Music icon Sir Cliff Richard lent a helping hand to the Adelaide Botanic Garden horticultural team yesterday, planting his namesake rose in the award-winning International Rose Garden.
The British pop legend took time out of his busy Can’t Stop Me Now tour across Australia, New Zealand and the UK to add to the Garden’s stunning collection of Cliff Richard roses – named in his honour – ahead of his sold-out show at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre that evening.
The vibrant floribunda rose was bred in Lincolnshire, UK, in 1993. On a previous visit to Adelaide Botanic Garden in 2004, Sir Cliff planted the Garden’s first collection of the cultivar, which continues to thrive more than two decades later.
Sir Cliff said he was thrilled to be given the opportunity to plant another rose in Adelaide Botanic Garden.
"I know how popular the Cliff roses have been worldwide, so on my first visit back to Australia in 12 years I am delighted to have seen how wonderful the roses I planted previously have fared in the garden, and to give them something else to look after! Perhaps when I’m 100 I can do it all again?,” he said.
Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Director, Michael Harvey, said the visit was a memorable moment for the team.
“We’re delighted that Sir Cliff took the time to engage with the Garden and contribute to our living collections. The Cliff Richard rose has been a much-loved feature of the International Rose Garden for many years, and it’s wonderful to see him return to plant another,” he said.
Sir Cliff planting the rose.
Adelaide’s International Rose Garden showcases around 2,700 roses and more than 350 cultivars from around the world, making it a favourite destination for visitors – particularly during its spectacular and fragrant spring bloom season from October to November.
In 2022, the Garden was recognised with a Garden of Global Excellence Award by the World Federation of Rose Societies. It is also home to the National Rose Trial Garden, where new rose varieties are tested for their suitability to Australian conditions before commercial release.
The Cliff Richard rose
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For more information about Sir Cliff Richard and his tour, visit:
