December 5, 2011

Portland, Oregon: International Rose Test Garden; things to do

400 SW Kingston Ave., in Washington Park, (503) 823-3636. Daily 7:30-9. Free.

The International Rose Test Garden began in another location in 1915, when a rose hobbyist got city officials to approve a garden dedicated to saving European roses from World War I bombings. Roses arrived from around the world. The garden moved to its current site in 1917, and now covers 4.5 acres. You can see more than 8,555 rose bushes representing some 722 varieties--including the almost black "Black Magic" rose, which is actually a deep blood red and the sweet smelling magenta "Firefighter Rose” named in honor of firefighters lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. In 1940, the garden became a testing site for the All-America Rose Selection.





More gardens around the world.

More things to do in Portland. 

More ideas for exploring the U.S.


image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

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