Tyler’s Fascinating Rose History

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s important to stop and smell the roses.

If you plan a trip to Tyler, Texas, you’ll literally be able to do just that!

If you’re looking for fun, inexpensive things to do in East Texas, look no further than Tyler’s fascinating rose history and the many events and local destinations associated with the lovely flowers that put Tyler on the map and continue to be a sustainable industry for the region.

Tyler is known as “The Rose Capital of America,” and here’s a brief history of why:

The East Texas region, and Tyler in particular, originally grew crops such as cotton, corn, and fruit orchards. Changing times and markets, combined with blight and winter freezes, irrevocably damaged the local fruit industry.

Rather than roses, Tyler used to be known for its peaches. The region boasted over a million fruit trees at one time, mostly peaches, which were the staple crop until a blight took out most of the trees.
Local farmers needed another cash crop to replace the fruit trees they’d lost.

In the early 1900’s it was discovered that Tyler had good soil and climate conditions for growing roses. And that’s what they did. Within 20 years of the birth of Tyler’s rose industry, Tyler proudly grew over half the supply of rose bushes for the United States.

Roses became the region’s bread and butter. The county established the Texas Rose Research Foundation in 1946. Smith county produced 80% of the region’s rose crop, encompassing both cut roses, and rose plants. Within the next ten years, the industry continued to grow and blossom.
By the end of the 1950s, the area produced over twenty million plants grown by nearly 300 rose growers.

With the advent of cold storage for preservation and plastic for packaging, the East Texas rose business continued to grow and prosper. East Texas was growing, processing, and shipping roses and rose plants all over the nation and the world.

However, the industry declined in the 1990s due to multiple factors, including damaging weather and fallout from competition from rose growers outside Texas.

Despite the decline, Tyler still has a proud Rose industry today and is home to such major rose-growing businesses as Lone Star Rose Nursery, Chamblee’s Rose Nursery, Tate Rose Nursery, and more.

Currently, around 7 million roses are processed through the Tyler area per year.

The best part is you and your family can enjoy the bountiful beauty of Tyler’s rose history in multiple ways.

Plan a visit to Tyler, and start your getaway off right by booking a stay in the lovely Rose Cottage. This comfortable, tasteful accommodation is centrally located, within walking distance of the historic downtown, so you can easily access all that Tyler and the surrounding area have to offer.

The first stop on a rose-themed visit to Tyler is the nation’s largest rose garden—14 stunning acres featuring 38,000 rose bushes in 600 varieties. Whether you’re interested in flowers or not, the Tyler Rose Gardens are a wonder not to be missed. They’re also ideal for weddings, other professional photo shoots, and group gatherings.

While you’re visiting the rose gardens, don’t forget to stop in for a visit to the Rose Museum for an insider’s historical look at Tyler’s rose industry.

If you’re looking for a fun fall vacation destination, October 2023 marks the 90th Texas Rose Festival, which brings out thousands of people from across the community and beyond. The Rose Queen and her court, dressed in their finery, will preside over the festival—a tradition that’s taken place for generations.

The rose enthusiasm in the community is such that a three-day festival wasn’t enough, and now the celebrations have turned into a “Rose Season,” which lasts a month in which the community offers everything from garden tours to gardening workshops, and other enjoyable community festivities for locals and visitors. Local bars and restaurants get into the spirit and offer rose-themed food and drink specials.

While roses might be a Tyler claim to fame, the city, and surrounding counties also feature the beautiful and historical azalea trail, which is at its’ peak in spring and is another great time and reason to plan a trip to Tyler.

Tyler’s surrounding area is home to over 28 parks and 14 walking/biking trails that wind through everything from the historic district to the region’s beautiful forests. Don’t forget the three large lakes to enjoy for relaxing and recreation.

On a visit, you can escape to the piney woods for a hike before returning to Tyler’s historic downtown for more great and interesting local entertainment.

Tyler is a popular destination, especially in the month of October for The Rose Season, so contact the Rose Cottage today and book your stay.