Photos by Cheryl Landes

The Owen Rose Garden, is an 8.5-acre park with more than 4,000 roses representing 400 varieties. Former Eugene city councilman and lumberman, George E. Owen, donated five acres of the land and his house to the city in 1951. The Eugene Rose Society donated the original 750 rose bushes.

The garden is near the Washington Jefferson Street Bridge next to the Willamette River. It was the first parcel in Eugene’s Riverfront Park, which stretches from the Ferry Street Bridge near the University of Oregon to the Greenway Bike Bridge near Valley River Center.

The garden is a nice place for a picnic or to wander around and enjoy the beautiful rose blossoms and fragrances.

There’s also a nationally recognized Oregon Heritage Cherry Tree. This grand black tartarian cherry tree is approximately 187 years old. It has a 15-foot 10-inch diameter, stands 60 feet high, and is 80 feet wide.

Here’s another Eugene garden from my Armchair Photo Tours series that you might enjoy:
Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden