Discover the best roses at RHS Gardens
Enjoy a summer feast for the senses as roses fill the five RHS Gardens with colour and scent
Summer is here, and what better way to embrace the season than by strolling through a rose garden drinking in the sweet fragrance and vibrant blooms of the nation’s favourite flower.
From formal rose beds to cottage garden climbers and contemporary companion planting, our five RHS Gardens offer plenty of rose planting inspiration. Find out where to enjoy the best rose gardens near you...
RHS Garden Rosemoor, North Devon
Shrub Rose Garden at RHS Garden Rosemoor
Take a scented stroll around RHS Garden Rosemoor, home to one of the UK’s largest rose collections. Two dedicated gardens brim with more than 2,000 roses and at least 200 different cultivars.
The Shrub Rose Garden celebrates traditional-style roses that exude timeless elegance and delightful perfume. Stand-out cultivars include Rosa ROSEMOOR (‘Austough’) AGM – named after the garden – with its small, soft pink flowers and the scent of an old-fashioned rose.
In the Queen Mother’s Rose Garden,
Delight in the sight and scent of thousands of these beautiful blooms at RHS Rosemoor’s Festival of Roses (14 June – 13 July). Join us for Rose Weekend, with a floral-themed craft and food market, free guided walks around the garden, rose growing advice and live music (20 – 22 June).
RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex
Modern Rose Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall
Roses thrive in the heavy clay soil and open sunny skies at RHS Garden Hyde Hall. Its Modern Rose Garden is a showcase of formally grown roses and looks spectacular in June.
Six colour-coordinated beds burst with David Austin modern shrub roses in a rainbow of hues, from the warm salmon tones of Rosa LADY OF SHALOTT (‘Ausnyson’) AGM to the cooler shades of cream-flowered Rosa LICHFIELD ANGEL (‘Ausrelate’) AGM and pale lemon Rosa THE PILGRIM (‘Auswalker’) AGM. Their large flowers scent the air with delicious fragrance and the unspoiled glossy foliage adds to their beauty. English climbing roses scale up obelisks on the corners of each bed, while wonderfully scented and bushier Pemberton Roses fill three further beds.
The nearby Rose Rope Walk is undergoing an exciting renovation. This cherished garden area was originally created by Hyde Hall’s former owners, Helen and Dick Robinson, over 50 years ago. To ensure its longevity, the new design features a sturdy metal framework to replace the old wooden structures that have decayed over time, and a new all-weather pathway that allows access for wheelchairs and buggies. Planting will begin in autumn, bringing the opportunity to introduce new roses, including more climate-resilient cultivars suited to the dry summers at RHS Hyde Hall.
There are plenty of roses to enjoy elsewhere in the garden, including classics such as Rosa gallica ‘Versicolor’ AGM and Rosa ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain’ in the Hilltop Garden and Shrub Rose Border.
RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey
Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden at RHS Garden Wisley
For a contemporary take on a rose garden, head to the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden at RHS Garden Wisley. The impact of its 4,000 roses in flower is incredible, but the garden offers more than just roses. Some 5,000 herbaceous
The choice of companion plants reflects the garden’s modern feel. Purple-flowering salvias pick out the inky centres of enchanting Rosa EYES FOR YOU (‘Pejbigeye’) AGM, while the dark maroon leaves of Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ contrast with the yellow blooms of Rosa GLORIOUS (‘Interictira’). Airy plumes of the ornamental grass Stipa gigantea AGM add to the diversity of shape and texture, and although yew (Taxus baccata AGM) is traditionally found in rose gardens, its clipped cylindrical shapes provide a unusual backdrop to the planting, alongside pillars of Magnolia grandiflora.
Other eye-catching roses include Rosa FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (‘Cheweyesup’), with single pink flowers that fade to off-white and distinct dark red eyes, and Rosa RHAPSODY IN BLUE (‘Frantasia’) AGM for its unusual bright purple colour.
Don’t miss the breathtaking spectacle of the Cottage Garden rose arch in full bloom. The arches are smothered by rambling Rosa ‘Mulliganii’, creating a perfumed tunnel of dreamy white blooms. In the Trials Garden, more than 50 cultivars of Rosa persica hybrids are flowering for the first time in a four-year RHS Plant Trial assessing their performance.
RHS Garden Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire
Rose borders and summer planting at RHS Garden Harlow Carr
Roses bring fabulous colour and scent to the borders at RHS Garden Harlow Carr. Nestled between the garden entrance and Learning Centre, more than 30 rose cultivars have been planted since November 2021, with a winding path allowing you to wander among the blooms and breathe in their exquisite fragrance.
Previous attempts to grow roses at RHS Harlow Carr have been mixed, with some varieties struggling in the garden’s damp conditions. With this in mind, Horticulturist Tom White, who designed the rose border, selected cultivars for their disease-resistance and vigour, as well as perfume and repeat-flowering nature, including cultivars with open flowers to attract pollinators and those that give a decorative display of rose hips in winter.
For maximum impact, the roses are planted in drifts of colour, from red and pink, through apricot, to yellow and white. Look out for favourites of Tom’s including rich burgundy Rosa DARCEY BUSSELL (‘Ausdecorum’) AGM and the beautiful white tinged with pink Rosa DESDEMONA (‘Auskindling’). Cultivars that seem to thrive in the Yorkshire climate include Rosa OLIVIA ROSE AUSTIN (‘Ausmixture’), producing an abundance of mid-pink flowers with a subtle fruity scent and lovely orange Rosa LADY OF SHALOTT (‘Ausnyson’) AGM.
RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford
Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ AGM in the Paradise Garden at RHS Garden Bridgewater
At RHS Garden Bridgewater, highly scented roses enhance the sensory appeal of the Paradise Garden. Inspired by their use in traditional paradise gardens, the heady scent of shrub, climbing and rambling roses helps transport you to warmer climes. Adorning the Paradise Garden walls, vigorous rambler Rosa ‘Veilchenblau’ AGM is likely to catch your eye with its vivid violet flowers that fade to lilac as they age.
Head to the Bee and Butterfly Garden to find a selection of roses irresistible to pollinators. Roses with open flowers, such as pure white Rosa STARLIGHT SYMPHONY (‘Harwisdom’), offer easily accessible nectar to bees and other insects. Trained around the porch of Garden Cottage, the beautiful soft pink semi-double flowers of Rosa THE GENEROUS GARDENER (‘Ausdrawn’) AGM open to expose its stamens to pollinators passing by.
