Articles with Japanese garden

The Calming Oasis of Seattle’s Community Gardens

In many cities there are large botanical gardens to explore. The Pacific Northwest is blessed to have a number of such excellent, well known gardens. These include the sweeping Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, the Seattle Japanese Garden near the University, and the Rhododendron Species Garden in Federal Way. However, it is also good to take note of the smaller community gardens throughout the region. These may not be so large and well manicured, but they can offer an opportunity…

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Tranquil Moments at Lakewold Gardens in Tacoma

During COVID when many travel opportunities shut down, visiting gardens remained possible. Most years I might only visit a garden two or three times a year. Not during COVID. With so many other sites and activities shut down, gardens became a tranquil place to visit. The Lakewold Gardens in Tacoma, Washington was one of our options. Like many other gardens in the Puget Sound area, this garden started out as a personal garden which later became a public garden. The…

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Bloedel Reserve: Following the Trail

If you are in need of a quiet place in the midst of our chaotic world today, visit a garden. In a previous post I suggested three gardens to visit. Today I am suggesting just one, The Bloedel Reserve which USA Today recently named one of the 10 best botanical gardens in the U.S. The Bloedel Reserve is located at the northern end of Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound. This 150 acre garden and forest area was originally the home…

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Gardens to Visit In and Near Seattle

The state of Washington’s nickname is the Evergreen State. Many people think it rains here all the time. That’s not really true. We don’t have a lot of heavy rains, but many gray days with a light rain. Summers, however, can be quite beautiful and warm. In fact this is a perfect climate to grow many wonderful plants, and gardening is a popular activity in the Puget Sound region. Garden enthusiasts can find a number of gardens in the Seattle…

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