City of Roses

"For you a rose in Portland grows."

Portland, Oregon is known as the Rose City.  It's cool, wet spring climate is perfect for growing these lovely flowers. 

In late May, colorful rosebuds explode into bloom all over town.

Portland celebrates it's Rose Festival in early June.  Two weeks of events culminate with the Grand Floral Parade.  Similar to the New Year's Tournament of Roses parade, it features floats decorated with thousands of brightly colored roses.

Portland has a huge rose garden located in Washington Park.  It's a designated International Rose Test Garden, one of 24 official testing sites for the All-America Rose Selections (AARS).  This organization is dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses.

Early June is the perfect time for a tour of the Washington Park rose garden.  Rows upon rows of brightly-colored, fragrant roses cover the grounds. A great place for a stroll.

Of course, I don't have to travel all the way to Washington Park to get my rose fix.  My hubby maintains his own little rose garden right in our front yard.

He grows several varieties of roses, in many gorgeous colors.

I was home this morning, and noticed the blossoms were covered in droplets from last night's rain.

Fantastic photo ops - right in my own yard!

This pale pink rose was my favorite. 

No - this last photo isn't a rose - it's a dew-spangled tulip from over a month ago.  It was so pretty I just had to include it too.

Have a flower-filled weekend!


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