Jo Harrison
Plans are underway to establish a rose garden at Saumarez Homestead that would link the National Trust property with the popular rose gardens in Parramatta, the Hunter Valley and Toowoomba, creating a rose trail with the potential to bring hundreds of visitors to the historic home and the Armidale region.
With visitor numbers on the decline for historic homes globally, but on a steep incline for historic gardens, management at Saumarez Homestead believe the sustained future of the property could lie in its natural beauty and outstanding gardens.
“We are proposing to establish a heritage rose garden here at Saumarez to complement the heritage nature of the property but also to conserve a beautiful historic rose collection of Armidale local Miss McLean who has generously offered her collection to us,” said Saumarez Homestead manager Les Davis.
“We will be able to use it as a resource to educate people on the development of the Hybrid Tea Rose and many other varieties of roses and show people, especially the youngsters, of the benefits of companion planting.”
Funding for the project is still in its infancy and, with limited funds available from the National Trust, management at Saumarez is looking to partner with local resources and organisations to get the project off the ground.
“The local branch of The Australian Garden History Society have committed themselves to provide the establishment of the garden by transplanting the roses from Miss McLean’s garden to Saumarez and the ongoing maintenance of the garden,” said Mr Davis.
“We have also approached the Armidale Dumaresq Council to consider providing all the mulch for the garden and possibly helping us construct the main central pathway.”
Transplanting of the roses is expected to take place in July and August of this year and preparation of the site has already begun. Ian Telford from the Herbarium at UNE has come up with the concept design which is now in the process of being approved by the National Trust and the Heritage Council.
“Hopefully next summer we will have roses for people to come and see here at Saumarez,” said Les Davis.
