When will Raleigh’s Rose Garden be in full bloom? You’d better hurry.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Many beds at the Raleigh Rose Garden are already in bloom ahead of Mother’s Day 2026.
- The garden at 301 Pogue St. features more than 1,200 roses across nearly 70 beds.
- The Raleigh Rose Garden is open dawn to dusk seven days a week.
Marty Cooney knew he wanted to take a detour after his mother’s doctor appointment.
“I’ve been telling her for three years that she needed to come see this,” he said, sitting on the fountain edge with his mother, Kathy. “Her vision is going quick. So I wanted her to see it before she can’t.”
Kathy has macular degeneration and is losing her sight, but the bright pinks, reds, whites and yellow roses in near or full bloom at the Raleigh Rose Garden are easier to see.
“I can see the colors, and I can smell the flowers, which are unbelievable,” said the soon-to-be 87-year-old. “To see the different leaves as well, even stripes on roses. Unbelievable. It’s amazing.”
Mother’s Day is normally the start of bloom season at the Raleigh Rose Garden, which can go through the fall. But many of the beds are already blooming, and now is the time to see the flowers blooming all at once.
“It’s a great time all year-round or all season long, but certainly around Mother’s Day and just before is a great time to get the full experience and compare roses, compare types, compare scents,” said James Bullock, the city’s destination parks crew horticulture crew supervisor.
The small garden, located at 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, features more than 1,200 roses and nearly 70 beds. It’s also home to the Raleigh Little Theatre, which is performing The Hobbit this week at the amphitheater.
The Raleigh Rose Garden is open dawn to dusk, seven days a week and first opened in 1951. The land used to be the former state fair grounds and, during World War I, was the site of Camp Polk for soldiers to learn tank maneuvers.
Parking is primarily along Pogue Street, but there are two spaces for vehicles with disability placards near Pogue Street and Everett Avenue.
Jessica Armstrong, a year-round elementary school teacher, brought her two sons while they were all on break.
“We figured we’d come out and enjoy the day,” she said. “Get the kids out. Get them off their devices. Try to do something.”
Partners and children reluctantly smiled, squeezed and squatted to strike poses and take photos near the beds and fountain.
“I think a lot of people pay so much money to go places and spend and do, but this is nice and restful and peaceful,” said Cooney. “Even if you had 30 minutes. It’s one of the best 30 minutes you can have in your life because it’s just so wonderful.”
