invme Place
Everywhere
All cities · Everywhere →
EN
ENEnglish RURussian FRFrench DEGerman ITItalian ESSpanish PTPortuguese PT-BRBrazilian Portuguese ES-MXLatin American Spanish FR-CACanadian French EN-GBBritish English UKUkrainian PLPolish JAJapanese NLDutch KOKorean SVSwedish DADanish NBNorwegian FIFinnish CSCzech HEHebrew ELGreek ZH-HANTTraditional Chinese HUHungarian RORomanian HRCroatian SKSlovak SLSlovenian ETEstonian LVLatvian LTLithuanian BGBulgarian TRTurkish
International Rose Test Garden — Rose beds and paths spread across the garden beneath tall treesPhoto: Eleonora84 · Public domain · edited
Watch · 8

International Rose Test Garden

Parks ·Portland ·Open now
4.715.6K
#1Parks in PortlandTravelers' Choice 2026
  • Free
  • Ideal for a special occasion, kids
Make a plan here
Directions Website Call Bookmark

Sign up free — See who's going and message them.

Is this your place? Get the badge for your website

About

International Rose Test Garden is a rose trial garden on a hill in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, overlooking downtown.

More photos 11

1 / 11
International Rose Test Garden — Panoramic view across the rose garden and its flower beds PiccoloNamek · CC BY-SA 3.0 · edited
International Rose Test Garden — Panoramic view across the rose garden and its flower bedsInternational Rose Test Garden — Brick path winding between rose beds and leafy treesInternational Rose Test Garden — Rose beds beneath tall trees in the evening lightInternational Rose Test Garden — Yellow roses beside a brick garden pathInternational Rose Test Garden — Peach rose in bloom against dark green foliageInternational Rose Test Garden — Clusters of pink roses among green leavesInternational Rose Test Garden — Orange rose with pink outer petalsInternational Rose Test Garden — Two pink roses blooming among silvery leavesInternational Rose Test Garden — Red rose in full bloom above gray-green foliageInternational Rose Test Garden — Lavender roses blooming above the garden bedInternational Rose Test Garden — Three apricot and cream roses among glossy leaves

Why go

  • The oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States.
  • Some roses arrive a year or two before reaching the market; most are commercially available.
  • The Miniature Rose Garden is one of only six American Rose Society testing gardens.
  • The Royal Rosarian Garden preserves many varieties no longer sold commercially.

Opening hours

Today05:00 – 22:00Show all
Monday05:00 – 22:00
Tuesday05:00 – 22:00
Wednesday05:00 – 22:00
Thursday05:00 – 22:00
Friday05:00 – 22:00
Saturday05:00 – 22:00
Sunday05:00 – 22:00

Don't miss

  • Gold Medal GardenAward-winning roses grow among paths, a central fountain and a gazebo.Gold Medal Garden
  • Shakespeare Garden rosesRose varieties are named for characters in Shakespeare’s plays.Shakespeare Garden
  • Queens Walk plaquesBronze plaques show each Rose Festival queen’s handwritten name and year since 1907.Along the garden’s lower edge
  • Frank E. Beach Memorial FountainLee Kelly’s stainless-steel fountain honors Frank Edwin Beach, who gave Portland its “City of Roses” nickname and first proposed its annual Rose Festival.Along the main promenade
  • Entrance rose bedsLook for unique rose varieties in the raised beds at the entrance.At the entrance

What's in season

  • Apr – OctRoses bloom from April to October, with the peak usually in June, depending on weather.
  • JunRose experts select Portland’s Best Rose at a one-day judging event.

What you see

  • The terraces overlook downtown Portland, the Willamette River and East Portland. On clear days, the view extends to the Cascade Range and Mount Hood.

Best time to visit

  • May through July brings roses in bloom and fragrance.
  • In good weather, the amphitheater is also a place for picnicking.

Photo spots

  • Royal Rosarian statueBill Bane’s bronze figure tips his hat, making a distinctive sculptural subject in the garden.Royal Rosarian statue

Shorts

History

  1. 1915Jesse A. Currey proposed a test garden as a safe haven for European hybrid roses during World War I.
  2. 1917Portland nursery growers proposed a rose trial garden, and the Park Bureau approved it.
  3. 1918Plants arrived from England, Ireland, Los Angeles, Washington, and the eastern United States.
  4. 1921Florence Holmes Gerke designed the garden and its amphitheater.
  5. 1924The garden was dedicated in June.
Show all
  1. 1927First rose curator Jesse A. Currey served until his death.
  2. 1928The garden moved to its current location.
  3. 1940It became an official test garden for All-America Rose Selections.
  4. 1943The Shakespeare Society donated the Shakespeare Garden, originally planted with species mentioned in Shakespeare’s works.
  5. 1950sThe garden expanded after the Washington Park Zoo relocated.

How to get there

  • BusTake bus route 63 from downtown Portland to the garden.
  • 10 minTrainFrom Washington Park MAX, take the free Washington Park Shuttle to the garden. The shuttle ride takes 10 minutes.

Sources: International Rose Test Garden - Wikipedia · Portland (Oregon)/Southwest - Wikivoyage (see) · Internationaler Rosentestgarten Portland - Wiki… · International Rose Test Garden - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
400 SW Kingston Ave, OR, Portland

Plan from here: Evening walk →

Questions and answers

Are guided tours available at the International Rose Test Garden?

Volunteer gardeners offer free guided tours at 1 PM in summer.

When is the International Rose Test Garden open?

It is open every day from 05:00 to 22:00.

How can I identify roses at the International Rose Test Garden?

The garden’s inventory records rose names and locations to help visitors identify varieties.

How are numbered trial roses assessed at the International Rose Test Garden?

The American Garden Rose Selection trial occupies two terraces, where numbered roses are evaluated over two years.

How does the Royal Rosarian Garden at the International Rose Test Garden honor growers?

When a rose grower is knighted, the garden adopts a rose variety in that person’s name.

How invme works
  1. See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
  2. Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
  3. Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.
Join free

Reviews on invme

Sign in to review
Comment Share
Loading comments…