Wagner’s Rose Nursery is a family business growing roses for 70 years.   

Harold Baker started growing roses in the ‘50s in Payneham, Adelaide. His youngest daughter Barbara and her husband Earl Wagner took over the business few years later, growing roses in Tea Tree Gully, Paradise and then back to Payneham.  They finally moved the Nursery to Port Noarlunga South, running a very well known business in South Australia.

After a youth spent surfing and skiing in New Zealand, her son Brian Wagner took over the family business in the early ‘80s and grew roses at McLaren Vale for 15 years, where he established a wholesale and retail business. Brian’s passion and experience for the industry started at a very young age, spending most of his time with the parents at the Nursery; he made his very first money picking blooms at sunrise for the florist trade when he was only 7.

In the early ‘90s water restrictions were introduced in McLaren Vale, forcing Brian out of the area. After 4 years looking for the right place for his Nursery, he found a very good property in Kalangadoo, in the South East of South Australia, with much more water and much better quality soil.

In 2003, during one of his cycling journeys around the world, Brian met Benedetta Rusconi, an Italian photojournalist who brought her photography and communication skills to the business.

Brian and Benedetta now live near Kalangadoo with their children Luca and Chiara.

Together they have built the business up to be one of the largest growers of roses in Australia; their wholesale outlet supplies nurseries, councils and garden centres all over the Country, and their new online retail outlet is growing significantly every year.