Established in 1968, Samuels Rose Gardens contain 560 named varieties and over 3000 plants including Slaters Crimson China Rose – the first variety of rose grown in New Zealand.

Early settlers brought their favourite roses with them, as roses are only native to the Northern hemisphere. The gardens are named after the late Stephen James (Jim) Samuels, a rose nurseryman, who donated both the rose stock and bud wood and undertook the budding assisted by his wife, Rima.

The land was once part of the Broadgreen homestead and was purchased by Nelson City Council when it bought Broadgreen Historic House in 1965. The rose gardens were officially opened on Rose Sunday, 17 November 1968.

In the beginning, 2,056 bushes were planted in the new civic garden. Over the years, the Nelson Rose Society and Heritage Rose Society have added new cultivars to the collection, and Nelson City Council continues to upgrade the rose stock as part of its continued management of the garden. The garden now boasts around 3000 plants.

A free catalogue listing current plantings of rose varieties in the garden can be obtained from reception at Broadgreen House.