Garden Features

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden was created in 1923, though this area was once the site of a lake built for King George III to sail his "Swan Boat". The semi-circular holly hedge and sunken areas are historically important and are the remains of a 1845 design by William Nesfield which also included the Broad Walk and the three great vistas.

The Rose Garden is a major focal point for visitors, not only due to its close proximity to the Palm House, but also because of the explosion of colour and scents produced during peak flowering time in June through until August.

The garden houses 54 rose beds, each containing a different variety of rose. Visiting the Rose Garden will offer many ideas to the garden enthusiast for the selection of the correct height and colour of rose which will grow any small or large garden. All varieties are widely available to the general public through specialist growers and garden centres. The roses displayed consist of floribunda, hybrid Ts, shrub and Old English roses which are all arranged by the colour of their flowers. Shades of red are closest to the Palm House, making a wonderful contrast against the white glasshouse and providing striking reflections in the glass. The lighter-coloured roses, such as the white and yellow flowered varieties, are planted near the perimeter of the garden, against the green vistas and hedges.

In March the roses are pruned back into a framework with all old, dead, diseased and damaged wood removed. A granular fertiliser is then applied to the rose beds to help to promote healthy new growth after pruning. The beds are mulched at this time of year, using farmyard manure, doubling up as mulch and fertiliser.

April sees the first foliage feed application containing a high potassium content to increase flower production. At the same time a programme for the spraying of pesticide and fungicides is started and continues every two to four weeks throughout the growing season to combat blackspot, mildew, aphids and thrips. At the end of autumn the roses are cut back by approximately one-third to reduce wind rock.

On the south side of the main Rose Garden are 10 beds which illustrate the hybridisation of roses through the centruries:

• Gallica and Damask

• Alba

• Moss and China

• Hybrid China

• Portland and Bourbon

• Noisette and Hybrid Perpetual

• Hybrid-T

• Pernetiana and Dwarf Polyantha

• Rambling and climbing roses

• Hybrid Musk and Hybrid Polyantha

More climbing roses can be found on the Rose Pergola.

The Rose Garden is number 37 on the Visitor Map.