Columbus Park of Roses

Dreamt up in 1953 by the Columbus Rose Club and the Central Ohio Rose Society, the Columbus Park of Roses features over 12,000 different roses over 13-acres within Whetstone Park.

Back in 1974, the American Rose Society made their home in the garden to create a central location for members and access to an agricultural college. Where the Foundations test beds were located is the Heritage Garden, featuring roses under cultivation before 1867 (when “modern” rose cultivation begins). The Heritage Garden sparked a renewed interest in old roses among the gardening public, bringing back heritages roses.

The garden also features herb and perennial gardens. In 2007, the Park of Roses added a Earth-Kind garden testing the winter hardiness of roses with minimal maintenance for roses and mixed plantings with shrubs. The Earth-Kind garden is the first of its kind outside of the deep South.