Queen Mary's Gardens, London, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Queen Mary's Gardens is the rose garden in the Inner Circle of Regent's Park, London, named after the wife of King George V. Opened in the 1930s, it is best known for its huge collection of roses, which sit alongside colourful borders and bedding displays. It is free to wander and one of the most loved corners of the park.

The story behind it

The gardens take their name from Queen Mary, consort of King George V, and were opened in the 1930s as part of the long-running story of Regent's Park as a royal park. Today they are the park's showpiece for flowers, with roughly 12,000 roses planted in the rose garden.

The collection runs from classic old varieties to modern English roses, so the beds work almost like a living catalogue of rose breeding. Around the roses you will find other planted treasures, including a Delphinium border, a Mediterranean Border and a Begonia garden, each with its own season and colour scheme.

What to look for

• Read the name labels on the rose beds, which let you compare the old classics with the newer English roses side by side.
• Look for the Delphinium border, whose tall spikes of blue and purple stand out in early summer.
• Find the Mediterranean Border, where the planting has a drier, more sun-loving character than the lush rose beds.
• Stop at the Begonia garden, where the bedding is packed in dense blocks of colour.

Tips for your visit

• Aim for the first two weeks of June if you want the roses in full bloom, though the gardens reward a visit across the warmer months.
• Allow about 45 minutes to an hour to wander the beds slowly and read the labels, longer if you like photography.
• Go in the morning or late afternoon for softer light and fewer people, especially on summer weekends.
• Combine it with the rest of Regent's Park and with nearby Primrose Hill, and check current opening hours for the park and gardens before you set out.

See it on a quest

The gardens are one stop on Romantic London - Regent's Park and Primrose Hill. You reach them on foot as part of a longer route through the park and up towards Primrose Hill, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. It suits couples and anyone who likes a gentle, scenic walk. There is no guide and no group to join, so you can start whenever you like, and one ticket covers the whole group.