About Peninsula Park Rose Garden
Tucked under tall banks of trees along a residential stretch of N Rosa Parks Way sits a community oasis that’s nearly untouched by time. Peninsula Park is a true gem of the Piedmont neighborhood, with emerald-green lawns, playgrounds for toddlers and older youth, a rainbow-hued splash pad for hot summer days, and one of the Portland's most beautiful destinations: the Peninsula Park Rose Garden.
Peninsula Park Rose Garden Preservation Strategy
Rose Garden Inventory Map
Friends of Peninsula Rose Garden
Friends of Peninsula Rose Garden is a group of neighbors from the North and Northeast Portland community and gardeners from the greater Portland area who love to get outside, especially when that means helping out in this gem of a garden. You might assume we’re all rose growers (well, there are some of those), but no. We are a mix of experienced and beginning gardeners, Master Gardeners, and neighbors who love Peninsula Park, and the beautiful rose garden.
The rose garden was the showplace of its time, with 300,000 visitors in the first year alone. The official Portland rose, named Mme. Caroline Testout, was cultivated in the garden. Once planted by the thousands along the streets of Portland, this rose earned Portland the name 'City of Roses.' In 1913, floral enthusiasts selected Peninsula Park as the location for an annual rose show.
In 1917, Washington Park on Portland’s west side was selected as the site of the International Rose Test Garden and most of the rose show activities were moved there. Other original design elements remain today - the ornamental fountain, street lamps, brick walkways, and the music pavilion. This octagonal bandstand overlooking the rose garden was used for World War I patriotic demonstrations and is now the site for many summer weddings and concerts. This wonderful gazebo-like structure is a National Heritage historical structure and was designated a Portland Historic Landmark in 1973. It is the last of its kind in Portland.