Lady Norwood Rose Garden

The Lady Norwood Rose Garden can be found in the northeast corner of the botanical garden, right at the bottom of the hill. It is encircled by Anderson Park, The Peace Flame, The Begonia House and the Herb Garden.

James Hector, Wellington Botanic Gardens first Director, initially established a small teaching garden in the 1870's on the site of the present Sound Shell Lawn, which was gradually developed into the first Rose Garden in the Botanic Garden. Under the City Council the Teaching Garden became known as the “Enclosed Garden” before it was slowly transformed into a rose garden by 1910 during George Glen's time in office.

There is no direct record of roses being planted at any one time, only a gradual, increasing dominance of them until the garden was ready for another name change. In April 1912, while reporting on someone breaking into the Enclosed Garden, Glen stated that they had "wandered about cutting roses and other good flowers and had strewn them about" (Wellington City Council Archives, 00233-1912/776). By 1917 it was known as the Rosary. The roses were subsequently cleared from this area when the rose collection was moved to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden.

It is important to record that the foundations of the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Begonia House and Dell Lawn were provided in part through the Government through unemployment relief schemes at the time.

The plan for the rose garden complex of gardens was most likely the work of the Director Edward Hutt. It was certainly the largest addition to the Botanic Garden established during his directorship (1947- 1965). The idea of building a rose garden on this site was suggested in 1948. In 1950 the Council decided that the new Rose Garden would be named after Lady Rosina Ann Norwood as an appreciation of the services rendered to the city by herself and Sir Charles. Work began in 1950 and was completed in 1953 when the garden was officially opened.

The surrounding pergola was added in 1961. Lady Norwood donated the original fountain in the center in 1956, although the Norwood children donated a replacement in 1977. This is an antique bronze structure, imported from Australia, although originally came from outside a bank in London. It is over 100 years old.

From the 1950's at least, public pruning demonstrations have been held annually at the Rose Garden, and these continue today. The Garden contains some 3200 roses covering over 300 varieties in 110 beds.

It includes all main types of roses - Bush roses including - Hybrid Tea types with their large flowers, many of which are fragrant; Floribunda roses with their clusters of individual flowers of a wide colour range but are not so fragrant; Patio roses which are ideal for pots and tubs; climbing roses of which there are approximately 80 on the pergola surrounding the main beds. There is also a heritage rose collection of roses from Regency and Victorian times in the adjoining Bolton Street Memorial Park, containing some 300 heritage specimens covering over 80 varieties.