Facilities
Find out what's on offer here at the garden and further details on the gardener
The Rose Garden's facilities include:
- Historic garden
- Cloisters (remnants of Art School)
- Summer House - contains information on the history of the garden (please call ahead for opening times). Grade II listed
- Fountain (Grade II listed)
- Rose Temple (Grade II listed)
- Variety of roses, shrubs, perennials and bulbs
- Mature trees
- Lawn area for picnics
- On-site gardener (see below for biog)
- Events programme - visit our events page
Children should be supervised at all times in the garden, particularly around the fountain.
Please note that cycling and ball games are not allowed in the garden.
Opening hours
Please note that we have altered our opening hours this year. They are now:
1 April to 30 September - 7.30am to 7pm
1 October to 31 March - 7.30am to 4pm
Please note the toilets are only open during events and summer weekends when the gardener is on duty. Visitors are welcome to use the toilet facilities at the Bushey Country Club which is located over the road from the garden in the High Street. Please take care when crossing this busy road.
The Summer House opening times vary. Please call ahead if you are planning a special visit to avoid disappointment.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome in the garden but must be kept on a short lead and out of the flower borders at all times. Dog bins are provided in the garden so please clean up your dog's mess.
Ashes
We have noticed that visitors are scattering ashes in the flower borders. Please note the garden is not a memorial garden and you need the council's permission before you can do this. Please can we suggest you contact the cemetery officer on 020 8207 7497 who can send you a list of suitable locations in Hertfordshire.
View of Sunken Garden in August 2010
How to find the garden
The Bushey Rose Garden is located in the centre of Bushey just off the High Street.
By car
The garden is situated 10 minutes from junction 5 of the M1 and 20 minutes from the M25 and A1(M). Please contact us if you would like detailed directions.
Parking
Garden visitors can now use the car park at the Bushey Country Club which is located in the High Street, over the road from the garden. The address is High Street, Bushey, WD23 1TT. Please note that the country club can be busy at times with weddings and auctions so please park sensibily. There is an alternative car park in Kemp Place just off the High Street (WD23 1DW). Please can we ask that you respect our neighbours around the garden and not park in the surrounding roads. Thank you.
By train and bus
The nearest station is Bushey main line station (operates in and out of London Euston). The garden is approximately 1.5km/1 mile from the station. Both the 142 and 258 buses stop at the station and in the High Street near the garden.
Contact us
For further information on the garden please contact:
Phone: 0800 731 1810 (office hours)
or 020 8950 2186 (potting shed answer phone)
Email: parks@hertsmere.gov.uk
For further details on Sir Hubert von Herkomer and Bushey please visit the Bushey Museum website: www.busheymuseum.org
Further information
Please see our frequently asked questions sheet for further details.
Planting philosophy and planting list (download)
Check the latest news page for regular updates.
Head gardener's biography
Our head gardener, Paul Knott, joined the council in June 2010 to look after the garden.
Head gardener, Paul Knott
Paul, 42, lives in West London and is an experienced gardener and garden creator who has been working professionally with plants for nearly 20 years.
After graduating with a BA (Hons) Degree in Geography from St Catharines College, Cambridge, Paul initially chose to move to North Wales to start a career in town planning.
However, a passion for gardening could not be ignored for too long and within a year he had relocated to London and was working as a gardener at The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in Surrey. He stayed there for more than three years, gaining experience in a number of areas: the lakeside plantings and bedding displays in front of the Palm House, the Cambridge Cottage garden (herbaceous, bulb and shrub borders), the decorative propagation glasshouse, and the Alpine Section.
Paul left Kew to run his own business - Gardens by Paul Knott - working primarily in the west London area.
Paul has continued to broaden his experience of working and designing with plants, and in recent years has taken up of the art and science of rose breeding.
Paul was awarded a Distinction by the Royal Horticultural Society for their General Examination in 1993.
How did you hear about Bushey Rose Garden / what interested you in the role?
"I saw an advert in a trade magazine and was looking for a change. Although working for yourself means you are quite free, the work is only seen by a small number of people. I had been looking to work in a public garden again for a while and I have a particular interest in roses, so thought this was ideal."
What plans do you have for the garden / what excites you about it?
"Gardens are unique forms of art in that they change over time - they are never static. Hence although the bones of the Rose Garden are finished, there is a lot of scope to develop it. I’m excited about the whole project - I think the garden has a unique and special ambience which I really hope to build on."
What will you be doing on a day-to-day basis / any challenges so far?
"At the moment I am watering the garden pretty much constantly. That in itself has led to some challenges - the soil here is heavy clay, which means water can run off or move sideways through the soil to accumulate where you don’t expect it, which can be damaging to some plants - such as the yew hedges, for example. This means I’m having to irrigate very precisely, and not just rely on sprinklers. It’s all part of getting to know the garden, so I can ensure the plants develop to their best effect."
Outside of work, what hobbies do you have?
"I like walking, music and wildlife, but gardening is also my hobby! I have a garden at home where I breed roses, and I also plan to carry on doing a handful of private gardens - I’m too attached to them after 10 years of developing them! I’m a big wildlife enthusiast, especially of the ‘unglamorous’ things like spiders and insects - the bugs and creepy-crawlies! They have such fascinating lives, and it’s all going on right under our noses!"
What’s the fascination with roses?
"I have always loved gardening and roses have long been my favourite flower. They come in so many different guises - miniatures, formal hybrid teas, romantic arching shrubs, rampant climbers that can swallow a small house - there’s a rose for every position, and the possibilities for cross-breeding are seemingly endless. Of course the individual flowers, in all their variety, are so often very beautiful and richly scented, and the fact that they come out at the peak of the year, when the days are at their longest and summer is just beginning, gives them - to me at least - an extra air of romance. It’s no wonder they’re the nation’s favourite flower."