A rose that had grown only in a public garden and an embassy is about to enter private gardens for the first time. Nakanojo Gardens in Gunma will offer a limited number of ‘Marieta’ plants from 26 September. The new rose was bred by Takashi Kawai and named by Marieta Arabadjieva, Bulgaria’s ambassador to Japan.
One rose links two gardens
The relationship between Nakanojo Gardens and the Bulgarian Embassy began in 2022, when roses from the embassy were donated to the garden as a sign of friendship. A connection between places shaped by flower and spa cultures began with a planting and continued to grow.
In 2025, Nakanojo Gardens created a Bulgarian Friendship Flower Bed. Kawai, who works on the planting of its rose garden, donated a new rose, and the ambassador gave it her own name: ‘Marieta’. Plants were established at both Nakanojo Gardens and the embassy.
From a garden plant to a rose for the home
‘Marieta’ will be offered to the public for the first time during the Autumn Rose Garden Fair, which opens on 26 September. The official announcement says quantities are limited, but does not state the price, number of plants or reservation arrangements. Check the garden’s latest notice before making a journey for the sale.
A photograph alone cannot establish the colour, fragrance, habit or garden performance of a new cultivar. The confirmed story is precise: its breeder, its naming, its two planting sites and its first public sale. With that history, the plant becomes more than a diplomatic keepsake; it can continue under the care of new growers.
Autumn roses begin at 480 metres
Nakanojo Gardens stands at an elevation of 480 metres. The organiser says its cool climate brings autumn roses into season about a month earlier than in lower gardens, while the difference between day and night temperatures deepens their colour. Blooming responds to weather, so current garden conditions should be checked before visiting.
The rose garden holds about 1,000 plants representing roughly 400 varieties across seven sections. Seeing ‘Marieta’ among different flower forms and plant habits offers a better comparison than treating the new cultivar as a single isolated bloom.
Roses are not the garden’s only autumn measure. Muhlenbergia spreads fine plumes like red mist through the naturalistic garden, while yellow Rudbeckia and purple Ageratum fill a spiral garden 40 metres across. Slender plumes, rounded flowers and clustered blooms set a different scale for the season.
From 26 September to 18 October
The Autumn Rose Garden Fair runs from 26 September to 18 October. The garden is open from 9 am to 5 pm, with final entry at 4:30 pm. Admission varies with flowering conditions; the announced range is ¥1,200–¥1,800 for adults and ¥600–¥900 for primary and junior-high-school students.
On 10 October, the Nakanojo Flower Marche takes the form of an autumn tea gathering, with rose tea tasting, flower plants, dried flowers and botanical goods among 13 stalls. A sale of perennial plants used in the naturalistic garden is also planned across 10 and 11 October.
The rose bearing an ambassador’s name is moving from a commemorative planting in a garden and an embassy to plants that will change with the seasons at home. ‘Marieta’s’ first sale makes it possible to follow a new rose from its naming and planting to the moment it reaches its next growers.