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Hardy's Rose Garden
The talented gardeners at Dorchester Town Council created a beautiful rose garden in Borough Gardens in 2021 using David Austin English roses, all named after Hardy and other literary characters. As with all of the flower beds in this stunning Victorian park, the roses have been carefully maintained and nurtured and have now reached full maturity.
The rose garden was developed on a small area of land in the gardens next to the new tennis courts, the idea being that this would be an ideal spot for quiet reflection. The scent of the roses in full bloom is divine. A visit in summer is a complete sensory experience and highly recommended.
The variety of roses include Gabriel Oak, Bathsheba, Jude The Obscure, and Eustacia Vye, chosen for their fragrance, bloom and resistance to disease.
A public competition was held to decide the name of the rose garden, which was officially opened at a special ceremony led by the Mayor of Dorchester, who read Hardy's poem "The Spell of the Rose".
The garden was funded by two private donations, the Friends of Borough Gardens and Dorchester Town Council.
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2026 THS Dates for your diary
From 26/06/2026 until 12/12/2026
Starts 10:15 until 13:00
Starts 10:15 until 13:00
Study Day on Words, Music and Place
On 26/06/2026
Starts 10:45 until 18:30
Starts 10:45 until 18:30
27th International Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival
From 25/07/2026 until 01/08/2026
All day event
All day event
Roman Casterbridge
On 25/07/2026
Starts 13:30 until 15:30
Starts 13:30 until 15:30
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