To place in its proper context the West Park Rose Garden, Garden of Ramón Ortiz, which is its official name, we have to look back at our history. The Head Gardener of the Retreat, Cecilio Rodriguez, appointed in 1914, carried out the restructuring of an area of ​​the Parque del Retiro for the creation of a Rose Garden, which we know today as Rose Garden by Cecilio Rodríguez. The objective was to build a garden similar to those existing in other European capitals for the exhibition of roses. Cecilio Rodríguez travels to Paris where he acquires 12.000 rose bushes of more than 350 different species.

During the Civil War, the rose garden was completely destroyed and in 1941 it was remodeled with the configuration that has survived to us.
Times had changed, the Retiro rose garden lacked a clear botanical, systematic and scientific arrangement that would facilitate the exhibition and organization of a rose competition. To this end, in 1956, it was created in the West Park another rose garden for the annual celebration of the Rose Contest, which since this date has been organized in the Rosa Garden of Parque del Oeste.

The rose garden was built by the Villa's Mayor gardener, Ramon Ortiz Ferré, is located in the lowest part of the Parque del Oeste gardens, very close to the North Station and Ceramic School.

The garden is designed based on polygons formed by rose bushes of different colors and fragrances, the rose bushes are identified by their variety and origin. There are also various pergolas for climbing rose bushes, ponds and a wall fountain of Lucio Onoro which houses a sculpture designed by Federico Collaut-Valera.

In its 35.000 square meters of surface it houses more than 20.000 rose bushes of more than 570 different varieties. The Parque del Oeste Rose Garden was awarded in 2006 with the distinction of “Garden of International Merit” by the World Federation of Rodology Societies (a science that studies the cultivation and production of roses).

In the rose garden the traditional Villa de Madrid International New Rose Competition, in which a jury of international experts decides the awarding of the different prizes. The date is at the end of May, the time of year when the planted varieties are in full bloom. The breeders send their plants one or two years in advance so that they can be grown in the Rose Garden until the resolution of the Contest. The varieties submitted to the Contest must be unpublished, that is, not on the market at the time of the Contest.

In addition, since 2000, the “Popular Rosa de Madrid Contest” has been held in which throughout the day, Madrid residents can vote for their favorite rose bush from among all the varieties that are presented in the contest. He gives her a rose.

A garden that, except in the month of May, does not usually have many visitors and is an ideal place to walk and enjoy the beauty of the rose bushes.

A abrazo.