Rose Garden

For nearly a century, local gardeners insisted that roses could not possibly survive in San Francisco. Nursery employees routinely discouraged customers from even attempting to grow them, citing the city's sandy soil, constant ocean winds, and persistent summer fog as insurmountable obstacles. The Rose Garden only exists today because a dedicated group of enthusiasts refused to accept that conventional wisdom. In 1941, the San Francisco Rose Society held its first meeting at the home of George McDonough, a local grower who had successfully cultivated roses that defied the city's reputation. After two decades of persistent advocacy, the society finally convinced city officials to dedicate this public garden in January of 1961. The garden serves a unique purpose beyond its beauty as a testing ground for varieties that can thrive in this specific, cool and moist climate. Assistant Superintendent of Parks Roy Hudson designed the site to accommodate sixty four distinct rose beds, most holding a dozen plants of a single variety. Today, volunteers and park staff maintain this collection, which includes hybrid teas, floribundas, and climbing roses that occasionally bloom as late as December. TOPIC_DONE