City of Roses
Portland, Oregon’s International Rose Test Garden covers 4.5 acres and features over 10,000 rose bushes, representing at least 650 varieties. Founded in 1917, it is the oldest continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States. The American Garden Rose Selections oversees 10 other rose test gardens in the United States.
Frequent Questions
What is a Test Garden? On an annual basis, rose breeders send over 2,000 roses to the garden where they are evaluated for two years. A small permanent staff, supported by many volunteers, monitors the roses for traits like disease resistance, bloom formation, color, and fragrance. If you are visiting in June, you might be lucky enough to observe rose experts picking the best roses from thousands of entries.
When are the roses in bloom? The roses bloom from April through October with the peak in June, depending on the weather.
Garden Tours
Tours of the gardens are available to the public daily at 1:00pm, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The tours meet in the Rose Garden store. After the tour, walk around the tiered gardens and spend some time smelling the roses and identifying the award-winners. You will be hard pressed to find this many varieties in one place anywhere else in the world.
Getting There
Washington Park is just a few miles from downtown Portland. There is public transportation to Washington Park – use the TriMet transit service. Due to limited parking availability, you are better off walking or using a car service. Once you are inside Washington Park, there is a free shuttle service to transport guests between the nearby attractions, including the Portland Japanese Garden, Oregon Zoo and the Hoyt Arboretum.
Bonus: Visit the Pittock Mansion located just outside of Washington Park. Conicidentally, Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of publisher Henry Pittock, invited her friends and neighbors to exhibit their roses in her garden, establishing the Portland Rose Society. Walking the mansions grounds, you will have a spectacular view of downtown Portland.
