Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is at its height of bloom from mid-June to mid-July, and again from mid-August to September. This is the first garden you encounter at Blithewold, providing a warm and colorful welcome and a hint of the horticultural treasures that unfold as you make your way through the gardens and grounds of this special property.

A stone moon gate is the dominant feature in the Rose Garden, dating back to the early 20th century. Old shrub roses and climbers including American pillar, Dr Van Fleet, and others, are almost as old as the garden itself.

In one corner of the garden a Rosa roxburghii holds court. This giant chestnut rose is one of the largest in the country and its single, pale pink flowers make it one of the more distinctive forms of its species. We believe that owner Bessie Van Wickle McKee purchased the rose from the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association who sold rooted cuttings to raise funds for the restoration of George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon in the early 1900s. We know it was a magnificent specimen by 1929 when British garden writer, Marion Cran visited and wrote about Blithewold in one of her books.

We have added hardy, disease-resistant David Austin roses, among others, to the garden to complement the original roses and to provide blooms and fragrance throughout the season. Each year we plant at least a dozen new roses for new color combinations and to replace some of the less sturdy plants.

Heliotrope and lavender combine with the roses for added color and scent. Daylilies,selected annuals bloom during the hottest part of the summer when the roses aren’t as prolific as they are at either end of the season.A variety of low growing shrubs enhances seasonal interest and provides year-round structure.


Rosa 'Gertrude Jekyll'

Rosa 'The Swan'

Rosa 'Windrush'

Rosa 'Graham Stuart Thomas'

Rosa 'David Abbey'

Rosa 'Belle Story'

David Austin Roses

Rosa ‘Abraham Darby’
R. ‘Belle Story’
R. ‘David Abbey’
R. ‘Fair Bianca’
R. ‘Gertrude Jekyll’
R. ‘Golden Celebration’
R. ‘Graham Stuart Thomas’
R. ‘Heritage’
R. ‘L.D. Braithwaite’
R. ‘Lillian Austin’
R. ‘Nymphenburg’
R. ‘Pat Austin’
R. ‘Peach Blossom’
R. ‘Perdita’
R. ‘Prospero’
R. ‘Sir Walter Raleigh’
R. ‘Sophy’s Rose’
R. ‘St. Cecilia’
R. 'The Swan'
R. ‘Tamora’
R. ‘Windrush’

Climbing Roses

R. ‘American Pillar’
R. ‘Dr. Van Fleet’
R. ‘Madame Gregoire Staechlin’
R. ‘New Dawn’

Shrub Roses

R. ‘Fragrant Wave’
Rosa glauca
R. ‘Mermaid’
Rosa mutabilis
R. ‘Radcon’, Pink Knockout Rose
Rosa roxburghii – Chestnut Rose
R. ‘Simply Marvelous’
R. ‘Solstice’
R. ‘Tuscan Sun Floy’

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