The wafting perfumes of more than 700 heritage rose varieties signify how much Mike Philo's late wife Marie loved her Ongare Point garden.

But despite admitting he doesn't share Marie's appreciation for the beautiful, petal-curled flowers – he's still going to keep her garden growing.

Ongare Point resident Mike Philo in his late wife Marie's heritage rose garden, which he is now looking after.

Mike says Marie's interest in heritage roses sprouted from a couple of well-known rose growers in Taranaki.

'She got to know them and bought her first rose from them."

'That is when she really got serious about growing roses.”

Moving to Ongare Point Rd in 1991 from Taranaki's Egmont Village – Marie, who grew heritage roses for more than 40 years, insisted her heritage roses came with her.

'She bought trailer-loads up,” says Mike. 'She drove about four trailer-loads up behind her car – she couldn't leave them behind.”

Mike met Marie in London in 1958 and married her one year later before they lived together in America and moved to New Zealand to first settle in Auckland's Howick then Taranaki; retiring in the Bay of Plenty.

The 76-year-old explains that his late wife, who was known for her heritage roses, had been growing them since the 1970s.

'I have certificate somewhere round here of her winning Queen of the Show [for best rose] in Auckland in 1985.”

Once living in the Western Bay, Marie's rose garden grew in size – and so did her contact with growers in the region and abroad. Local visitors joined those from Northland, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki; and overseas guests from America, Australia and England came to see Marie's garden. Asked why Marie chose to love heritage roses, Mike reckons she loved their unique perfumes.

'Modern roses just don't have the perfume that heritage roses do.”

Marie Philo with heritage rose grower Lloyd Chapman in her Ongare Point garden.

Heritage roses in the late Marie Philo's garden at Ongare Point.

Marie Philo in her Ongare Point garden.