't give the Herman W. Merkel Memorial Garden a second glance, but if not for the former General Superintendent of the Westchester County Park Commission, the county's enviable park system might not be what it is today.

According to his March 1, 1938 obituary in the New York Times, Merkel is credited with not only designing the Bronx River Parkway and its surrounding recreation green space, but also for leading the development of the New York Zoological Park and creating the designs for the rehabilitation of Central Park. Perhaps more importantly for Westchester residents past and present, Merkel is responsible for ushering in the golden age of the county's beaches and parks under his management.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but might not inspire quite the same reminiscence. (Jeff Edwards |Patch)

A variety of roses planted at the Merkel Memorial Garden bear the name of a different sort of cultural icon. Here's a clue: a marker honoring Judy Garland is nestled in a hidden corner of the quiet garden on the popular island park in the sound.

Poppies may make you sleepy, but Judy Garland roses can help you to dream the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby. (Jeff Edwards |Patch)

Judy Garland roses were bred in the late seventies in the UK to honor the international film, stage, television and recording star nearly a decade after her untimely death. The unique variety of Floribunda is typically known for its brightly colored yellow petals with sharp red edges and vivid highlights.