Jill's Journal: Washington Park started in 1871 as a mere 40 acres of wilderness roamed by cougars when the town of Portland had only 8,000 residents. Today, it’s an oasis of green space comprising over 400 acres. And that little town has also grown exponentially. There are now nearly 600,000 in the city limits and almost 2.6 million people in the Portland metropolitan area.
In addition to all the trails and outdoor recreational opportunities, Washington Park also houses the Oregon Zoo, Portland Japanese Garden, and a couple of museums. But most notable among Washington Park’s attractions is the International Rose Test Garden.
For over a century, Portland has been called the “City of Roses.” In 1888, Georgiana Pittock (whom we learned a little about at
Pittock Mansion) began Portland’s love affair with roses. It turns out the mild, rainy winters and warm, dry summers here are ideal for the plant. By 1905, Portland had miles upon miles of rose-bordered streets to help with the celebration of the Lewis and Clark Centennial.
In 1917, at the urging of rose aficionado Jesse A. Currey, Portland began a rose test garden to serve as a safe haven for European hybrids during World War I. Roses soon began arriving from Europe. The International Rose Test Garden was dedicated at its current location in Washington Park in 1924. It’s the oldest continuously-operated test garden in the United States.
Today there are over 7,000 rose plants (and about 550 varieties) at the garden. New types of roses are regularly sent from all over the world and tested for their attributes including color, fragrance, and disease resistance. Visitors are free to explore the 4.5 beautiful acres at their leisure.
Roses here have names ranging from “Walking on Sunshine” to “Black Magic” to “Grand Duchess Armstrong.” I’m clearly no rose expert, because (other than color) they all look alike to me, but the girls sure had fun trying to pick the prettiest ones.
We walked past a fountain on the way out. It was littered with rose petals!
2 comments:
My husband has become rose obsessed these last few years. Mainly because it's about all we can grow in our terrible soil. I LOVE the orange/coral looking rose on here. It's stunning.
We bought a Joseph's Coat rose this year and it's pretty amazing.
Love you guys!
Steve would love this place then! And the climate in Portland would suit him too -- no humidity to speak of, mild temperatures, and it's usually cloudy, so the sun wouldn't bother his skin so much. Hmmmm, should we start an ex-Kentucky commune here?? LOL!
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