The Columbus Park of Roses is a public park and rose garden in Columbus, Ohio. It is also known as the Whetstone Park of Roses. The 13-acre (5.3-hectare) park is part of the larger Whetstone Park in the Clintonville neighborhood. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department manages the free public park.
Following ideas for a city hall rose garden in 1946, the Park of Roses was established in 1952. The park was landscaped and planted between 1952 and 1953, with the park opening in June 1953. The American Rose Society established its headquarters in the park in 1952. The Park of Roses gradually grew over the next few decades, culminating in the 1985 opening of its Heritage Garden.
Attributes
The Columbus Park of Roses is a 13-acre (5.3 ha) park and one of the country’s largest public rose gardens. The park contains approximately 11,000 rose specimens and 350 varieties. The park is part of the 148-acre (60-ha) Whetstone Park, managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. The park is accessible to the public and opens at 7 a.m. Year-round, from dawn to dusk. Bed Bug Exterminator Columbus
Aside from the floral displays and gardens, the park has picnic areas, a shelter house that can be reserved for parties and weddings, a walking trail, and forests.
There is a small outdoor theater and gazebo in the park. The gazebo was built at Fort Hayes military reservation in 1878 and was restored and reinstalled in the Park of Roses in 1975. The Civitan Club of North Columbus, one of several organizations that purchased and restored the gazebo, hosts annual concerts throughout the summer.
Gardens
- The Formal Rose Garden consists of symmetrical rose beds planted with various roses.
- The Heritage Rose Garden features pre-1867 rose cultivars, many of which are forerunners of modern roses.
- The Perennial Garden contains approximately 100 varieties of perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and trees.
- The Herb Garden comprises 100 plant varieties organized by use, fragrance, or pollinator qualities.
- The Backyard Garden — low-maintenance plants and trees designed to inspire visitors to create backyard gardens.
- The Arboretum — 138 tree and shrub varieties are spread throughout the park.
Rose Gardens
The Formal Rose Garden was the first area planted in 1953. It was designed as a formal Italian garden with symmetrical hedges. Each rose bed is planted with a single variety and no other flowers, trees, or shrubs. The garden covers 7 of the park’s 13 acres and has about 11,000 varieties: floribunda, Grandiflora, hybrid tea, climber, and shrub roses. The garden’s eastern end features a decorative observation tower, added to the garden in the 1980s. Its center features a fountain, installed in 1957 and renovated in 2012. The garden’s western stone and iron fence entrance was completed in 2017.
Address: 3901 N High St, Columbus, OH
Check out other attractions like Franklin Park Conservatory