North America’s 10 most beautiful public rose gardens
Nature offers a soothing refuge at any time, but especially now. A stroll through a public rose garden, surrounded by the brilliant colors and heady fragrance of 4,000 roses all in one place, will banish worry, at least for a while. Consider it aromatherapy of the highest order. Breathe deep. A few years back, USA Today’s 10Best chose 20 of the most beautiful public rose gardens across the U.S. and Canada, then put it to a reader vote to winnow it down to a top 10. It’s well worth revisiting that list now because the Bay Area boasts two of those stunning sites. The San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, founded in 1927 and dubbed America’s Best Rose Garden by All American Rose Selection, offers more than 4,000 rose plants in 189 different varieties. There’s a fountain, rose-studded arbors and grassy paths to guide you through. Planted 10 years later on a steep, terraced hillside, the Berkeley Rose Garden boasts 3,000 rose bushes representing 200 varieties, a rose-covered pergola and incredible views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Other entries on the list include the fragrant International Rose Test Garden in Portland, Oregon, and Butchart Garden Rose Arbor in Victoria, British Columbia, as well as a Florida garden launched by the Ringlings of circus fame. Here’s the top 10. • John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Rose Garden, Sarasota, Florida • San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, San Jose • International Rose Test Garden, Portland, Oregon • Longmont Memorial Rose Garden, Longmont, Colorado • Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, New York City • Berkeley Rose Garden, Berkeley • Butchart Garden Rose Arbor, Victoria, B.C. • The Park of Roses, Columbus, Ohio • Jardin Botanique, Montreal • Elizabeth Park, Hartford, Connecticut