Adelaide is a rose city and bears striking similarities to a small French village that, as Kim Syrus discovers, has done everything it can to become the rose capital of the Northern Hemisphere.
Colonel Light Gardens is one of the suburbs of Adelaide and is best known for its rose gardens, especially the Iceberg roses.
aAs spring bids farewell to winter, it welcomes warm, sunny days that are a catalyst for change in the garden. Dormant plants awaken from their slumber, dressing bare stems in thickening foliage, while flower buds form, swell and eventually burst into a kaleidoscope of color.
The most beloved of these spring bloomers are roses. Few plants can match their dazzling colours. They offer groundcover, shrub and climber options, and bloom for a long time (nearly nine months) with intoxicating fragrances. Add to that their incredible performance in climates where winters are cold and summers are hot, and it’s no wonder roses thrive in South Australia.
Adelaide proudly calls itself the “Rose Capital of Australia” and certainly lives up to that title in spring, when the city is at its most beautiful. North, south, east and west, the suburbs are bursting with rose blossoms. The Colonel Light Gardens in particular are lined with thousands upon thousands of beautiful Iceberg roses.
Adelaide’s parks are a blaze of colour every spring, as many councils plant low-maintenance roses in their garden beds.
The same can be said of the city’s countless rose-coloured roundabouts, central reservations, verges and parks. For decades, the formal rose beds of Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka and Veale Gardens have drawn visitors and bridal parties to enjoy time among the flowers.
More than 30 years ago, Adelaide City Council embraced the concept of landscape roses, yielding a swag of new styles of groundcovers and shrub roses that filled gaps and brightened spaces with minimal maintenance. Hutt Street has a pink stripe down the middle thanks to the low-maintenance Bonica rose.
A new era is dawning for rose plants, with long flowering periods and high disease resistance resulting in varieties such as the compact, ever-flowering Zepeti rose (planted at the entrance to the South Terrace of Veale Gardens).
The state’s roundabouts are also known for their rose cultivation.
While Adelaide is a rose paradise in the Southern Hemisphere, a village outside Lyon, France, vie for the title of Northern Hemisphere. With a population of 1,500, Chamboeuf has four rose bushes per person. This wonderland of 6,000 roses is a must-visit for rose lovers.
Roses have been loved in Chamboeuf for over a century thanks to the great horticultural work of one of its most famous residents, Antoine Meilland, better known as Papa Meilland.
Born in 1884, Antoine grew up on a small farm in Chamboeuf. His fascination with roses began thanks to an enthusiastic neighbor, Madame Meviere, whose garden was filled with all sorts of roses. The young Antoine borrowed her rose catalogs and pored over the lists of rose names, dreaming of growing his own. At the age of 12, he earned enough to buy a grafting knife, learned the trade of a local horticulturist, and then left for Lyon to work in the nursery of a well-known grower, Francis Dubreuil. Love blossomed between Francis’ daughter, Claudia, and Antoine, and that rose lineage is continued today by the Meilland family and the company Meilland International.
Antoine Meilland, better known as “Papa” Meilland, is one of Chamboeuf’s favorite sons.
Although roses have always been an important part of Chamboeuf, planted in gardens throughout the city, both residents and the mayor were looking for another way to honor the plant and raise the profile of the district. The idea of a city dedicated to the rose was conceived. In 2011, work began on creating garden beds in streets and parks, adding soil, laying irrigation pipes and planting roses. The official opening in June 2013 was attended by members of the Meilland family, with thousands of visitors eager to join in the festivities, increasing the number of visitors to the city.
A 1.2 kilometre rose trail winds through the streets and parks of Chamboeuf. It is a colour sensation. Everywhere you look and walk, there are roses – climbing over bus stops, sprawling along footpaths, over verandas, lying en masse in parks and along avenues. Follow the trail, it is easy to navigate, and meander past Antoine Meilland Primary, named after the town’s favourite son and of course lined with roses.
The rose-covered gazebos are particularly spectacular in Chamboeuf.
Continue further and you will find areas dedicated to different groups of roses – old roses, romantic roses and fragrant roses. There are thematic gardens of art, literature, music and cinema where roses named after painters, such as Leonardo da Vinci, or singers such as Julio Iglesias, are planted among well-designed props. Throughout the city, information panels in English provide details of the various attractions.
With the desire to provide visitors with an educational experience, the city’s Maison de la Rose opened in 2014. The museum showcases the life and achievements of Antoine Meilland, and expands knowledge about how roses are grown and propagated. The space is filled with memorabilia, videos, and a gift shop that even sells rose-flavored rosé wine!
More than 25,000 people visit Chamboeuf each year, including 5,000 for an annual rose festival. The best time to see the flowers is from May to October, although spring and early summer are peak times. It is open 24 hours a day and accessible to all levels. If you are planning a trip to France, add a side trip to rose-loving Chamboeuf.
Kim Syrus is the Australian agent for Mielland International.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of SALIFE Gardens & Outdoor Living magazine.
