Queen Mary’s Rose Garden – A Sublime Floral Display

The Queen Mary’s Rose Garden is living proof that anyone can have an experience of a lifetime in London free of charge. These historic gardens containing thousands of roses are an area of peace and tranquility that feed the soul. Come here on a warm Spring day in late May or early June to see the roses when they are at their best.

I often visit after a trip to the nearby Regents Park Open Air Theatre but there is nothing to stop you bringing a book and a picnic and lying in the sun surrounded by beauty.  Copy the Victorians and make Queen Mary’s Rose Garden it a place to see and be seen.

What is Queen Mary’s Rose Garden Famous for?

In a single word, roses…to be precise, 12,000 of them, contained in 85 single variety beds. Each year 3 of these beds are replaced with a new variety.

What is the History of Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

The garden is named after the wife of King George V and was first planted in 1832. In the same way that we might dress up to meet our friends in a pub, club or restaurant the affluent middle classes of the day would wear their best clothes and promenade in their top hats and tea gowns in the rose garden. Fetes and music would be organised in the summer months. It was a place to see and be seen,

Today the Queen Mary’s Rose Garden attracts all sorts of people…newly-weds looking for a back drop for their wedding photographs, professional photographers bearing tripods, local residents taking a stroll, families having picnics, young lovers (it’s the ideal backdrop for a proposal) and of course tourists who have heard about the legendary blooms.

It is a stroke of luck that we have this magnificent garden to enjoy today as there were historic proposals to use the land as a palace for the Prince Regent, the bloated and debauched son of an earlier monarch. Fortunately, he preferred the Buckingham Palace location.

The Four Areas of Queen Mary’s Rose Garden

There are several distinct areas that make up Queen Mary’s Gardens.

The Circular Rose Garden

The original garden was the circular rose garden with its rose-festooned border of white and pink roses that provide a colourful living wall.

The Triton Borders

The Victorian jungle beds known as the Triton Borders have flamboyant jewel like colours with contrasting begonias, huge palms and ferns. These are linked to the famous garden designer William Robinson who worked for the Royal Botanical Society. He was a big fan of subtropical bedding containing hardy plants placed in natural arrangements.

Don’t be mystified if you see plastic buckets in the borders. These are place holders for plants that are on order and waiting to be delivered.

The Sausage Border

There is also a herbaceous border called the Sausage Border because of its shape. This has a planting scheme of deep red peonies and ornamental rhubarb spikes

The Mediterranean Garden

The Mediterranean Garden has been made possible by improving the water-logged London clay soil with plenty of sand to allow acacias, palm trees and purple alliums to thrive.

When Should I Visit Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

Very late May and early June is the best time for seeing the roses in full bloom. Most roses have a second showing in August and September but your photos maybe spoiled by the faded blooms of earlier flowerings. The delphinium border is at its best in June.

Can you find the plant sculpture of an elephant which is hidden in one of the borders?

How Do I Research Roses Before my Visit?

Before you visit, familiarise yourself with the different types of English roses. The varieties that you will see in the garden are:

• Hybrid tea
• Polyantha
• Climbing
• Rambling
• Damask
• Gallica
• Alba
• Centifolia
• Floribunda
• Patio
• Ground Cover

As a general rule, the older varieties are less magnificent looking but have a stronger smell and the newer hybrids are amazing to look at but with less scent.

You can find out more about the different types of roses at the Gardener’s World website.

If you see a rose that you like you can almost certainly buy it online from one of our many rose firms, so don’t forget to photograph the plant label.

Tips for Photographing Roses Using a Smart phone

Any amateur can get very successful results using these tips;

• Use natural light to photograph flowers as overcast days give a softer look
• Mornings are the best time as the roses are fresh and often have dew drops
• Crouch or kneel to get to the same level as the flowers
• Use the close up/flower function on your phone’s photograph menu
• Take a lot of photographs at different angles and closeness
• Fill the frame and block out as much of the background as possible for rose close ups.
• Check for unwanted things in your picture e.g. people, litter bins, insects
• Use the crop facility on your camera to edit your photos and make the flowers bigger.

How Do I Get to Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

There is an 8-10 minute walk which ever tube you take as the rose garden is in the centre of Regent’s Park. The nearest underground stations are Great Portland Street, Bakers Street and Regents Park.

How Much Does it Cost to Visit Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

The entry to Queen Mary’s Gardens is free of charge.

If you like gardens, be sure to see out post on Kew Gardens in Winter.

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