Premier's Rose Garden

Location

• Victoria

• Google maps

About

Located to the west and back of the Parliament Buildings in downtown Victoria, B.C., the Premier's Rose Garden offers a quiet escape. Although Victoria's bustling Inner Harbour is only a few hundred yards away, visitors can sit on well-placed benches in shady spots to enjoy the tranquility and fragrance of this beautiful outdoor space (source, source, source).

History and dedication

The garden was designed by Henry Whittaker, the Chief Architect for the British Columbia Department of Public Works. It was constructed between 1935 and 1936, largely serving as a relief project to provide work for unemployed men during the Great Depression (source, source, source).

In 1986, the garden was rededicated in honour of British Columbia's Premier at the time, Bill W. Bennett, and officially renamed "The Premier's Rose Garden" (source, source).

Built on history: The "Birdcages"

The Premier's Rose Garden is planted directly within the original footprint and foundation of one of the historic "Birdcages" (source, source).

Built in 1859, the Birdcages were a group of six Colonial Administration Buildings designed by Hermann Otto Tiedemann, the colony's first professional architect. Designed to serve the administrative needs of the rapidly growing colonies during the Fraser River gold rush, the buildings were described by the press at the time as a "mixed style of architecture, the latest fashion for Chinese pagoda, Swiss-cottage and Italian-villa fancy birdcages". The specific Birdcage that once stood on the site of the rose garden was part of the original home for B.C.'s Legislative Council (source).

Garden design and layout

Whittaker designed the garden in a classic rectangular shape, bordered by a conventional perimeter of boxwood hedges. Concrete paved paths in the shape of a cross divide the garden into four distinct quadrants, all leading to a beautiful central sundial (source, source).

The roses

The garden’s four quadrants feature a diverse collection of rugosa, hybrid tea, floribunda, and grandiflora roses. In total, there are 12 stunning varieties grown in the garden, including several prominent Souvenir de Baden Baden roses (source, source, source).

Varieties found in the garden include:

• Eliza (Pink Hybrid Tea)

• Pierette Pavement (Pink Rugosa Shrub Rose)

• Livin' Easy (Orange Floribunda)

• Easy Going (Yellow Floribunda)

• Black Forest (Red Floribunda)

• Kosmos Fairy Tale (White Floribunda)

• Julia Child (Yellow Floribunda)

• Souvenir de Baden Baden (Pink/White Hybrid Tea)

• Dee-lish (Pink Hybrid Tea)

• Moonlight (Pale Orange Hybrid Tea)

• Grand Amour (Red Hybrid Tea)

• Buxom Beauty (Pink Hybrid Tea) (source)

Step away from the busy Inner Harbour and discover the history, fragrance, and vibrant blooms of the Premier's Rose Garden during your next visit to the Parliament Buildings.

Lands

• The traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, including the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples

Amenities

• Benches

Online

• Premier’s Rose Garden @Leg.bc.ca

• Premier’s Rose Garden @WalksInYourBackyard.com

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