The mild winter and warm temperatures are bringing an early peak rose season to the Park of Roses. Garden staff and volunteers noticed in April that the predictable order of roses blooming was the same, but fully two weeks earlier than past years. Father Hugo’s rose, a yellow single rose native to China, is always the first rose to bloom in the spring. This year, it opened in mid-April instead of early May.

So if you are used to visiting the park in early June to see peak spring bloom season, we encourage you to move your visit to late May.

The week before Mother’s Day is the traditional time for garden staff and volunteers to plant the raised bed surrounding the flagpole with annual flowers and tropical ferns. This year’s selections include several varieties of coleus and petunias, purple sweet potato vines and two large pineapple ferns. The ferns overwinter in the city greenhouse.

We Need YOU in the Park!

With 12,000 roses, plus herbs and perennials in the Park of Roses, it takes a lot of gardeners to keep it looking its best. No experience necessary- we’ll give you on the job training. Here is more information on becoming a volunteer. You can download a registration form and bring it with you the first time you work with us.  More questions? Email: volunteers@parkofroses.org. Hope to see you in the park!