Roses are the England’s most loved garden flower, there is a rose suitable for every occasion and every garden. England has some great rose gardens to visit, here is a selection for you to include on a tour. The best time to see these gardens is during June or July.
Rose gardens are a proven seller for garden, heritage and senior group travel. The season is short (June to July), so build these into 2027 programmes early, before group availability fills.
Borde Hill Garden
Near Haywards Heath, Sussex the Rose Garden at Borde Hill has over 750 David Austin English Roses planted in formal beds with box hedging and complemented with delphiniums, peonies and phlox.
Borde Hill sits in Sussex, so it combines easily with Ashdown Forest and other South East stops.
Mottisfont
Mottisfont in Hampshire is a romantic 18th C house and gardens set in beautiful riverside gardens. With ancient trees, rolling lawns, carpets of spring bulbs and the world famous rose garden. If you want to see the roses visit in June as this is the only time that they flower.
The Walled Garden at Mottisfont, Hampshire houses a world famous National Collection of pre-1900 old fashioned roses. There are more than 500 varieties of rose to enjoy.
The roses here flower in June only, so time group departures carefully.
RHS Garden Rosemoor
In North Devon the RHS Garden Rosemoor is famous for its two rose gardens, the Queen Mother’s Rose Garden features more than 100 modern roses while the Shrub Rose Garden is planted with traditional roses.
Rosemoor’s North Devon location makes it a natural add-on to a Cornwall or South West itinerary.
Chartwell
At Chartwell, Kent the stunning walled Rose Garden was designed by Lady Churchill and planted with the help of her head gardener. It is full of soft pink and white blooms and is a beautiful and romantic retreat. There is also the Golden Rose Walk which is planted with 32 varieties of yellow roses which were a Golden Wedding Anniversary present to the Churchills from their children.
Chartwell and Sissinghurst are both in Kent, so they work together as a garden-themed day or overnight stay.
Sissinghurst Castle
In Kent, Sissinghurst Castle has one of the finest gardens in the UK, there is a spectacular display of colourful and breath-taking roses. The garden was designed in the 1930s by the famous gardening writer Vita Sackville-West.
The Alnwick Garden
Alnwick Gardens which are adjacent to Alnwick Castlewere designed by the Duchess of Northumberland. There are over 3000 David Austin English Roses, including the ‘Alnwick Rose’ – a beautiful rich pink fragrant rose that was created especially for the garden by David Austin himself.
Alnwick suits northern England and Scotland routes, giving garden groups a highlight beyond the South.
Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens
In Regent’s Park, London you will find Queen Mary’s Gardens which has the largest collection of roses in London. There are over 12,000 roses planted here including the ‘Royal Parks’ rose.
The Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens have a Central London location, ideal for a short garden stop in a city programme.
Plan your 2027 rose season now. June and July fill quickly. Contact Cornwall DMC and we’ll create a garden itinerary for your clients.
