While you Chicagoans may revel in the so-called "Windy City or you Philadelphians proudly proclaim that you actually live in the "City of Brotherly Love," I know for certain that Portland, Oregon is the "City of Roses."
That is because I live here and not only have stopped to smell the roses, but have actually viewed several thousand of them in Portland's International Rose Test Garden.
This famous Oregon site is home to more than 8,000 roses received from all over the United States and the rest of the globe since World War I. Every year hundreds of thousands of people from around the world come to enjoy Portland's signature landmark.
The rose garden dates from 1917 when three prominent nurserymen met in Portland and decided that it was the perfect spot for an American Test Garden. Since it had 200 miles of rose-bordered streets, Portland had already been dubbed "City of Roses," and this was a perfect opportunity to enhance this reputation.
Between Portland Parks & Recreation and The American Rose Society, the garden soon became a reality. According to the Portland Parks and Recreation website, Jessie Currey, president of Portland's Rose Society at the time, petitioned for the city to serve as a safe haven for hybrid roses grown in Europe during World War I.
Rose lovers the world over feared that the bombing would destroy many unique European rose plants. Thus, "foreign growers sent roses from many countries to the "City of Roses." By the way, Portland is the only city in North American that is empowered to issue "awards of merit" to roses throughout the world.
Two areas of the Test Gardens are popular for outdoor nuptials. The Shakespearean Garden [features plants mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare, such as the delightful (though poisononous) Angel's Trumpet, mentioned in Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, and Anthony & Cleopatra. Up to 75 well-wishers can attend wedding ceremonies in the Shakespeare Garden.
Another favorite place to tie the knot is the Gold Medal Garden, a formal garden featuring award-winning roses, walkways, a central fountain, and a raised, covered area. The Gold Medal Garden will accommodate up to 25 people.
I could wander forever in the Rose Garden; it's design allows you to wander through row after row of roses of every hue and pattern, to view each and every one of the over 8,000 rose bushes if desired.
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