Our first trip to see B.J., Jenn and Jack in Portland, Oregon. It is actually my first trip to Portland ever.

Portland did not disappoint. Our first day in Portland Jennifer took us to the International Rose Garden. What a treat…

Portland is known as the “City of Roses”.  After visiting Portland’s International Rose Garden I could see why…it is!  I have never seen such spectacular, colorful and fragrant roses.  We missed the Rose Festival by a week or so, but the rose garden was still a must see.

The primary purpose of this garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties. The City of Portland Gold Medal Awards are issued annually to the best introductions. The first “Gold Medal” rose award was given in 1919, making it the oldest rose testing program of its kind in the United States. Portland is the only North American city to issue such awards. These award winning varieties are planted in the Gold Medal Garden.

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 old garden roses were moved to another area of the garden.

Portland seems to be the perfect climate for flowers.  These hydrangeas were growing in the median strip of a mall…spectacular!