This story is featured in the September/October issue of ETX View Magazine.
Maria and Francis Rojo made a trip from Dallas to the Rose City on a warm afternoon in May with one purpose – to visit the Tyler Rose Garden. Gracelynn White walked along the paved pathways as her mother and grandmother shared conversation, admiring the beauty offered by the renowned garden.
“We’re the ‘Reds’ and she’s ‘White,” Maria said, referring to the three generations’ last names – fitting for a conversation held in the 14-acre garden, which features over 38,000 rose bushes and 600 different varieties of roses, including plenty of red and white blooms.
Originally from Mexico, Maria and company represent just a tiny fraction of the visitors that travel to the garden each year. As the largest public collection of roses in all of the United States, Tyler’s municipal rose garden attracts well over 100,000 visitors annually. It’s enjoyed by locals, too, as a must-go place to take family members when they’re in town, a gorgeous backdrop to have portraits taken, a peaceful scene for a walk, an ideal place to plop down for a picnic, or just as a nature haven to spend a few hours reading a good book. Even pets are allowed, so locals often bring their pups to give them some exercise while their humans enjoy the scenery.
Over 38,000 rose bushes and 600-plus varieties of roses are viewable at the Tyler Rose Garden — an attraction that has been recognized locally, statewide and nationally. (Santana Wood/ETX View)
The garden itself is free and is open daily from during daylight hours. The best times of year to visit the garden are April, when the spring blooming season is underway, and October, which is the peak season for blooms. QR codes are available as an educational tool to help identify and learn about each of the rose varieties at the garden.
While roses are the sweetest attraction, the garden features an impressive variety of other plants and flowers that bloom throughout the year.
Also at the garden is the Rose Garden Center, an indoor-facility that houses a museum and gift shop. The museum features Texas Rose Festival memorabilia including crowns, dresses, photographs and more historical items acquired since the first festival in 1933. Admission is $3.50 per person.
The center is also a popular event and meeting venue, notably playing host each year to the annual Rose Sunday ceremony which kicks off the spring rose blooming season and celebrates the Texas Rose Festival – the city’s mainstay festival for more than 90 years.
In October, activity at the center and garden will be bustling more than any other time of the year as the Texas Rose Festival is held. The 92nd festival is set for Oct. 16-19, and things will kick off that week with a ribbon cutting and rose presentation inside the garden center followed by an art show and sale. The highly-anticipated rose parade will also be held in the rose complex, followed by the Queen’s Tea – a youth favorite! – set inside the garden. For a full schedule and details about this year’s festival, visit texasrosefestival.org .
The property that is now home to the Tyler Rose Garden was first purchased by the City of Tyler in 1912 for the construction of a park and fairgrounds, according to the city.
The roses are the main attraction at the garden, but there are other gardens within that contain numerous other plants and flowers. (Santana Wood/ETX View)
“After many years and at the urging of former American Rose Society President Dr. Horace McFarland, an application to the Works Project Administration (WPA) was made in 1938 to fund the construction of a municipal rose garden,” the city states. “The $181,255 federal grant was thought to be the largest municipal park and rose garden project approved by the WPA in that era. It was used to construct a stone picnic pavilion, balcony, stairs and other garden features.”
Keith Maxwell, the WPA landscape architect, drew the plan for a park and rose garden. The plan was revised by local nurseryman Henry Thompson, who laid walkways and planted trees and shrubs, the city said. Thompson was later killed while serving in World War II and the garden was eventually dedicated in his memory.
Development of the gardens was suspended during the war because of Tyler’s vigorous war effort, the city said. Once the war was over, Robert Shelton Jr. in 1950 became superintendent of the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department and made it his top priority to complete the garden.
Before the real work of planting roses could begin, a whole lot of work had to be done to transform the red clay soil to create an environment conducive for growing roses. After extensive work, the Tyler Rose Garden officially opened in 1952. The city says the garden’s first roses were donated by local nurseries “with the intent of creating a living catalog of roses produced by the Tyler rose industry.” Nearly 3,000 rose bushes were used in that first planting.
Today, the garden has expanded to feature over 38,000 rose bushes. It has been recognized locally, statewide, and nationally multiple times over the decades.
In 2018, the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized the rose garden as one of the 2018 Great Public Spaces in Texas. In 2019, the garden was recognized as a “national treasure” on the National Register of Historic Places, joining other Smith County landmarks, such as the Azalea Residential Historic District, the Blackstone Building, Carnegie Public Library, Cotton Belt Building, and more..
In 2023, the garden was honored with a Lone Star Legacy Park designation, classifying it as a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas.
“To qualify for consideration, the park must have endured the test of time and become iconic to those who have visited, played and rested on its grounds,” the city said. The garden “was one of seven parks and open spaces in the state of Texas to receive this designation in 2023.”
Lone Star Legacy Parks must be at least 50 years old, open to the public and have a significant role in the community history.
As the City of Tyler continues its revitalization efforts, the parks and rec department plans to renovate the inside of the Rose Garden Center, updating the aesthetics to “better compliment the rest of the Tyler Rose Complex,” which is home to the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center and a beautiful green space.
“In addition, we continue to plan ways to enhance the garden while maintaining the rich history of this living catalog of roses and other flora and fauna,” the city said.
For more information, visit cityoftyler.org.
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