Take a walk through the City of Roses. The International Rose Test Garden is the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States, and gives Portland its rose-y nickname. The Garden is located in Washington Park, and has over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. In bloom from April through October, this garden boasts a spectacle of color and sweet smell, along with the most photographed view of the City of Roses, with Mt. Hood towering in the background. Visitors can stroll through the Shakespeare Garden, which grows botanicals mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare and the Gold Medal Garden, a formal garden with award-winning roses. You'll also enjoy the walkways, central fountain, and the gazebo. The Royal Rosarian Garden has varieties named for goodwill ambassadors, with a rose planted for each of the highest ranking Rosarian Prime Ministers, making this garden an international and fragrant delight!
Getting to The International Rose Test Garden is simple. Take SW Tichner off West Burnside. Make a right turn on Kingston, turn left at the 2nd stop sign, and you've arrived.
Founded in 1917, Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States. The primary purpose of the garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties.
The Garden is always worth a visit for its beautiful setting on a hillside overlooking the downtown Portland skyline with majestic Mt. Hood looming in the background. In the fall, the trees give us beautiful autumn colors; the camellias begin blooming in December; and spring brings masses of rhododendrons azaleas, and pink clouds of cherry blossoms!