Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 14th March 2025
Updated 29th March 2025
In what is becoming a semi-regular series on the The Wollongong Botanic Garden, this post is a photo essay on the Rose Garden within.
From that website:
Our Rose Garden is designed in the style of a walled, sunken European garden. The high brick wall is covered in Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) and shelters the roses from strong winds. The garden beds are raised to allow better drainage and air circulation for the plants. This has been further improved in recent years with the installation of dripline irrigation to encourage better growth, reduce the amount of water used and reduce spread of pathogens.
The Rose Garden is comprised of around 1,000 rose plants in eight garden beds, representing more than 200 different hybrids, species and cultivars. We have many varieties of rose in this collection, including Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Old Fashioned, Weeping, Miniature and Standard. We showcase a selection of Heritage Roses, Australian bred roses and some of the latest rose releases from around the world that are disease resistant and suit the Wollongong climate. Some of the roses on display include the ‘Peace’ rose which was smuggled to America from occupied France in 1945, and The Wollongong Gold Rose, developed to mark the 50th anniversary of Wollongong City in 1997.
UPDATE 29th March 2025: Surprisingly, most of these roses aren’t labelled, and I could not find the ‘Wollongong Gold’ rose mentioned above. But following Helen’s comment below, I was motivated to look harder, and found this record and photo and this background information:
It is not the first time roses have been created specifically for a person or event by Mr Walsh.
In 1997, when he lived in the Illawarra, he bred a rose called the Wollongong Gold to commemorate the 50th year of the City of Greater Wollongong.
The unique rose was unveiled in the Wollongong Botanic Garden for the anniversary where it remains today for visitors to admire.
I went back through my photos to see if I’d managed to photograph it unknowingly — being no expert on roses, I really don’t know, but this one in Part 4, maybe??
There are two entrances — this is the view of the central gazebo from the eastern one.
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
Over in the southern portion of the garden is this beautiful equatorial sundial, which was a gift from the Friends of Wollongong Botanic Garden.
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
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1 Comment(s)
What a stunning variety of roses. Thank you so much for sharing Kristi
My pleasure Helen! Unfortunately, and surprisingly, most of them aren't labelled - I couldn't find The Wollongong Gold Rose for example. I would have loved to shared the cultivars too. Well, you just inspired me to go looking harder - article updated accordingly, thank you for that!
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