'Mrs Alston's Rose' front, 'Dorothy Perkins' on fence
Pinjarra
Heritage Rose Garden
Pinjarra Heritage Rose Garden
Heritage Rose Garden at Historic Edenvale
This garden was started by Noel Frost in the early 1980s to complement the historic buildings at Edenvale and roses were donated from all over Australia. The garden was extended and the Memorial Garden added in the early 1990s by then caretaker Ron Ward. The garden is now maintained by the Shire of Murray. There are many different kinds of roses, including some with unusual flowers and foliage. The oldest roses in the garden are the ancient species (wild) roses - climbers or shrubs that are the ancestors of modern roses. Others of special interest are very old spring-flowering early European roses and roses from China that introduced reliable repeat-flowering to the West. Modern roses have not been forgotten with some early 20th century ramblers and classic hybrid teas. Many of the roses are rare and they are preserved here for their place in rose history and also for their genetic diversity.
The Pinjarra Heritage Rose Garden is just an hours drive south of Perth, and is situated in the historic Edenvale Heritage Precinct. It is a small garden of approximately 4000 sqm (1 acre) with around 300 roses.
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There is a lot to see at Edenvale apart from the roses. On one side of the road in the Precinct are two houses, previously homes to the McLarty family – Liveringa Homestead dating from the 1860s and the larger Edenvale Homestead built in 1888.
On the other side of the road is St John’s Church commenced in 1860, and the rose garden is adjacent, on what was previously glebe land. The town’s original school was also built here in 1860 but the current building and the schoolmaster’s residence date from 1896. The schoolmaster’s cottage is now used by the Pinjarra Historical Society and here you will find a history of the rose garden and a folder containing bed maps and a list of the roses in the garden – please check the Society’s website for opening hours.
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The Pinjarra Heritage Rose Garden is open every day of the year and entry is free. Although the peak time for the roses is late October through to early December, some blooms can be seen at any time of the year.
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."
Abraham Lincoln