|
Portland International Rose Test Garden
General Info Acreage: 5.12 (in Washington Park) Acquired in 1917 # of roses: 10,000+/- # of varieties: 550+ "Can I take a rose?" NO! $500 fine. Guided Tour Available at 1PM - DAILY MEMORIAL DAY - LABOR DAY Self-Guided Info Sheet is Available in Gift Shop Portland is known as the City of Roses. Roses love Portland...Portland loves roses. It's a marriage meant to be. The rose garden was started to preserve rose species during WWI Meet Queen Elizabeth and Betty Boop's floral incarnations from late May to about mid-November when more than 10,000 roses unfurl their buds, releasing a heady scent and dappling the landscape in yellows, purples, reds and creams. |
The Rose is Portland's Official Flower and the Madame Caroline Testout (above) is Portland's official rose.
*Wikipedia GNU Free Documentation License applies |
History & Facts
Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the U.S. and one of the finest in the world. Chosen by the American Rose Society, it won this distinction in 1917 in competition with other cities competing for the same honor.
This famous garden has over 10,000 rose plants and over 400 varietals studied each year. The primary purpose of the garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties, all in the test garden named by numbers.
In 1917, 3 prominent nurserymen met in Portland and decided that it was the perfect spot for an American Test Garden. Portland already had 20 miles of rose-bordered streets – a strategy to draw attention to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial celebration. As a result, Portland was dubbed “City of Roses”. The garden was a perfect opportunity for enhancing that reputation. The Portland's Rose Society petitioned for the city to serve as a safe haven for hybrid roses grown in Germany during World War I. Rose lovers feared that these unique plants could be destroyed in the bombing. Foreign hybridists sent roses for test from many countries and the garden was an immediate success. This garden contains many roses which are no longer commercially available.
Collections
Shakespeare Garden
Gold Medal Garden
Royal Rosarian Garden
Miniature Rose Garden
Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the U.S. and one of the finest in the world. Chosen by the American Rose Society, it won this distinction in 1917 in competition with other cities competing for the same honor.
This famous garden has over 10,000 rose plants and over 400 varietals studied each year. The primary purpose of the garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties, all in the test garden named by numbers.
In 1917, 3 prominent nurserymen met in Portland and decided that it was the perfect spot for an American Test Garden. Portland already had 20 miles of rose-bordered streets – a strategy to draw attention to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial celebration. As a result, Portland was dubbed “City of Roses”. The garden was a perfect opportunity for enhancing that reputation. The Portland's Rose Society petitioned for the city to serve as a safe haven for hybrid roses grown in Germany during World War I. Rose lovers feared that these unique plants could be destroyed in the bombing. Foreign hybridists sent roses for test from many countries and the garden was an immediate success. This garden contains many roses which are no longer commercially available.
Collections
Shakespeare Garden
Gold Medal Garden
Royal Rosarian Garden
Miniature Rose Garden
- The Shakespeare Garden originally contained botanicals mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. The rose varieties are named after characters in his plays.
- The Gold Medal Garden is a formal garden with award winning roses, walkways, a central fountain, and a gazebo. The City of Portland gold Medal Awards are issued annually. These varieties are planted in the Gold Medal garden. Portland is the only North American city that can issue its awards to roses of merit throughout the world.
- The Royal Rosarian Garden has paid tribute since 1924 to the goodwill ambassadors and official greeters who serve in the many Rose Festival events. As each Rosarian is knighted, they adopt a rose variety as their namesake. A rose is planted in this garden for each of the highest ranking Rosarian Prime Ministers.
- The Miniature Rose Garden is one of only six such testing grounds for the American Rose Society. The elevated beds at the entrance are popular for their unique varieties.
- Free docent guided tour daily at 1PM - about 30 minutes
- Self-guided info sheet available here or at the gift shop
- A garden tour by your tour guide, on request.
