New Fam Park’s heritage rose gardens have sprung to life this spring, with thousands of flowers blooming up to a fortnight earlier than previous years.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said for many residents, the warmer spring weather is their favourite time of the year and the blossoming roses of New Farm Park is the traditional tell-tale sign the season had begun.
“Many Brisbane residents have memories of spending time in this wonderful park but there’s nothing quite like when the fantastic rose garden is in full bloom,” Councillor Schrinner said.
“In recent years we’ve noticed that because of the irrigation systems we installed in 2018 as part of the New Farm Park improvement project, the quality of our roses has been greatly improved.”
“Coupled with this year’s slightly warmer winter, the roses have flowered a little earlier than normal.”
“We usually see them begin to bloom around 12 weeks after their winter prune but this year it has been around ten weeks later, so they were about two weeks early”, Councillor Schrinner said.
“When roses lie dormant over winter, our dedicated teams take part in the delicate pruning process which removes any unhealthy growth and helps manage their shape and structure for the best possible results once they start growing again in early spring.”
Brisbane Botanic Gardens Curator Dale Arvidsson said the varieties of roses are marked throughout the gardens and many are trialled by the Queensland Rose Society before planting.
“It’s the time of year for growth here in the garden, so there are many plants in bud and some species will bloom through until June next year,” Mr Arvidsson said.
“Everyone should make the most of the sea of colour this spring, and enjoy a picnic, a stroll or kick a ball around with the kids besides this perfect backdrop.”
The New Farm Park rose garden has survived for more than 100 years, despite the harsh conditions of the Brisbane heat and past flooding events.
This is thanks to the care provided by a dedicated team of experienced Council horticulturalists and apprentices, some who have worked on the garden for more than 20 years.
“Council maintains a network of more than 2000 parks across our city and is committed to maintaining the gardens in New Farm Park, which first saw roses planted in 1928,” Councillor Schrinner said.
For more information, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call Council on (07) 3403 8888.
