Cowra Rose Garden In Cowra New South Wales
130 Different Rose Varieties Growing on Display in Central NSW Town
Aug 23, 2009
The Cowra Rose Garden was first developed in 1988 as a tourist attraction for Cowra and to provide landscaping to complement the newly opened Cowra Visitor Information Centre. The garden has 130 rose varieties to delight the tourist or rose lover. The 22 rose beds make an attractive setting for the Visitor Centre and the adjacent Rose Garden Coffee Shop.
Rose Varieties and the Cowra Rose
The Cowra Rose Garden includes fragrant, climbing and weeping standard roses. The diversity of the roses on display provides an excellent range from which rose lovers can select suitable varieties for their garden at home. The Cowra Rose Garden boasts 880 rose bushes, which increases the likelihood of a particular variety having specimens in bloom during a visit.
Featured in the garden is a bed of the Cowra rose, developed in 1998 to celebrate 150 years of the township of Cowra. Also included is the Australian Centenary of Federation rose, and those named for famous persons including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Helmut Schmidt, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, William Shakespeare, Bing Crosby, Dolly Parton, Ita Buttrose, Melinda Gainsford and Maria Callas.
Development of the Cowra Rose Garden
The concept of a rose garden attraction for Cowra district was proposed by Ben Swane, of Swane’s Nursery, and work commenced in April 1988. Bob Marshall, an experienced rose grower, supervised the establishment of the gardens with the planting of 1000 roses, the first being planted by Cyril Treasure, the Cowra Shire President, in June 1988. Roses began flowering later that same year and on 12 November 1988 the Cowra Rose Garden was officially opened.
In 2001, a major refurbishment saw the garden totally reorganized, the soil replenished and 550 new roses planted. A central gazebo allows the visitor to sit and relax amidst the colour and beauty of the rose display. The garden is funded and maintained by Cowra Shire Council with assistance from Cowra Garden Club and sponsorship from Treloar Roses.
Visiting Cowra Rose Garden
A free rose garden map, available from the Cowra Visitor Information Centre, gives a detailed numbered plan of the rose beds and the names of all roses planted. Plaques amongst the plantings help the visitor to identify the individual roses listed. The fragrant rose varieties are also noted in the brochure. Borders of annuals and beautifully maintained lawns surrounding the beds of roses complete this charming garden display.
Find the Cowra Rose Garden in Cowra NSW, adjacent to the Cowra Visitor Information Centre in Olympic Park, at the junction of the Mid Western Highway, the Olympic Highway and the Lachlan Valley Way. Cowra is in Central New South Wales on the banks of the Lachlan River. On the Mid-Western Highway between Bathurst and Grenfell, Cowra is approx. 4 hours drive from Sydney and 2 hours drive from Canberra.
Related Article: What To See & Do In Cowra New South Wales
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