
The 2022 Rose Season is a pleasant memory of blooms!
Enjoy these early spring days of extreme weather and sun breaks!
The buds are swelling on the branches! Here come the 2023 rose season!
Do you love roses and wish to offer some time at Portland’s premier public rose garden?! We’d love to have you join our team! Volunteers deadhead in the garden weekdays, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 7:00 am and 2:00 pm, and Monday evenings from 6:00pm – 8:00 pm.
VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS will be scheduled in late May, stay tuned for the dates! You’ll need to attend an orientation and complete some PP&R forms before becoming a volunteer. Please email us with any questions: waparkroses@gmail.com
Please show your support with a donation following the links below!
International Rose Test Garden — learn more!
Review the history and current elements of the rose garden by following this link: IRTG Brochure
Review this stand-alone map of the International Rose Test Garden by following this link: IRTG map


The International Rose Test Garden (IRTG) in Washington Park celebrated its centennial in 2017! The rose garden and Portland’s identity with roses are inextricably linked. Back 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. An annual rose show grew in popularity and size. Georgiana and her friends established the Portland Rose Society in 1889. Jesse A. Currey, a former Rose Society president, chose the garden’s site and convinced city fathers to inaugurate a rose test garden in 1917 with the support of the American Rose Society, City officials, and civic-minded citizens.
The primary purpose of the garden continues to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties. In the beginning, hybridists were encouraged to send roses from around the world to Portland’s garden for testing. Today, the Washington Park IRTG is the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States and welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors each year.
Come see this exhibition garden of 4.5 acres, with over 10,000 rose bushes and 600 varieties of roses! There is no entry fee. A trip to Portland isn’t complete without a visit to WA Park and the International Rose Test Garden, an iconic representation of The Rose City!
About Us
Friends of Washington Park’s International Rose Test Garden is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization, EID 85-2892999. Our mission is to preserve, protect, and enhance the International Rose Test Garden. The Friends recruit and support hundreds of garden volunteers who contribute their time and expertise deadheading, leading tours, and answering questions of garden visitors. The Friends assist in increasing public awareness of the garden and support efforts to maintain and improve the garden. We work in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation.
How Your Donations Help...
Donations to Friends of the International Rose Test Garden are tax-deductible. You can click the button below to make a donation via PayPal. You do not have to have a PayPal account to donate. If you would prefer to send a check, see our address at the bottom of this page. And thank you!
Interested in Volunteering?
You’ll need to complete PP&R volunteer forms and bring them with you. Click Learn More.
Contact Us
Visiting the Rose Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is located in Washington Park, above downtown Portland, Oregon. Parking can be challenging in WA Park due to a multi-year Portland Water Bureau project. Visitors are encouraged to take TriMet MAX Light Rail to Washington Park stop. Starting in April, the free WA Park shuttle runs through the park each weekend and from May through September, the free shuttle runs seven days a week, with a stop at the rose garden. Visit Explore Washington Park for further information.
Washington Park's International Rose Test Garden
Friends of International Rose Test Garden is a non-profit Oregon Corporation, dedictated to preserve, protect, and enhance the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon. You can reach us by email at waparkroses@gmail.com or by postal mail at:
Friends of International Rose Test Garden
c/o Rose Garden Store
850 SW Rose Garden Way
Portland, OR 97205