Roseraie de Gérenton a Magnificent Rose Garden in Provence

Provence’s Roseraie de Gérenton has 300 Rose Varieties!

Cultivating any garden takes time, patience, and lots of challenging work. In early 2015, Sylvie and John Brun bought a property near Bédoin in the Vaucluse. Although the property was previously an agricultural plot about 50 years ago, the old grapevines and cherry orchards were uncultivated and covered in brambles. The Bruns rolled up their sleeves and began clearing the land, a physical task that took three years to complete. Roseraie de Gérenton produced its first roses in the autumn of 2019, and the garden opened to the public in 2022.

300 Rose Varieties

Just down the road from Bédoin, a village recognized by many cyclists as one of the three starting points for a Mont Ventoux ascent, is Gérenton. A pastoral part of Provence, the Vaucluse is dotted with vineyards, orchards and now a beautiful rose garden. The Roseraie de Gérenton is roughly 4000 m², and the Bruns planted a collection of 300 different varieties of old roses: Damascenas, centifolias, muscosa centifolias (moss rose), albas, chinensis, wichuraiana, pimpinellifolias (Burnet rose) and moschata (musk rose) hybrids. Alongside the roses are several beds of native, drought-resistant Mediterranean plants such as lavender and cistus.

Why Roses?

The Gérenton rose garden was inspired by the location and Sylvie’s memory of the fragrant roses in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. It turns out that the property was home to several wild, botanical roses with fragrant blooms. When Sylvie visited in the spring of 2015, she said that a rose scent in the air reminded her of the roses in the Boboli Gardens. Exploring further, she discovered three different botanical roses. So, the Bruns decided it was a sign that roses would thrive on the land, and they began building (and planting) the Roseraie de Gérenton.

We asked if Sylvie had a favourite rose; she loves them all for their unique flowers and scents. However, she likes the Albertine rose for its perfume and abundant flowers for climbing roses. As for shrubs, Sylvie chose the Omar Khayyam rose because it has a gorgeous pink flower, a wonderful fragrance, and a beautiful story. On the tomb of Omar Khayyam, a Persian poet and scholar from the 11th century, a rosebush grew. Then, in the 19th century, the rose seeds were collected and sown in the garden of Kew in England. The seedlings produced a rose that bloomed. At the same time, Edward FitzGerald (whose translations of Omar Khayyam into English introduced him to Europe) died. So the rosebush that had flowered at Kew was planted on Edward FitzGerald’s grave.

At the end of May, the previous year’s work culminates in an explosion of rose blooms in the garden, which is Sylvie’s favourite time at Roseraie de Gérenton.

Les Quatre Mains du Jardin

Sylvie is passionate about plants and takes care of the roses and other plants, while John takes care of the technical parts of the garden: landscaping, work, watering, marketing etc.

After seven years of hard work, the Roseraie de Gérenton opened to the public, and the Bruns achieved the Nature & Progrès label for the garden. The goals of the Nature & Progrès association include respect for the balance of natural ecosystems (land, soil, plants, insects, animals). The garden is treated only with natural fertilizers; water conservation is critical, and waste and transportation are minimized.

Practical Information

La Roseraie de Gérenton (website)
2884 route de Flassan
84410 Bedoin
Telephone: +33 (0)7 67 88 99 34
Contact: Sylvie & John BRUN
contact@roses-anciennes-du-ventoux.com

Facebook Page

Instagram @rosesanciennesduventoux

Roseraie de Gérenton is a horticultural production farm welcoming different audiences throughout the seasons.

The garden is open in May and June, and Sylvie offers guided tours on weekends (in French).
And the nursery is open from September to June.

For refreshments, there is a small guinguette (stand) on-site.

The rose garden is a lively place all year round. However, during the flowering season (May and June), the public is welcome, and there are several artistic events (concerts, basketry courses, exhibitions, etc.).

Then the garden closes its doors, and they offer workshops on pruning rose bushes in the autumn. Finally, in winter and early spring, schoolchildren visit the rose garden for various activities, and the rose garden should soon accommodate people with mobility challenges.