Tacoma’s Pt. Defiance Rose Garden

The largest rose garden in the state of Washington

Not all the wild animals you may hear are confined inside Tacoma’s Zoo and Aquarium in Point Defiance Park.

From high cliffs overlooking the Tacoma Narrows, people can hear local bald eagles screeching as they feed on native salmon runs that pass through the narrow straits on strong tidal currents.

Their calls can also be heard from their nests in the 400 acre old-growth forest that is preserved within the park boundary. It’s not unusual to see 4 eagles flying vigorously at the same time when the salmon are plentiful. Often, they compete for a meal with the native South Sound orca pods who visit too.

In winter, sea lions migrating from California feed in the swirling tides beneath the Gig Harbor overlook on the northernmost point of the peninsula. Harbor seals are common near the tip of the point most of the year, and their pups are frequently observed north of Owen Beach in late summer and early fall (humans and their dogs need to keep their distance to avoid spooking the pups and their parents.)

Point Defiance Park also provides habitat for mule deer, red foxes, pileated woodpeckers, Douglas squirrels, and raccoons.

But one of the most popular pastimes in the park is to simply sit in the colorful Rose Garden among the 1500 roses in quiet contemplation and let the sounds of the park come to you.

The rose garden began in 1895 when the park superintendent solicited rose cuttings from local students for the park – and three years later, arbors had been built and 75 roses were flourishing under the superintendent’s care.

Now the garden contains over 1500 roses in 4 quadrants around a wooden pagoda, including a special section for miniatures around a wishing well. All the plantings are protected from native deer by a 12 ft tall fence with locking gates. Before it was erected, the deer had a long-term buffet for years.

It is managed by Metro Parks Tacoma and the Tacoma Rose Society and is still located in its original 1885 location. There is also a dahlia garden in one corner next to the rose garden, and an iris test garden as well.

Visitors will find Japanese, Rose, and Dahlia gardens surrounding the former superintendent’s home, now called the Lodge, which was built in 1898 in the year of the Yukon Gold Rush. It was refurbished in 1988 and is rented throughout the year for weddings and receptions.

A prominent feature of the Japanese Garden is the Pagoda, built in 1914 as a streetcar station. When buses replaced street cars throughout the West, the Pagoda became a waiting area for buses in 1938.

In 1963 it was transformed into a center for Rose Society sales, weddings, and social gatherings. In 2011 the Pagoda was heavily damaged in an arson fire but beautifully restored to what you see here.

All of the gardens are located near the park’s Pearl Street entrance, on the approach to the Zoo and Aquarium. It is sited on a bluff looking down on a waterfront containing the new Dune Peninsula Park, Tacoma Yacht Club, Anthony’s Restaurant, and the Washington State Ferry landing providing access to Vashon Island.

Written by guest contributor Steve Mitchell.

Sources: Metro Parks Tacoma, Tacoma Rose Society, Wikipedia 2018