As a city of roses, Adelaide has some remarkable similarities with a small French village that, as Kim Syrus discovers, has gone to great lengths to become a rose capital of the northern hemisphere.

Words and Photographs Kim Syrus

As spring waves goodbye to winter, it welcomes warm, sunny days, which are a catalyst for change in the garden. Dormant plants awaken from their slumber, clothing bare stems in thickening foliage, while flower buds form, swell and finally burst into a kaleidoscope of colours.

Most loved among these spring-bloomers are roses. Few plants can match them for their dazzling hues. They offer options of ground cover, bush and climber, and are long flowering (nearly nine months) with intoxicating fragrances. Add to that list their incredible performance in climates where winters are cold and summers hot – it’s little wonder roses do so well in South Australia.

Proudly the “Rose Capital of Australia”, Adelaide certainly lives up to that title come spring when the city is at its blooming best. North, south, east and west: the suburbs are bursting with rose blooms. In particular, the gardens of Colonel Light Gardens are lined with thousands and thousands of beautiful Iceberg roses.

The same can be said for the innumerable roundabouts, median strips, verges and parks coloured by roses across the city. For decades, the formal rose beds of Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka and Veale Gardens have drawn visitors and bridal parties to enjoy time among the flowers.

More than 30 years ago, the Adelaide City Council embraced the concept of landscape roses which saw a swag of new styles of ground cover and bush roses fill gaps and brighten spaces with minimal maintenance. Hutt Street has a pink stripe down the centre thanks to the easy-care Bonica rose.

A new era in rose plants is coming, where long flowering and high disease resistance sees varieties like the compact ever-blooming Zepeti rose (planted on the South Terrace entrance to Veale Gardens).

As much as Adelaide is a southern hemisphere rose heaven, a village outside of Lyon in France is vying for the northern hemisphere title. With a population of 1500, Chamboeuf has four rose bushes per resident. This 6000-rose wonderland is a must-visit for rose lovers.

Roses have been dear to Chamboeuf for over a century thanks to the great horticultural work by one of their most famous residents, Antoine Meilland, better known as Papa Meilland.

Born in 1884, Antoine grew up on a small farm in Chamboeuf. His fascination with roses began thanks to an enthusiastic neighbour, Madame Meviere, whose garden was filled with all types of roses. Borrowing her rose catalogues, the young Antoine would pore over the lists of rose names, dreaming of growing his own. At the age of 12, he earned enough to buy a grafting knife, learned his horticultural trade locally, then left for Lyon to work in the nursery of a well-known grower, Francis Dubreuil. Love blossomed between Francis’s daughter, Claudia, and Antoine, and that rose lineage continues today through the Meilland family and business, Meilland International.

While roses have always been an important part of Chamboeuf, planted in home gardens around town, residents and Mayor alike were looking for another way to honour the plant and raise the district’s profile. The idea of a town dedicated to the rose was conceived. In 2011 work commenced on constructing garden beds in streets and parks, soil was added, irrigation lines laid, and roses planted. The official opening in June 2013 saw members of the Meilland family attend, with thousands of visitors keen to join in the celebrations, swelling the town’s numbers.

A 1.2 kilometre rose trail meanders through Chamboeuf’s streets and parks. It is a colour sensation. Everywhere you look and walk there are roses – climbing over bus shelters, spilling across footpaths, spanning verandahs, massed in parks and edging avenues. Follow the trail, it’s easy to navigate, and wander past Antoine Meilland Primary, named after the town’s favourite son and bordered by roses, of course.

Venture further and you find areas dedicated to differing rose groups – old roses, romantic roses and fragrant roses. There are themed gardens of art, literature, music and film where roses named after painters, like Leonardo da Vinci, or singers such as Julio Iglesias, are planted among well-designed props. All through the town, information boards in English provide details on the various points of interest.

With the desire to provide an educational experience for visitors, the town’s Maison de la Rose was opened in 2014. The museum showcases the life of Antoine Meilland and his achievements, furthering knowledge about how roses are bred and propagated. The space is packed with memorabilia, videos and a gift shop that even sells rose-flavoured rosé wine!

More than 25,000 people visit Chamboeuf each year, including 5000 to an annual rose festival. The best time to see flowers is May to October, although spring and early summer are peak times. It is open all hours and accessible to all abilities. If you are planning a trip to France, add a side journey to the rose-loving Chamboeuf.

 

Kim Syrus is the Australian agent for Mielland International.

This article first appeared in the 2023 Spring issue of SALIFE Gardens & Outdoor Living magazine.