Our members and frequent guests know about one of the highlights in our Garden – the Dorothy & John Bohannon Rose Garden. Our newly renovated Rose Garden is the centerpiece of our 87 acres. With 1,000 bushes and over 100 varieties, our collection is a mix of floribunda, hybrid tea, Grandiflora, English, climbers, miniatures, and groundcover roses. 

The Rose Garden is gearing up for a beautiful season. Typically our roses begin blooming in April and continue vibrantly into June, with a small varietal burst in the fall as well. Here are some fun facts about roses. 

  • Roses are grown in every country in the world with a temperate climate.
  • A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant.
  • All roses have a flower head round in shape and can have as few as five or as many as 60 petals.
  • Roses can bear fruit called rose hips which develop after the blooms fade.
  • Sometimes deep, dark red roses are mistaken for black, however, roses can be any color except black.
  • Roses have a long and colorful history and are considered to be the world’s most beloved flower. They are symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics.
  • Based on fossil evidence, the rose is estimated to be 35 million years old. It is believed roses were cultivated in gardens beginning 5,000 years ago in China.
  • There are more than 30,000 varieties of roses throughout the world.

If you’re able to be in the Garden these next few months, take the time to stop and smell the roses. You won’t be sorry! And if you can’t make it (which we understand, given the current circumstances), check out the photos below to see how the roses are looking right now.