Summerland Ornamental Gardens gets good jump on new project

Garden coming up roses

Photo: Contributed

The first phase of the Canadian Heritage Rose Garden has been completed in Summerland.

The Rose Team, as it is known, finished work on the new garden in early October before the Summerland Ornamental Gardens closed up for the approaching winter.

“Many, many hours of work—planning, design, construction and planting—have gone into this project,” team leader and expert rosarian Rick Sauder said in a press release. “The roses in the collection include the works of many Canadian rose breeders from the early 20th century to the present. The 120-plus roses are now secure in their beds and anxiously waiting to bloom next June.”

The garden will feature some rare, Canadian-bred roses not generally available commercially, courtesy of John and Sharon Prendertast of Oakdale, Calif.

The second phase of the Canadian Heritage Rose Garden will be undertaken in the spring. Anyone interested in contributing is asked to contact the Friends of Summerland Ornamental Gardens.