Heritage Rose Garden

Formerly the National Species Rose Collection

In the northern corner of Mount Lofty Botanic Garden, the Heritage Rose Garden is a special collection of the species roses from which all modern roses have been bred.

The spring flowering, autumn foliage and ripening hips with their different colours, shapes and sizes make for a glorious year-round display to delight rose aficionados and novices alike.

The roses are grouped into sections based on differences in the characteristics of the flowers, foliage, prickles, hips and chromosome numbers. Some of these characteristics are visible, others are not.

They are displayed in a linear taxonomic arrangement and each group of roses is labelled to provide visitors with information specific to that group. Individual rose species are also labelled.

The collection was developed in the late 1980s and continues to expand with the addition of new acquisitions grown by seed from known wild origin.