Wandering Wednesday - Portland Rose Garden

 This one really needed its own post, (so many pictures!) which was a visit to the Portland International Test Rose Garden on July 4th. 

We got there about 11 am so it hadn't gotten too terribly hot yet. But we had more than 10,000 roses to see.

The flowers were just a'bloomin' like crazy. I think the last time I'd visited it was early spring and not much had flowered, so this was wonderful.

What a wonderful place this is, no admission fee, the bus stops right next to it so even though it is up above the city it's somewhat accessible to people that need a break from the city.

We took a selfie before I got too sweaty and wrung-out.

All sizes of roses were there all the way from teeny tiny  miniatures to big blowsy singles.

I think this might be my favorite picture that I took of a rose on that morning.

Something about those shiny shiny dark leaves.

This luscious yellow-orange color is just so great.

A longer view of part of the garden.

There were little markers that told you whether or not a rose was "Fragrant" or not. That was nice so you knew whether to go in close and take a whiff or just to admire from afar. Every now and then a breeze would blow and you'd get an overall scent of roses which was lovely.

These are so abundant aren't they, like a full bouquet on just one stem of the rose bush.

There is a central sculpture art piece. Unfortunately the water wasn't turned on but it still looks cool.

This is the only one I remember the name of: "Ketchup & Mustard"

A perfect full white rose with those dark glossy leaves, ahhh.

Hey there's friend Jaye.

Another view of the central sculpture.

Some of the lower gardens have these glorious hillsides just covered in landscape roses. More like ground covers than the individual bushes.

Just so beautiful. There is a map that shows where to find each and every variety that is planted.

A yew bush I think? Maybe? I thought it was funny.

The three arches of blooming pink roses were gorgeous, there were people taking engagement photos and families doing group shots beneath them.

As you walk through the garden you head down the levels and then you have to come back up, so you get a really good view of all the covered steeper hillsides.

This was from the lowest part of the garden and you can't really see the top of it from there.

Some of the roses are in the test sections which is a whole arcane process that helps test new roses varieties before they're produced on scale for release to the public.

Red red red

It's almost too much beauty! So I'll leave you with this Very Happy bumble bee on a pretty pink rose.