Dundee City Council has been accused of vandalism by neglecting a historic rose garden which once received royal approval.
The overgrown and unkempt-looking Discovery Rose Garden in Stobsmuir Park bears little resemblance to the glorious display of colour unveiled by dignitaries 21 years ago.
The beds are choked with weeds and thorns, and barely a handful of roses remain. The once manicured lawns have grown wild and are now rutted with tyre tracks.
The only clues to the former glory of the corner of parkland off Clepington Road are on mould-encrusted plaques which to the intrepid visitor can still be found.
Signs on two seats at the entrance explain that the Discovery Rose Garden was opened by Lord Provost Tom Mitchell JP on June 2, 1991, with roses donated by Dundee’s twin cities of Wurtzburg in Germany, Orleans in France and Alexandria in the United States, and trees planted by their mayors.
At another sad and apparently neglected section is a brass plate declaring ”Friend for Life” above the explanation that the roses in the display now long gone were presented to the former City of Dundee District Council by the Bank of Scotland to mark its tercentenary in 1995.
A reflection of perhaps the gardens’ finest moment is on a memorial in an area now bare of all healthy plant life. The inscription dedicates The Peacekeeper Rose, and explains: ”These roses were bred to mark the service of 600,000 men and women who have worn the United Nations blue beret while serving to keep the peace, and were planted by HRH The Prince of Wales on June 26, 1995, 50 years to the day since the signing of the original United Nations Charter.”
Doug Thain (56) of Pitairlie Road, said: ”When I went to see the rose garden I was disgusted at the state the council have let it get into. All of the rose beds are overgrown with weeds. You see tyre tracks of the rotovators used to dig up the beds with no regard to the roses.”
He added: ”If young people had caused this level of vandalism and devastation, they would rightly be prosecuted.”
Dundee City Council put a different slant on the situation, however. Environment convener Craig Melville said: ‘The rose garden was created over 20 years ago and, since then, many of the roses have either died or reached a point where they are now in poor condition.
”Roses are notoriously difficult to re-establish in beds which have previously contained roses. Consequently, in consultation with the Friends of Stobsmuir Park, we have agreed a redesigned plan for this area. This includes removal of all existing tired roses and beds and creation of a new rose bed feature including a pergola.
”We have already started work and the area will be unsightly until the project is completed over the next few months.”