CELEBRITY gardener Rachel de Thame, of BBC Gardeners’ World, is set to officially open Altrincham's Dunham Massey’s new Rose Garden on 5 June.

Rachel de Thame said: "I’ve loved roses since childhood and it’s a passion I share with millions in this country.

"Few flowers inspire such admiration, so a new rose garden is a cause for great celebration.

"I feel extremely honoured to be opening the Rose Garden at Dunham Massey, where generations of visitors can now look forward to enjoying the unmatched beauty and fragrance of roses in splendid surroundings."

Pride of place in the garden is being given to a new rose, Rosa Dunham Massey, which was launched at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is the result of a collaboration between the National Trust and Peter Beales Roses.

The rose was displayed on the Peter Beales’ stand at Chelsea which won a coveted Gold Medal, and was also shortlisted for the show’s ‘Plant of the Year’.

Richard Beales of Peter Beales Roses said “We’re delighted that the National Trust has chosen to name one of our new Manor House roses as Dunham Massey to celebrate the opening of its beautiful new rose garden.

"It’s a stunning candy pink shrub rose with a subtle perfume, ideal for growing in a mixed border or as a specimen plant."

For Stephen Adams, General Manager for Dunham Massey, the opening of the Rose Garden is a fulfilment of a long held ambition.

"I’ve always wanted to see a rose garden at Dunham” says Stephen. “We also had many requests from visitors wanting to see more colour in the garden during summer.

"We have archive photographs of a rose garden at Dunham in the early 20th century.

"It’s generally thought that the inspiration for this early rose garden was the sister of the 10th Earl of Stamford, Lady Jane Grey, who lived at Dunham at that time”.

Work began on the new rose garden in 2009 led by Damian Harris, Head Gardener at Dunham Massey, along with Dunham’s gardening team, volunteers and 50 ex-battery chickens whose job it was to clear the site of weeds prior to planting and fertilise the ground.

“We’ve planted sixteen hundred roses in the garden, representing 160 different varieties,” says Damian.

“In the centre of the garden there’s a stunning rotunda which will eventually be covered with ramblers.

"We’ve also planted 2,500 herbaceous plants, and lavender amongst the roses – so both visually and in terms of scent, the garden should look and smell fantastic.

"These scents will attract bees into the garden so we’ve placed two new specially made bee hives at the rear of the rose garden. The honey produced will be sold in the Dunham Massey shop."

Among the rose varieties in the new Dunham Rose Garden planted for their scent include Lady of Shalott, Lady Emma Hamilton, The Shepherdess, and Darcey Bussell.

Rosa Dunham Massey can be pre-ordered from Dunham’s shop (tel: 0161 928 6820) or in person at the Garden Kiosk. Plants are due to arrive in November and payment is due at time of collection.

Rachel de Thame will officially open the rose garden to the public on Wednesday June 5 at 7pm. The garden will remain open that evening from 6.30pm – 9pm.

There will be an additional seven special evening openings of the rose garden on Fridays and Wednesdays throughout June, 6pm – 9pm.

Normal garden admission charges apply. National Trust members enter free.

Dunham Massey house is open Sat – Weds; the estate, garden, shop and restaurant are open daily.

For more details go to www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunhammassey