The Municipal Rose Garden gives San Jose's Rose Garden neighborhood its name and is devoted entirely to roses.
A garden on an orchard
According to Wikipedia, the San Jose City Council set aside 5 1/2 acres of an 11-acre former prune orchard for a rose garden on Nov. 20, 1927. The Santa Clara County Rose Society pushed for the garden and supplied the roses. Ground was broken on April 7, 1931. Wikipedia says the garden was dedicated on April 7, 1937. Friends of the San José Rose Garden, quoting the city, says it first opened to the public on May 15, 1937.
Decline and a volunteer rescue
The Friends' account says the garden suffered after deep cuts to the city's park maintenance budget and years of poor horticultural practices. Volunteers stepped in. Wikipedia says the Friends of the San Jose Rose Garden formed in 2007. The group says that through tens of thousands of volunteer hours it turned tired vines back into a healthy garden, working with the city's parks department.
In 2010, the All-America Rose Selections named it America's Best Rose Garden, which Wikipedia describes as the first nationwide competition of its kind. The garden later received the Great Rosarians of the World Hall of Fame Award in New York. A city parks official quoted by the Friends credited the public-private partnership with the garden's success.
Visiting
Wikipedia says the garden has more than 3,500 rose shrubs representing 189 varieties. The Friends group runs volunteer events throughout the year for anyone who wants to help care for the roses.