Rose Collection

Visit the Rose Collection.

Roses go far beyond ‘a dozen red’ and the classic symbol of love and romance.

They’re also highly valued for perfume, cooking, cosmetics, medicine, and religious practices. And they are possibly the most well-known and loved group of plants, with a rose collection included in most botanic gardens around the world.

Roses under pressure

Native to Europe, Asia and North America, roses are vulnerable to Melbourne’s increasing temperatures. Here at the Gardens we are assessing which rose varieties are most resilient for our changing climate.

Notes from our team

“Roses in this collection come from China, Europe, North America and the Middle East. We’ve selected species which are suited to Melbourne’s warming climate, which reduces the need for fungicides.

We deliberately leave the pruning of our species roses, to show off their beautiful hips.” Curator of the Rose Collection

Connecting to Country

This Collection is on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. As you explore the Gardens you will see four colours and four words in Woi-wurrung language on the signs to reflect the Traditional Owners’ connection to Country and this particular place. The word tanderrum refers to a cultural gathering place in Woi-wurrung and the signs in this area have pink highlights.

Young botanists

Why does a rose have thorns (or prickles)?
I’m glad you asked. First, let’s call them prickles, because that’s what they are. Huh? Aren’t thorns and prickles the same thing? Well, no. A botanist (a person who studies plants) calls a rose’s thorns prickles because you can snap them off the stem. Thorns, on the other hand, are part of the plant. But the important thing is that they both have the same function – to keep intruders away!

In the northern hemisphere, where roses grow wild, their thorns protect them from deer, rabbits and bugs. Bugs? Yep, it’s hard to crawl up a prickle to snack on the leaves and flowers when the prickles are curved downward. Take a look!

Want to read more about roses?

Our living collections pages by our horticultural curators dive deeper into the rose collection at Melbourne Gardens.

Climate Ready Rose Collection

View Rose Collection on map