International Rose Test Garden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids International Rose Test Garden
A panoramic view of the International Rose Test Garden
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Type	Rose garden
Location	400 SW Kingston Ave. Portland, Oregon
Area	6.90 acres (2.79 ha)
Owned by	City of Portland
Operated by	Portland Parks & Recreation
Visitors	700,000 (estimated)
Plants	10,000+
Collections	Shakespeare Garden Gold Medal Garden Royal Rosarian Garden Miniature Rose Garden

The International Rose Test Garden is a beautiful rose garden located in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. It's home to over 10,000 rose bushes! You can find about 650 different kinds of roses here. The roses usually bloom from April to October, with the most flowers appearing in June.

New kinds of roses are often sent to the garden from all over the world. Experts check them for things like how well they resist diseases, their shape, color, and smell. This garden is special because it's the oldest public rose test garden in the U.S. It helps Portland live up to its nickname, "City of Roses". About 700,000 people visit this amazing garden every year.

A Safe Home for Roses: History

The idea for the garden started in 1915. Jesse A. Currey, who led Portland's Rose Society, wanted to create a safe place for special hybrid roses. These roses were grown in Europe. People worried that these unique plants might be destroyed during World War I bombings.

The Park Bureau liked the idea. They approved it in 1917. By early 1918, rose growers from England began sending their roses.

Even before the garden was planned, Portland was known for roses. In 1905, for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, 20 miles (32 km) of Portland's streets were lined with rose bushes. The city was already called "The City of Roses." The new test garden helped make Portland famous worldwide for growing roses.

In 1921, Florence Holmes Gerke designed the garden and its amphitheater. The garden officially opened in June 1924. Jesse Currey became the garden's first rose curator. Since 1940, this rose garden has been an official testing site for the All-America Rose Selections.

The garden moved to its current spot in 1928. It grew even bigger in the 1950s. In 1996, a special award called Portland's Best Rose was created. Rose experts from around the world come to judge thousands of roses. Portland is the only city in North America to give such an award. By 2013, the garden had grown to include over 10,000 rose bushes of more than 650 types.

Exploring the Garden's Features

The garden in 2013

The International Rose Test Garden covers about 4.5 acres (18,000 m²). It has several levels that look out over downtown Portland. You can also see the Willamette River and East Portland. On clear days, you might even see the Cascade Range, with Mount Hood standing tall.

The Queens Walk is a brick path at the bottom of the garden. It has bronze plaques with the names of every Rose Festival queen since 1907. These plaques were moved here in the early 1950s.

Three paid staff members and many volunteers take care of the roses. The garden is one of eleven American Garden Rose Selections test sites in the United States. Rose growers from all over the world often donate about 2,500 roses each year. Sometimes, the garden gets roses a year or two before they are sold to the public. Most of the roses in the garden are already available for purchase. The garden has a map that shows the names and locations of all the roses.

The Rose Garden Store opened in May 2000. It sells books, gifts, and gardening supplies related to roses. The garden also has an amphitheater. This area hosts many events, like classical music concerts and plays. When the weather is nice, people enjoy picnicking and playing games there.

The Frank E. Beach Memorial Fountain is a cool stainless steel sculpture and fountain. It was made by Oregon artist Lee Kelly in 1975. This fountain honors Frank Edwin Beach, who first called Portland the "City of Roses." He also suggested the annual Rose Festival. Another statue, Royal Rosarian, shows a Royal Rosarian tipping his hat. It was created by Bill Bane in 2011.

Different Rose Gardens to Explore

The American Rose Society's Miniature Rose Test Garden

The American Garden Rose Selection (AGRS) test garden covers two levels. Roses here are identified by numbers, not names. They are checked for two years based on many different things. The Gold Award Garden, opened in 1970, shows off roses that have won awards from the AGRS Test Garden. This garden has a gazebo and a wall honoring past presidents of the Portland Rose Society. It's a popular spot for weddings.

The Royal Rosarian Garden displays roses that honor past Prime Ministers of the Royal Rosarians. This group acts as official greeters for Portland. They are part of many Rose Festival events. This garden also has a stone bench honoring Jesse Currey. Many roses in the Royal Rosarian Garden are no longer sold in stores.

The Miniature Rose Garden started in 1975. It's a testing ground to help decide which miniature roses will be sold. This garden is one of only eight such miniature rose testing grounds for the American Rose Society. The national winners from the American Rose Society are shown in the middle of this garden.

The Shakespeare Garden was given by the Shakespeare Society in 1943. It used to have plants mentioned in William Shakespeare's plays. Over time, it has changed. Now it has summer annuals, tropical plants, shrubs, and roses. The roses here are named after characters from Shakespeare's plays. The Shakespeare Garden has a formal walkway and a raised sitting area.

How to Visit the Garden

Parking at the International Rose Test Garden costs money per hour, up to a daily maximum. You can also get to the rose garden by TriMet bus route 63-Washington Park. This bus runs every day of the week.

There's also a free Washington Park Shuttle. It connects the Rose Garden to MAX light rail at the Washington Park station. This shuttle runs every day from April to October. From November to March, it runs only on weekends.

See also

In Spanish: International Rose Test Garden para niños