Today, we’re going to do a Triple F, Foreign Flower Friday! We’ve found ourselves in Portland, Oregon and any flower enthusiast that finds themselves here should definitely visit the International Rose Test Garden!
Portland, nicknamed The City of Roses, has a long history with rose flowers. This seven acre park, first established in 1917, is the home of over 10,000 roses, comprised of over 650 different varieties.
New rose cultivars are sent here from all over the world for evaluation on disease resistance, bloom formation, color and fragrance. It is one of 11 such sites in the United States to perform such testing and evaluation and is the oldest continually operating test site.
Beyond just those test roses, you’ll find some of the most rare and unique varieties known to rose aficionados. Though most casual rose observers are familiar with most basic rose colors, there’s a whole world of unique looking rose blooms that are out there.
To celebrate these vast cultivars, an award called the All America Rose Selection was established in 1940. For 73 years, this was the most prestigious award given to new rose cultivars. Today, you can see many of these winning varieties growing in this garden in their “Gold Medal” section, a truly astounding section of the rose garden.
One cannot help but be overwhelmed by the fragrances experienced at this garden. It’s a must to just sit down for a minute to take it all in. We’re not much for “big cities” here, but this place is definitely a special one if you find yourself in this area of the Pacific Northwest.
Honestly, it was places like this that inspired us to create our own subarctic rose garden. The rose is certainly one of the most culturally significant flowers we know of, from the earliest days of Aphrodite in Greek human history to modern times where the rose is the official floral emblem of the US. There is hardly a better known or more appreciated flower than the rose.
We hope you enjoy our cultivated selection of some of our favorites from this visit!
