International Rose Test Garden

Washington Park's International Rose Test Garden holds over 10,000 rose plants in more than 650 varieties, in bloom from May through October. The setting is spectacular: tiered gardens on a hillside with views across Portland to Mount Hood and three other volcanic peaks on clear days. Entry is free year-round.

The garden is the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States. The Gold Medal Garden section displays the prize-winning cultivars from each year's competition. Below the main terraces, the Shakespeare Garden is planted with flowers and herbs mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. The garden is a 15-minute uphill walk from the Washington Park MAX station (Red and Blue lines), or accessible by the park shuttle that runs seasonally from the station.

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Portland's nickname "City of Roses" comes from the mild, wet winters and warm summers that make the Willamette Valley ideal for growing roses. The test garden was established in 1917 — during World War I — specifically to safeguard European rose varieties that might be destroyed in the conflict. Hybridisers still submit new varieties here to be trialled and judged; if a rose wins the All-America Rose Selections award from this garden, it tends to sell worldwide.