The Ramón Ortiz Rose Garden is located in Oeste Park, one of the greenest areas in the city centre. Designed in 1955 by Ramón Ortiz, the City Council’s head gardener, it can be found in an out-of-the-way spot, considering the usual hustle and bustle of the city. The rose garden has an extension of 32,000 square metres, following a regular and symmetric design. 20,000 specimens of some 600 hundred different varieties of modern roses are grown here each year. The space is rounded off with such decorative elements as ponds, fountains, and sculptures. In 2006, the Garden -also known as the Oeste Park Rose Garden- won the World Federation of Rose Societies’ Award of Garden Excellence, which recognises the most beautiful rose gardens in the world.