Portland, OR Part II: Gardens

Oregon has a reputation of being a haven for gardeners because of its relatively mild winters, plenty of moisture, and surprisingly warm and sunny summers. One of the best testimonies to that is the fact they use roses as landscape plantings at some of the interstate exchanges around the area. Therefore, it is fitting that Portland should also be the home of the International Rose Test Gardens.

Although Paul was an avid gardener before we became full-time RVers, he was never too fond of roses. It wasn't that he didn't think the flowers were pretty, it was because roses are sometimes a hassle to grow. They need to be pruned, sprayed for insects, sprayed for fungus and diseases, and protected in winter (at least in our old hometown of Pittsburgh).

Portland must be much more conducive to growing roses than many other locations because they had 20 miles of rose-lined streets in the early 1900s when Portland earned itself the name "City of Roses." In 1917, the Portland Rose Society, with the help of the American Rose Society, convinced Portland city fathers to establish a rose test garden. The garden, which is located in Portland's Washington Park, is the oldest, continuously-operating rose test garden in the world. Washington Park is located on the western side of Portland, and there is ample free parking in the vicinity of the rose gardens. The rose gardens are also free, but donations are accepted.

The International Rose Test Gardens, which cover about 45 acres, are built on several terraces above the Willamette River. The photo below shows one of the walkways leading down the terraces.

There are over 7,000 rose plants in the gardens. The next several photos give you an idea of the number and the variety of the roses.

 

 

In addition to shrub roses that are most familiar, there were also miniature roses and climbing roses like the one on the lamp post in the next photo.

There were so many beautiful roses we didn't know where to look next. Below is a composite of just a few of the varieties.

Adjacent to the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park is the Portland Japanese Garden. We were able to hit both gardens from the same parking spot. The is a walk up the hill to the Japanese Garden isn't too strenuous, but there is a shuttle available if you would rather save your energy. We chose to walk. The next photo shows Margery at the Antique Gate at the bottom of the hill.

 

In 1962, the city created a commission to establish a Japanese garden in Washington Park at the former site of the Portland Zoo, which was moved to a new location in the park in 1959. The Portland Japanese Garden, which has been recognized as being one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside Japan, was opened to the public in 1967.

Japanese gardens are full of symbolism and are highly stylized. They usually have three elements - stone representing mountains and the earth, water (either real or represented symbolically by pebbles or raked sand or gravel in dry stream beds and dry ponds) signifying purity, and plants to provide color and texture and to denote growth.

There are lots of intertwining walkways in the garden, so we followed the numbered map so we wouldn't miss anything. The first feature we came to was the Flat Garden. The rake marks in the sand symbolize ripples on a pond or sea.

After passing the Wisteria Arbor (the wisteria wasn't in bloom), we came to the Strolling Pond Garden. Here at the upper pond, sculptures of cranes were silhouetted before reflections of different textures and colors of foliage.

 

Adjacent to the upper pond is an authentic Japanese tea house. The garden surrounding the tea house is very subdued. Features of the garden, like the water feature in the photo below, are intended to add to the calming aspect of the ritual of the tea ceremony.

 

Past the tea house is the Zig Zag Bridge leading through the iris beds at the edge of the lower pond. The purpose of all the turns of the Zig Zag Bridge is to give the visitor reason to pause and take in the new view at each turn.

 

We were fortunate to be at the garden in late June, which is when the Japanese iris bloom.

At the end of the lower pond is Heavenly Falls, visible between the rock and the lantern.

 

At the far end of the garden is the Natural Garden. Stone paths wind down a hillside and provide constantly-changing views of trees, shrubs, ferns, moss, and a shallow stream.

 

As we exited the Japanese Garden, there was a view of part of downtown Portland with Mount Hood in the distance.

 

When we left the gardens, we were hungry, so we headed downtown to look for the Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain. We had recently seen the Blueplate on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It is just a little place with seating for only about 25 people.

 

The next photo shows Margery at the Blueplate.

 

From our seats at the counter, we could watch all the action. Believe it or not, all the cooking is done on portable electric griddles and hot plates. Since they couldn't install a vent hood, they couldn't install professional cooking equipment and they have to rely only on the portable cooking units. Even though there is a limited menu, there is a lot of hustling going on behind the counter. The owner does all the cooking, and two gals serve food, make sodas and milk shakes, rinse dishes, load and unload the dishwasher, and do whatever else needs to be done. The photo below shows the owner plating up some food.

 

We ordered two lunches to share - cheeseburger sliders smothered in Tillamook cheddar cheese with pesto mayo and a pulled-pork barbecue sandwich on Texas toast (the special of the day). Both had sides of mashed potatoes (they were out of mac and cheese already) and both were delish.

With our bellies full, we headed back to the motor home. Stay tuned for our next adventure in the Portland area.