54 The National Rose Garden

Established in the 1950s, the Rose Garden was originally called the President’s Garden (landscape architect: Meir Viktor), and at the time was a place where official ceremonies were held. In the 1980s, it was enlarged and refurbished (landscape architect: Yosef Segal from Tichnun Nof Ltd.). Thousands of new rose bushes were planted, making it the largest botanical rose garden in Israel. The garden was recently revamped in order to convert it into an open public space and restore its days of glory as a botanical garden (designed by Minadd – Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, and the architect Israel Drory, who has accompanied the garden and designed the flora there).

The two-hour tour will be led by Yisrael Galon – an agronomist and the former National Forest Ranger and Director of the Flowers and Flora Engineering Division at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. He will focus on the special qualities of the National Rose Garden, with its thousands of roses that represent varieties from all over the world, the large pool that creates a microclimate and biological diversity, and the hidden Japanese garden.