City of Belfast International
Rose Garden

Located in one of Belfast's Premier Parks, the Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park a few miles south of the City Centre, the display of more than 45,000 rose bushes in bloom can be seen in bloom throughout the summer.

The park, donated to the people of Belfast by Lady Dixon in 1959, covers more than 128 acres and  is made up of rolling meadows, copses, woodland, riverside fields and formal gardens and is home to a wide range of plants and animals.

The Rose Garden Aubrey Dale

Its nature highlights include:

• a historical garden tracing the history and development of the garden rose. The roses are set out along a spiral path towards the centre moving the visitor forward in time from the early shrub right up to modern introductions.
• an Irish heritage Garden featuring the best roses from award-winning local breeders, the McGredy and Dickson families.
• International trial beds of cluster and large flowered, miniature, shrub and climbing roses. This section is for roses that have been offered for sale to the public for the first time in the previous year prior to the trial. 4-50 new varieties have been submitted each year since 1965/66.
• display beds where the best of the roses previously on trial continue to grow. Local nurseries sponsor plantings of roses which a suited to the Irish climate.

• a walled garden.

• a Princess Diana memorial garden.

• a Japanese-style garden with water features.

• international camellia trials.

The Rose Garden   Aubrey Dale

The park also contains:

• The Golden Crown Fountain and other outdoor sculptures.

• a children’s playground.

• orienteering and eco trails and walking routes. They have a downloaded PDF on their website showing some of the walks.

• a number of wetland habitats

• Band concerts take place May-September as part of the Music in the Park season.

• and the Stables coffee shop, which serves tea, coffee and light refreshments

• Barbecue area

• picnic tables

Every July, the Gardens host Rose Week, a celebration of trial roses, the annual event takes the form of competitions, music, plant and craft stalls, entertainment and demonstrations in and around the Rose Garden.

Dixon Park, Belfast Aubrey Dale

Location: City of Belfast International Rose Garden, Belfast, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland Grid Reference: NW424231 Ceremonial County: Co. Antrim Map Link: StreetMap  Aerial photo: Google Map Getting there: Off the B103 which joins the A1 with the A55. Access: Entrance to the park is via Upper Malone Road. Car parking facilities are available. Website: www.rosemerald.co.uk Other Useful Websites: Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park    Belfast City Parks Email: trainore@belfastcity.gov.uk Address: Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, Upper Malone Road, Belfast Postcode: BT17 9LA Telephone: 028 9072 6345 (extension 6660) Opening Times: Park Open daily dawn at 7.30pm until dusk see this link for closing times. Stables Coffee Shop - Open Daily 10am-4pm Charges: Free Nearby Locations: Other Location Pages: Garden Section Notes:

Please let us know any other information that we can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you quote both the Page Ref and Topic or Section references from the Grid below. To print the planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area.

Please submit information on locations you discover so that this system continues to grow.