Garden hours: 7:30am-9:00pm

Weekly Tours
From June 1 through September 21, free tours of the rose garden are led by trained volunteers at 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM on Tuesdays and 1:00 PM on Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays. Meet at the Rose Garden Store. Donations gladly accepted.

Tour Groups
Guided tours for groups of 10 or more are available during the year for a nominal fee per person. Call 503-823-3664 to make arrangements.

Visit the Rose Garden Store website at www.rosegardenstore.org.

Founded in 1889, the Portland Rose Society is a non-profit organization offering educational programs on rose culture and encouraging the use of roses in the landscape. The Portland Rose Society plays an important and ongoing role in maintaining the high standards of Portland's public rose gardens. For information on Rose Society programs or membership, write or call Portland Rose Society, PO Box 515, Portland, 97207, voice mail: 503-777-4311.

Volunteer opportunities are available in both garden and non-garden work. Garden tasks include deadheading, planting, pruning, sign painting, and garden improvement projects. Non-garden tasks include strategic planning, fundraising, updating educational materials, leading garden tours, maintaining inventory records, and coordinating volunteer efforts. Contact the Rose Garden, 503-823-3636, or Volunteer Services, 503-823-5121.

Rose Garden Volunteer Training
Volunteers will learn how to properly deadhead roses.
Tuesdays, May 18 & 25, June 1, 9:00 AM
Meet at the kiosk.

Portland has long had a love affair with roses. In 1888, Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of pioneer publisher Henry Pittock, invited her friends and neighbors to exhibit their roses in a tent set up in her garden; thus the Portland Rose Society was established. The rose Mme. Caroline Testout was introduced by Pernet-Ducher in 1890, and Portlanders began to plant it on their curbs. By 1905 Portland had 200 miles of rose-bordered streets which helped attract visitors to the Lewis and Clark Centennial celebration. Portland came to be known as the 'City of Roses.'

In 1915 Jesse A. Currey, rose hobbyist and Sunday editor of the Oregon Journal, convinced city officials to institute a rose test garden to serve as a safe haven during World War I for hybrid roses grown in Europe. Rose lovers feared that these unique plants would be destroyed in the bombings. Portland was fortunate in having a group of civic-minded citizens whose efforts led to the establishment of the International Rose Test Garden in 1917. Hybridists sent roses from many countries and the new rose test garden was an immediate success. Currey was appointed as the garden's first rose curator and served in that capacity until his death in 1927.

In 1919 the city of Portland issued its first annual Gold Medal Award to the best new rose variety introductions. Another award, called Portland’s Best Rose, was established in 1996. Rose experts from around the world attend a one-day judging in June and select the best rose that day from thousands of submissions. Portland remains the only North American city to issue such awards.

In 1940 the International Rose Test Garden became an official testing site for the All-America Rose Selection (AARS), a Chicago-based non-profit association of rose growers dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses. Since 1938 the AARS seal of approval has graced new rose varieties that have performed the best in the test gardens located throughout the country and representing all climate zones. Four plants of each entry are evaluated for two years on 14 different characteristics consumers desire in a garden plant including plant habit, vigor, disease resistance, color, flower production, form, foliage, and fragrance. About 200 rose cultivars are under test each year in 24 rose test gardens nationwide.

The Royal Rosarian Garden honors the Royal Rosarian civic group, which serves as the official greeters and goodwill ambassadors for the City of Portland. Founded in 1912, the Order of Royal Rosarians modeled their mythical 'Realm of Rosaria' after the government of England’s King Henry VII, whose rise to the throne in 1485 ended the War of the Roses. Members are 'knighted' into the organization under their chosen variety of rose, which is then their 'namesake' rose. This garden is home to the namesake roses of all past Prime Ministers of the Royal Rosarians. Many old favorites, which are no longer available commercially, may be found here. The formally designed garden also features a stone bench honoring Jesse A. Currey, founder of the International Rose Test Garden.

Dedicated in 1945, the Shakespeare Garden, donated by the LaBarre Shakespeare Club, was originally designed to include only herbs, trees, and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. The garden continues to honor the Bard with roses named after characters in his plays. The focal point of the garden is a brick wall with a plaque featuring William Shakespeare’s image and his quote, "Of all flowers methinks a rose is best."

The terrace above the Shakespeare garden was originally planted in old garden roses. By 1959, so many Gold Award roses had crept into the terrace that it became known as the Gold Award Garden and the original roses were moved to another area of the garden.

With the support of the Portland Rose Society, the Gold Medal Garden was constructed in 1969 commemorating 50 years of Gold Medal awards presented by the City of Portland. In 1991, the Portland Rose Society donated the gazebo which provides a wonderful vantage point from which to view these award-winning roses. This formal garden also features a central fountain.

Established in 1975, the Miniature Rose Garden is one of only six testing grounds for the American Rose Society (ARS) miniature rose test program. The national annual winners from both ARS and AARS associations are displayed in the middle of the garden along the center aisle.

Set in a sunken section on the upper level of the garden, the Frank Edwin Beach Memorial Fountain was dedicated in June 1975. The stainless steel sculpture, titled Water Sculpture, was designed and built by Oregon artist Lee Kelly. The fountain was a gift from the Beach family to honor their father, Frank Edwin Beach (1853-1934), the man who is said to have christened Portland the 'City of Roses.'

Featuring over 6,800 rose bushes representing 557 varieties, the International Rose Test Garden received The Garden of Excellence Award from the World Federation of Rose Societies in 2006.