Discovering Beautiful Lake Wilderness Arboretum and Park

Long time readers of my blog know that one of the things I like to do is explore gardens. I like to photograph flowers even though I’m not particularly knowledgeable about all the different plants. I have written blog posts about quite a few gardens I have visited in the Puget Sound area. However, I recently read about another one I was not familiar with in the town of Maple Valley south of Seattle. So on a cloudy day in June I made my way south to check out Lake Wilderness Arboretum.

The arboretum is close to the town of Maple Valley and not difficult to find. They offer plenty of parking. The Lake Wilderness Arboretum is also free to visit and offers a quiet and relaxing way to spend a morning or afternoon.

The arboretum is divided into different gardens. When I arrived, I ended up starting in the perennial garden. Perennials, of course, are plants that come back year after year. My visit seemed to come at an in-between time. Some of the spring plants were no longer in bloom while the summer plants had yet to blossom. Peonies seem to be one of the staple plants of this garden, but for the most part they were past their prime. I did get a few decent photos. Fuchsias are the summer flower, but only a few were blooming.

Some rose bushes were heavy with blooms which were nice. Some other plants were in bloom as well. Hostas were also a part of the garden with their unique leaves. This garden was front and center and offered some places to sit and have lunch in the lawns around it.

Near the perennial garden was what they referred to as the legacy garden. Many of the public gardens in the Puget Sound area had their start by someone else who then donated their gardens for use by the community. In essence this is what the legacy garden is. Two well known area gardeners, Loie Benedict and Marjorie Baird, contributed plants from their gardens to the arboretum.

This part of the garden is not so much about flowers. There is a greater emphasis on larger plants and trees. One of the most stunning sights I saw was a huge magnolia flower on a magnolia tree. It was surprising large. Another tree here was a type of Japanese Maple in which the leaves looked faded to pink. The plants here are definitely not your ordinary garden center plants.

One spot here that offered a different experience was the Free Little Library. It was next to a bench covered in vines so one could grab a book and sit in the shade of the vine and enjoy a moment to read.

Beyond the legacy garden was the azalea garden. When I read about the garden, I decided to visit as soon as possible as I knew that azaleas were a spring plant. Unfortunately I was still too late. For the most part the flowers were gone from the azalea bushes. The ones I saw were mostly bedraggled looking. They were also almost all a cream color. I saw just a couple of plants with a different color flower.

There is a ravine in the garden with a small bridge over it for a path. A few plants that are not azaleas are also around, but for the most part this garden was a bit of a disappointment. I think April or May would be a much better time to visit this section of the arboretum.

From the azalea garden i wandered over to the other side of the Lake Wilderness Arboretum, Here there is a children’s discovery garden. Basically it is a wooded area with some places to play. One large structure sits at the edge. The area also contains benches and a picnic table. It’s the kind of place where children would play hide and seek with each other or just run round finding sticks to play with.

This area is part of what they call the woodland garden. This is really more of a forest than a garden. However at one end there are a number of flowering trees including dogwoods and rhododendrons, that add color to the tall conifers that seem native to the area. Some maples add interest as well along with a few other plants which add spots of color.

Speaking of native trees, the garden has a path area dedicated to the Native Americans. Signs along the way point out plants used by native peoples. They note not just food plants but also those used for clothing and household items. We have seen this at a number of locations including at the exhibit for the Canyon of the Ancients in Colorado. The arboretum also has two native wooden carvings which grace this area.

One other small garden sits near the road. It is a rock garden and has, of course, rocks around it. This is not a garden with a lot of flowers. They use a lot of low growing evergreens here to create an interesting garden of colors and textures.

Having explored the arboretum, I went nearby to explore the Lake Wilderness Park. This was initially a private resort area. The owner donated the main resort building to the town of Maple Valley. I walked over to the building, but I only briefly stepped inside as some sort of meeting was taking place in the main area.

While one can’t see the lake from the arboretum, it is actually a fairly good sized lake. The park borders the lake and offers a number of amenities. There is a dock for boats to use and for fishing. Next to the dock is a swimming area. It was closed off when I visited, but it looked like a nice area for kids to enjoy on a hot summer afternoon. My only concern was the lack of shade for parents who wanted to watch their kids.

The park has a few covered structures for picnics or parties. On this cloudy day some families were enjoying the three I saw. There are also areas for recreation with a play area for children with different equipment and a full sized baseball field with a scoreboard for community games.

While Lake Wilderness Park is a bit far for me to use, it certainly looks like a great place for the local community to enjoy. However, the Lake Wilderness Arboretum is worth a drive down to visit and see some of their unusual plants. As with all gardens, timing is everything. Gardens change throughout the year so there should be something to see at any time of year.

Has anyone else visited Lake Wilderness Arboretum? What was your favorite garden area? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

I will not be adding a new post for a few weeks. Look for a new post in December. In the meantime have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends.