TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Tyler is home to the largest municipal rose garden, and on Rose Sunday, the community came together to honor our city of roses.

Tyler’s rose garden blooms with more than 15,000 rose bushes, seeing 100,000 visitors every year.

On Rose Sunday, people gathered to celebrate these beautiful blooms.

“We are here to promote our rose garden, our beautiful 14 acres that are blooming out there and promote our city,” said Executive Director for the Texas Rose Festival Association Liz Ballard.

There to honor Tyler’s roses was the Texas Rose Festival court, and the 2023 Rose Queen Laura Bryan.

“It’s just so exciting and just having these sweet little girls come up to us, it’s so special,” said Bryan.

The rose industry started at the turn of the century in Smith County.

Today, more than one-third of the nation’s rose bushes are processed, packaged and shipped from this area.

“We love to kickoff the season and encourage people to come out, promote tourism and kick off the year of planning for the festival in October,” said Ballard.

It’s building up excitement for the 90th Texas Rose Festival in just a few months.