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Label:
Rose garden
This park contains information about Ladd Circle Park and Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood.
Description
Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens sits at the center of Ladd's Addition, a historic district in Southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood known for its unusual diagonal streets, large trees, and beautiful gardens. The 1.62-acre park includes the green space inside Ladd Circle and four diamond-shaped rose gardens located a short walk from the circle.
The roses are the main attraction. More than 3,000 rose bushes representing about 60 varieties fill the gardens with color, especially during the warmer months. Many of the roses are historic varieties that were popular in the early 1900s. Large trees throughout Ladd's Addition also create a leafy setting that makes the area enjoyable for a walk or bike ride.
Visitors can relax on the grass, explore the rose gardens, take photos, or include the park as part of a longer walk through the neighborhood. The unusual street layout adds to the experience. Diagonal streets lead toward Ladd Circle and the four gardens, creating a neighborhood that feels noticeably different from Portland's more common street grid.
Community volunteers help care for the rose gardens, continuing a long tradition of neighborhood involvement. The park also hosts the Ladds 500, a playful annual bicycle relay that brings hundreds of riders and spectators to the circle each spring.
If you enjoy roses, shady neighborhood walks, historic landscapes, or are just looking for a quiet green space in the city, Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens is well worth a visit.
Friends of Ladd's Addition Garden
Visit the Friends of Ladd's Addition Gardens (FLAG) website for volunteer opportunities and maps of the rose gardens.
Map
Year acquired
1981
Size in acres
1.62
History
Born in Vermont, William Sargent Ladd (1826-1893) came West during the California Gold Rush and settled in Portland in 1851. He prospered as a merchant, established the Ladd and Tilton Bank, and invested in real estate, mainly on the east side of the Willamette River. He was elected mayor in 1854 and was prominent in every aspect of Portland business activity. In 1891 he decided to subdivide his 126-acre farm on Portland's east side. Inspired by Pierre L'Enfant's plan for Washington, D.C., Ladd designed the plat based on a diagonal street system surrounding a central park. Also included were four diamond-shaped rose gardens located on the points of a compass. Ladd's Addition was considerd a radical departure from the common grid pattern of the expanding city.
In 1909, Park Superintendent Emanuel Mische designed a formal landscape plan for the gardens in Ladd's Addition. He planted camellias, perennials, and a lawn area in the central circle and numerous rose varieties in the four diamonds, creating a stunning stained glass effect. Today the gardens feature over 3,000 roses of sixty varieties that were popular in the early 20th century.