Explore Portland’s Amazing International Rose Test Garden

Portland, Oregon is widely known as the “City of Roses” thanks in large part to the city’s incredible International Rose Test Garden, which is found in Washington Park. The garden was created as a haven for hybrid roses grown in Europe during WWI, as there was great fear that these plants would be permanently destroyed during the war. With immediate success in test planting, the International Rose Test Garden became an iconic attraction of the city of Portland, where there are now more than 7,000 different plants representing 550 different species.

Garden Creation

The International Rose Garden got its start in 1917 when the Portland Department of Parks & Recreation and the American Rose Society collaborated to bring the vision of this garden to life. As hybridists from around the world sent roses for test to the garden, it grew to cover 4.5 acres of land with many distinctive areas showcasing immaculate flora and rose testing grounds.

Rose Garden Features

The garden is situated facing downtown Portland with views of the Cascade Mountains on clear days. It features an amphitheater, Shakespeare Garden, Gold Medal Garden, and Royal Rosarian Garden, which all have their own unique décor of award winning roses, botanicals mentioned in Shakespearean plays, and rose varieties that are no longer commercially available. The Miniature Rose Garden is one of six testing grounds for the American Rose Society, where cultivars from around the world are tested for color, fragrance, and disease resistance. The entire garden is tended by one full-time, year-round gardener and an additional seasonal gardener in the peak season of summer. There are also many volunteers who help maintain the grounds and tend to the delicate flowers showcased throughout the gardens.

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