Quick Guide to the Portland Rose Garden
One of my favorite things about having out-of-town visitors is that it helps me rediscover places in Portland that I’ve started to take for granted. Portland’s International Test Rose Garden is the perfect example. It is specular, free, and close to downtown, yet somehow I rarely make it there. A recent visit reminded me of how much I’ve been missing. If you’re visiting Portland when the 10,000+ rose bushes are blooming, the International Rose Test Garden is a must-see. At any time of year, look for views of Portland’s skyline and Mt Hood on clear days. Here is everything you need to know about visiting Portland’s Rose Garden.
Know before you go
It’s free to visit Portland’s International Rose Test Garden.
Leashed dogs are welcome.
Look for restrooms near the gift shop and by the tennis courts. Drinking fountains are outside the restrooms near the gift shop.
There are a few patio tables near the gift shop and some picnic tables across SW Sherwood Blvd. Or, head to the Washington Park Amphitheater on the north side of the rose garden to have a picnic on the grass.
The Portland Rose Garden has a little cart that sells drinks and snacks. Think chips and sodas rather than lunch.
Look for benches spread out in many spots throughout the garden.
You can reach the Portland Rose Garden’s main promenade using a sidewalk with a fairly gentle slope. From the parking lot, look for it near the gift shop patio. The grade is just over 8%, making it accessible to many types of mobility devices.
The Portland Rose Garden is family-friendly and fun with kids. Head south on SW Sherwood Blvd to check out the playground.
The gift shop is worth a visit. You’ll smell rose petals as soon as you walk in the door. If something can be made pink and rose-themed, you can probably find it here.
The Washington Park Amphitheater is a great picnic spot
Parking
Parking at the International Rose Test Garden is metered from 9:30 AM - 8 PM. It costs about $2/hour or $8/day. I suggest downloading the Parking Kitty app before you arrive to make your life easier when you go to pay for parking.
If you pay for a day of parking, you can move your car and visit other parts of Washington Park without paying again. You’ll pay by license plate, not parking spot.
Parking is limited and can fill up when the roses are blooming. Consider using public transit or rideshare apps. See below for details.
Avoid parking in the neighborhood near the Rose Garden, which is reserved for residents. Make sure not to leave any valuables in your car.
When to visit the Portland Rose Garden
Portland’s International Rose Test Garden is open from 5 AM - 10 PM every day.
You can take a free guided tour from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. Tours begin daily at 1:00 PM. Meet at the patio in front of the gift shop. You’ll see a sandwich board sign at the meeting place.
The garden is open all year. Although always lovely, it is most impressive from late May to October when the roses are blooming. Expect peak bloom around June most years. The weather is usually quite good in Portland around this time of year, with lots of warm, long, and sunny days. If you arrive a bit too early for roses, say in April, look for some rhododendrons and wisteria.
Peak bloom usually happens in June
Unsurprisingly, the Portland Rose Garden will be most crowded in the summer when the roses are blooming. Weekends will be busier, but weekdays still get plenty of visitors. The crowds aren’t necessarily a deal killer, especially if you don’t need to park. For me, it’s mostly an issue with my photos. By around 9 AM, you’ll need to be creative with framing to crop out other visitors.
This year I visited at 6:30 AM (with deepest, deepest reluctance) to have the place mostly to myself. A nice thing about arriving early is that the other visitors are mostly dog walkers and other locals, so they don’t spend much time lingering in front of the photogenic things in the garden. The early morning light is lovely and parking is free until 9:30 AM. If you’re not focused on the pictures, go ahead and don’t worry too much about your timing. The Portland Rose Garden has a cheerful vibe even when it’s packed.
About the Portland Rose Garden
The International Rose Test Garden, unofficially called the Portland Rose Garden, is the oldest continuously running public rose test garden in the United States. It opened in 1917 to preserve and test rose species considered to be in danger by the bombings happening in Europe during WWI. Situated on the hilly west side of Portland in Washington Park, the garden offers views of both the Portland skyline and Mount Hood on a clear day.
Between its scale and its beauty, it’s hard to avoid overusing regal-sounding adjectives like sumptuous, magnificent, and opulent when describing the Portland Rose Garden. The garden has over 10,000 rose bushes, including hundreds of species and just about every color imaginable. Roses bloom in neat rows, cling to trellises, and snake up light posts. By design, the signage is pretty minimal, but it’s worth taking a minute to appreciate the whimsical names of rose species like Savoy Hotel, Sunset Celebration, and Pink Enchantment.
Today, one of the garden’s main purposes is to test out new types of roses, so expect to see new and interesting flowers. Dedicated volunteers maintain the garden.
The roses
The Portland Rose Garden has several different areas to explore. The boundaries between them are subtle and it’s easy to pass between them without realizing it. If you make a full tour of the garden, you’ll hit them all. Look at the detailed map in the main pavilion if you want to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Royal Rosarian Garden - The roses here are the namesake roses of past prime ministers of the Portland Rosarians, a civic group founded in 1912. The Rosarians serve as goodwill ambassadors for the city of Portland.
Shakespeare Garden - Originally, this garden contained only plants mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare. Today things are not quite as strict and its plantings have expanded to include roses with Shakespearean names. Tucked away in a secluded corner of the Rose Garden, it’s easy to imagine someone reciting a sonnet or two here.
Gold Medal Garden - Look for the past winners of the Best New Rose Variety award here.
Miniature Rose Garden - This garden serves as a testing ground for new varieties of miniature roses, including some prize winners.
Getting there
Address: 400 SW Kingston Ave, Portland, OR 97205
The International Rose Test Garden is located in Portland’s Washington Park on the west side of the city. By car, take Highway 26 West until Exit 72. Then, follow the signs for Washington Park.
There are also options to reach it by transit. Since parking is limited, use one of these options if you can:
Take the 63 bus, which stops right at the garden. Bus fare is $2.80 for 2.5 hours or $5.60/day.
Take the MAX light rail red or blue line ($2.80 for 2.5 hours or $5.60/day) to the Oregon Zoo stop and then take the free Washington Park shuttle to the Portland Rose Garden. The shuttle operates year-round, although the schedule varies seasonally. It arrives every 15-30 minutes with longer hours in the summer.
It’s also possible to walk to the Rose Garden from downtown, about a 2-mile walk. I’ve done it before and it’s a fun excursion on a nice day. You’ll walk by some of the swanky houses in Portland’s West Hills on the way.
Other things to do in Washington Park
The Portland Rose Garden is one of many attractions in Washington Park. The free shuttle stops at all of them.
These things to do are free:
Large playground just down the street from the International Rose Test Garden.
Hoyt Arboretum - a museum of living trees with miles of picturesque walking trails.
Memorials, statues, and public art, including the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and Oregon Holocaust Memorial.
These have paid admission:
The Portland Japanese Garden has eight styles of Japanese gardens, plus exhibits on culture and art. It shares a parking area with the Rose Garden, making it easy to see both on the same visit.
Portland Japanese Garden
Other rose gardens in Portland
The International Rose Test Garden is Portland’s largest and most impressive rose garden but certainly not its only one. Living up to its reputation, the City of Roses has a couple of close seconds that are worth exploring if you have more garden time. Here are my other favorite places to see roses in Portland.
Peninsula Park
Peninsula Park is a city park in northeast Portland that becomes extraordinary when the roses bloom. With over 5,000 roses in dozens of varieties, it’s one of Portland’s most beautiful places in the summertime. Completed in 1913, Peninsula Park still has many of its original features like the octagonal gazebo, brick walkways, and lantern-style streetlights. A fountain makes the perfect centerpiece for the many neat rows of rose bushes. After seeing the flowers, look for the playground on the north side of the park. Peninsula Park and its rose garden are free to visit.
Ladd’s Addition
Ladd’s Addition is a historic residential neighborhood in southeast Portland known for its charming rose gardens. The neighborhood has an unusual layout. Its center is a large traffic circle with streets radiating outward like the spokes of a wheel. From the center, head two blocks in any cardinal direction to reach one of the four rose gardens. All are free to visit. Residents of Ladd’s Addition maintain the gardens. Depending on when you go, you might see locals participating in the neighborhood deadheading events. It makes for a fun afternoon to find all four gardens, then stop by Floyd’s Coffeehouse & Wine Bar for drinks and snacks on a patio table.
Enjoy your visit to the Portland Rose Garden!
With love,
Emma
Explore nearby
Visit the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
Check out the iris and peony festivals in Salem, Oregon.
Visit the most beautiful lavender farms near Portland.
