The International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park is the oldest public rose test garden in the US and is home to over 7,000 roses of around 550 varieties. New types of roses are sent to the garden from all over the world and are tested for color, fragrance, disease resistance and other attributes.

William Ladd came out west and settled in Oregon during the California Gold Rush. Today at the gardens, you can find over 3,000 roses of sixty different varieties. He came to be a prominent businessman and eventually Mayor of Portland. In 1891, he decided to subdivide his land into a diagonal street system surrounding a central park. That area is now known as Ladd's Addition, and it is one of the most unique neighborhoods in the city.

Peninsula Park is home to the city's first public rose garden. Around 100 varieties of roses are grown in the plots surrounding the nearly 100-year-old fountain. The park is also home to Portland's second oldest playground and a gazebo-like octagonal bandstand that dates back to 1913. It is now a popular place for beautiful summer weddings and concerts.