A summer of roses

Thousands of National Garden Scheme gardens have roses at the heart of their planting. But what we consider to be quintessentially British is actually an ancient flower which, according to fossil evidence, is 35 million years old and was probably first cultivated by the Chinese 5,000 years ago.

In the language of flowers, roses symbolize love but in pre-Victorian times you were more likely to find them on your dinner plate than in a vase. Traditionally grown for their nutritional and medicinal value, apple-scented rose leaves were once brewed as tea, rose petals coloured salads and rosehips were cooked into sweet syrups packed with vitamin C, ascorbic acid and iron. For people battling anaemia, rose hips contain the perfect balance of nutrients. Aromatherapists and perfumers prize the heady scent of roses too; rose is soothing to the nervous system and, according to folklore an ‘expert mender of the cracks in broken spirits’.

Today, the bloom, colour and perfume of roses remain a firm favourite with gardeners and are the summer heart of National Garden Scheme gardens large and small.

A few fragrant favourites to explore include:

: Turvey Village Gardens, Bedfordshire and The Old Rectory, Lower Basildon, Berkshire

Turvey Village gardens, Bedfordshire – a gorgeous, rose filled group of gardens that open on Sunday 15 June.
13 Broom Acres, Berkshire – a romantic garden with roses, scented climbers and herbaceous borders, opens Sunday 8 and 29 June, Sunday 17 August and Sunday 7 September.
Rooksnest, Berkshire, designed by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, opens on Wednesday 25 June and by arrangement.
Hanham Court, Bristol (lead image) opens Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June.
Bledlow Manor, Bucks, 12 acres of gorgeous planting opens on Sunday 15 June and by arrangement.

: Sussex show stoppers: Hoopers Farm, East Sussex and 7 Nightingale Close, West Sussex

Hoopers Farm, East Sussex is brimming with blooms and opens as part of the Mayfield Gardens group on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August.
7 Nightingale Close, West Sussex opens as part of the East Grinstead Gardens group on Sunday 6 July where roses abound in this lovely selection of town gardens.

: Aberclwyd Manor and Gwaenynog, two lovely Denbighshire gardens

Aberclwyd Manor in Denbighshire is four acres full of fabulous flora, opens on the following Wednesdays: 11 and 25 June, 9 and 23 July, 6 and 20 August and 3 and 17 September and by arrangement.

Gwaenynog in Denbighshire is a lovely two acres which includes the restored walled garden where Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated the Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. Opens on Sunday 15 June.

: The Old Rectory, Isle of Wight and Yorke House and White Rose Cottage, North Yorkshire

The Old Rectory on the Isle of Wight (lead image and above) is a romantic country garden with a wonderfully scented collection of old and English roses. Opens on Saturday 14 June.
Yorke House & White Rose Cottage in North Yorkshire, an award-winning English country garden in the heart of Nidderdale with wonderful roses and shrubs. Opens Sunday 22 June, Sunday 6 July and by arrangement from 15 June to 20 July.

Click here to explore the rose gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme this summer

For more roses watch our virtual garden visits

Cadenham Manor, open on Thursday 5 June and by arrangement for groups of 15 to 40 people, until October. Home to over 70 varieties of old roses in this virtual garden visit, garden owner Victoria Nye introduces you to some favourites.

Sambrook Manor, opens on Sunday 29 June and by arrangement for groups of 10+ the owners shared this lovely film during lockdown.

As its romantic name suggest, Rosearie-de-la-Nymph – open on Sunday 22 and Sunday 29 June – is all about roses and it is a wonderful surprise to discover such a rich kaleidoscope deep in the Northamptonshire countryside.