Portland Flowers

Portland is so very closely tied to the idea of roses, and that it is "The City of Roses" that there are brass roses embedded in the sidewalks downtown, and many buildings have architectural details that include roses. The Portland Rose Society was born in 1888 when Georgiana Burton Pittock set up a tent in her extensive garden, and invited Portland residents to display their roses. It became a regular event. In the late nineteenth century, the hybrid tea rose "Mme. Caroline Testout" became very popular. Portland residents planted the rose in their yards and on their curbs. By 1905, Portland had over 20 miles of streets bordered by roses, a fact that the city exploited enthusiastically in promotional materials related to the Lewis and Clark Centennial. Perhaps as a direct result, in short order, Portland became known as "The City of Roses."

In 1915, alarmed by the possibility of rose varieties and strains in Europe being destroyed in World War I, the then editor of the Oregon Sunday Herald, Jesse A. Currey, spear headed a proposal to create a rose test garden in Portland, with the goal of maintaining rose species. In 1917, the International Rose Test Garden was created in Portland, and it's still going strong. The International Rose Test Garden is located in Washington Park on 400 SW Kingston Ave in Portland. There are a little over 9,000 plants there, including about 600 different varieties of roses spanning the history of rose cultivation. Every year, since 1919, the City of Portland Gold Medal has been awarded to a newly introduced rose. It is the oldest such award in the U.S. and the winning roses are planted in the Gold Medal Garden.

One of the best times of the year to visit the Rose Test Garden is during Portland's annual Rose Festival, which usually takes place for three weeks in June. There's a .pdf of a self-guided tour of the Rose Test Garden, and a .pdf map showing the various test beds and collections. There's also a Shakespeare Garden, which features the plants and herbs mentioned in Shakespeare's plays, as well as roses with Shakespearean names. Keep in mind that the Test Garden hours change seasonally, so check the hours.

There's also the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, at SE 28th Ave & Woodstock Blvd. The Garden features rhododendrons, but there are more than 2,500 plants including rhododendrons, azaleas, and a variety of other plants. Many of the plants are deliberately chosen for seasonal blooms, throughout the year. There's also a natural spring (the Crystal Springs of the name) with waterfalls that feeds a small lake and a fountain which attract a lot of birds and waterfowl. It's very easy to reach via the TriMet bus #19 Woodstock. The bus follows a couple of different possible routes through Eastmoreland so ask the driver for the stop nearest the Garden. Admission is free for kids under 12, and for everyone from the day after Labor Day until the end of February. Otherwise, adult admission is $3.00. You can read about the hours here in a .pdf brochure.

The Portland Japanese Garden is a lovely 5.5 acre gem with five separate garden areas in five different styles (a tea garden, a strolling garden, a flat garden, a natural garden, and a "Zen" style garden of stones and sand), a tea house, and stunning views of Mt. Hood and the Portland sky line. You can get there on using Portland's transit system, on Bus 63. I note that this is widely regarded as the finest Japanese Garden in the U.S. It's is a lovely place to spend a couple of hours, and it's worth seeing in all four seasons.

If you visit Portland's Japanese Garden, make sure that you also visit Portland's Classical Chinese Garden. The Chinese garden is an entire city block inside a stone wall. The garden was created by 60 Chinese artisans over the course of a year. Using 500 tons of imported Chinese rock, they created ponds, walk ways, arches, colonnades and artistic groupings of rocks and plants. There's a tea house, and you can simply enjoy a cup, or for more money, ranging from $15.00 to $40.00, a variety of more formal and complete teas in traditional Chinese style, including "flights" of tea and edibles. You may need to order the tea in advance, and there is an admission charge to the garden. You can read about the hours and admissions here. You can read about the Teahouse, and download sample menus.