Lynn Anderson held the record for “Top Grossing Song by A Female Artist” for 27 years (thanks to the international success of Rose Garden), up until Shania Twain came along. She posthumously got her Rose Garden on June 15 at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Nashville, which coincided with “Lynn Anderson Day” in the state of Tennessee.
Particularly impressive about this memorial “Rose Garden” is that it features 114 Lynn Anderson Hybrid Tea Roses, and it is open to the public every day from sunrise to sunset.
A private ceremony was held for the dedication and ribbon cutting. It featured Anderson’s daughters Lisa Sutton and Melissa Hempel, as well as her father, Casey Anderson, along with representatives from the American Rose Society, and Country Music Hall of Famer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brenda Lee (“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”).
Anderson’s daughter, Lisa Sutton, had spearheaded the effort to create the Rose Garden back in 2016, and once they broke ground on May 2, 2018, the build out only took a little over a month.
Sutton noted that they are honored to unveil a “permanent memorial” for Lynn Anderson in Nashville. “The beauty of this project is that we also brought back the rose, which has been out of commission for almost two decades. ‘Rose Garden’ changed my mom’s life, and it also changed the face and sound of country music. We are happy to share these 114 Lynn Anderson Hybrid Tea Roses, the largest collection ever of the rose, with the community,” Sutton said.
The Lynn Anderson Hybrid Tea Rose won several awards of its own. It was crowned “Queen of Show” by the American Rose Society, which is the highest honor bestowed upon any rose, and it is quite fitting, especially since it is in memory of the late country queen.
During this dedication, the American Rose Society’s Marilyn Wellan presented the “Presidential Citation” to Lynn Anderson, which was in recognition of her love and support of the rose and the American Rose Society.