The Columbus Park of Roses, also known as the Whetstone Park of Roses, is a public park and rose garden in Columbus, Ohio. The park is located within the city's larger Whetstone Park in the Clintonville neighborhood. The free public park is operated by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. The Park of Roses was established in 1952, following ideas for a city hall rose garden in 1946. The park was landscaped and planted in 1952 and 1953, opening in June 1953. The American Rose Society held its headquarters at the park beginning in 1952. The Park of Roses gradually expanded over the following decades, including opening its Heritage Garden in 1985. Attributes The Columbus Park of Roses is a park and garden, one of the largest public rose gardens in the country. The park has about 11,000 rose specimens and 350 varieties. The park is located within the Whetstone Park; both are operated by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. The park is open to the public for free, from 7 a.m. to dusk year-round. In addition to the floral displays and gardens, the park includes picnic spaces, a shelterhouse that is reservable for parties and weddings, a walking trail, and forests. The park has a small outdoor theater and gazebo. The gazebo was built in 1878 at the Fort Hayes military reservation, and was restored and reinstalled in the Park of Roses in 1975. The Civitan Club of North Columbus hosts annual concerts throughout summer here, and was one of several organizations to procure and restore the gazebo. Many of the park's features have been donated, including its sundial (in 1954), a plaque with a poem inscribed, park benches, and rose bushes. Gardens Garden areas include: The Formal Rose Garden — symmetrical rose beds, each planted with a single variety The Heritage Rose Garden — pre-1867 rose cultivars, many of which are predecessors of modern roses The Perennial Garden — about 100 varieties of perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and trees The Herb Garden — about 100 plant varieties grouped by use, fragrance, or pollinator qualities The Backyard Garden — low-maintenance plants and trees intended to give visitors ideas for home gardens The Arboretum — spread throughout the park, with approximately 138 tree and shrub varieties Rose gardens The Formal Rose Garden was the first area planted, in 1953. It was designed as a formal Italian garden, with symmetrical hedges.