San Jose Rose Garden: Outdoor Adventures in San Francisco Bay Area

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, voted “America’s Best Rose Garden”, is one of the most popular urban outdoor places for visitors and residents alike. Nestled on the corner of Naglee and Dana avenues, it’s just a couple of minutes away from the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. There, now you have a whole day planned! 😊

We love visiting the garden, whether it’s for a relaxing stroll along the rows of rose bushes (over 3,500 of them with 189 varieties!), have a picnic or kick off the ol’ shoes and enjoy a book on the lush grass lawns. If you’re lucky, you might even get a chance to observe a wedding by the fountain.

The Rose Garden was founded back in 1927, in what used to be a fruit orchard. If you are a fan of Victorian architecture, check the surrounding areas, there are some gorgeous mansions dating back to the 1860s – 1870s.

“Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet.” Katharine Lee Bates

The Rose Garden is meticulously maintained by volunteers and the City of San Jose. But that wasn’t always the case. Back in the early 2000s when the dot.com bubble burst in Silicon Valley, and the economy took a sharp downturn, the Rose Garden had also fallen onto hard times.

The grounds were in such disarray, that the All-America Rose Selections put the garden on horticultural probation in 2005. It was time for the community to step in. Thanks to the hard-working volunteers and the park staff, who had carefully restored the garden, probation was finally lifted in 2008.

And in 2010, San Jose Municipal Rose Garden won the prestigious “America’s Best Rose Garden” award, competing against 130 public rose gardens, including Pasadena and Portland ones. A great underdog story, fueled by passion and hard work of the community!

“It’s the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important… People have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the Little Prince

Throughout the year Master Volunteers provide classes for the community on proper rose care, allowing participants to practice first hand with the roses in the garden. They also test new varieties of roses before they get released to the general public, keeping an eye on the flowers’ health and unique qualities.

If you would like to volunteer or donate, everyone is welcome. Please visit the Friends of the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden site, a 70-year old organization that keeps the garden going. Check their handy Garden Map as well.

“The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change: Yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.” Paulo Coelho   

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden is a popular place for graduation photos and wedding ceremonies. As you can see, it is very Instagrammable. 😊 Hope you stop by there on your next visit to San Jose, California and don’t forget to share a selfie with your friends! 😊

A couple of tips: The San Jose Municipal Rose Garden is admission-free. Dogs are not allowed. And it is open daily from 8 am to half hour after sunset. The garden is open year-round, but the best time to go is between April and June, when the flowers are in full bloom. Weekends and sunny days tend to be the busiest times to visit.

For more Outdoor Adventures in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out our posts on Rancho San Antonio and Ulistac Natural Area. What favorite outdoor places are in your backyard?

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