The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is a mecca for gardeners and flower lovers. The 14-acre Garden blooms with over 35,000 bushes displaying approximately 500 varieties of roses. A Municipal Garden of this scope requires an approximate five percent replanting each year to maintain the garden's lush, vibrant appeal. All are manicured to perfection for the annual Rose Festival.

The Rose Garden is strongly supported by donations of rose bushes from local and national rose growers. Local growers have been a mainstay of support for the Garden and for international rose research for many years. In 1946, rose industry leaders founded the Texas Rose Research Foundation in Tyler to conduct intensive research on rose diseases and enhance plant propagation. The results of Foundation research contribute to the strength of the local rose industry today. Over one-half of all commercial rose bushes marketed annually in the United States are packaged and shipped from Smith County.

Many visitors to the garden are drawn to the one-acre Heritage Rose and Sensory Garden which has antique rose varieties dating from before the Civil War. This popular area contains over 30 varieties of 19th century garden roses.

Go from antebellum roses to computer roses within minutes at the Rose Museum. With a touch of a button, rose enthusiasts can go high tech with the Museum's computerized catalog of 250 rose varieties. This user-friendly program provides a rose library at your fingertips, providing colorful pictures and descriptive information for each selection.