Thousands of roses will brighten the garden of the castle in Nebílovy near Plzeň

Nebílovy – Thousands of rose flowers will scent and brighten the garden of the castle in Nebílovy near Plzeň with a multitude of colors on Saturday. It boasts over 90 varieties of old rose cultivars, complemented by modern English types and others. They bloom in the second half of June, and the garden is at its most beautiful for about three weeks. The festival will offer people the chance to admire the largest collection of historical roses in the Czech Republic, said castle caretaker Milan Fiala to ČTK. Some so-called old or historical varieties bloom only once, while the English roses can continue to bloom for longer and repeatedly.

"In recent years, the castle garden has become a sought-after place for all rose lovers. It continues the history of the castle garden, whose existence is documented as far back as 1624. The current collection recalls the period when the estate was owned by the Černíns and later by the Valdštejn family," he stated. Visitors can admire varieties cultivated as far back as the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as English roses inspired by historical cultivars.

"There are 350 rose bushes and over 90 historical varieties. It is complemented by a collection of English roses and other cultivars. For example, damask roses with an intense fragrance, romantic bourbons, elegant noisettes, and remontant roses bred for repeated blooming throughout the season," he said.

The festival will also provide an opportunity to learn more about cultivating historical roses. "They require a different approach than modern large-flowered cultivars, with an emphasis on the natural growth of the bushes, sufficient air for the roots, and careful pruning," Fiala stated. Thanks to his long-term care, a collection that belongs to the most valuable in Central Europe has been created in Nebílovy over 30 years.

"Roses belong in every castle garden. We have them here mainly to show what was cultivated at the time when the castle still served as a Baroque residence," said the castle caretaker. Roses bred up to about 1864 are considered historical. They generally bloom only once a year and are hybrids of roses from China and the Far East with domestic roses. The goal of breeders was to obtain a repeatedly blooming rose. When this was achieved in the 1860s, it was, according to Fiala, a breakthrough. "English roses were bred by David Austin, who had a vision to create something like an old rose that would be frost-resistant, would bloom constantly, would have fragrance, would come in different colors, but still maintain the beautiful shape of rich, rosette flowers, which is one of the typical characteristics of most historical roses that have rich, peony-like blooms," he said. After the first rose in 1961, he bred dozens of varieties. Their popularity continues to rise.

The festival will take place on June 27 from 09:00 to 17:00. It will also feature traditional jazz and melodies from the streets of New Orleans by Plzeň's The Dixie Hot Licks.