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The Garden Traveler

Seattle Gardens to Visit

18 years ago

My group is planning a trip to Seattle in late July to visit public and private gardens, and I hope you can recommend your favorites to us. We are definitely going to visit the following:

Heronswood

Little & Lewis Sculpture Garden

Blodel Reserve

Some of the other gardens we're considering are:

Bradner Gardens Park

Bellevue Botanic Garden

Carl English Jr. Garden

Kubota Garden

Wells-Medina Nursery

Seattle Japanese Garden

Seattle Tilth

Washington Park Arboretum

Can you let me know which of these you think are best (we won't have time for all of them)? Also, any additional suggestions you have would be great. We'll be seeing a lot of private gardens, too.

Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: San Diego Horticultural Society

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Comments (3)

susi_so_calif
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks to all those who replied to me privately. Any one else have any suggestions? Our group has already been to both Victoria Island (Butchart Gardens) and Vancouver, and on this trip will be visiting ONLY Bainbridge Island and the immediate Seattle area.
farmerwallis
18 years ago
Hello

See these gardens:

Bellevue Botanic Garden. This is the Heronswood demonstration garden. Glenn Withey and Charles Price, in collaboration with Carrie Becker and Bob Lilley, drew heavily on the Heronswood catalog to create one of the best perennial borders in the United States. Keep in mind that Heronswood is a nursery and use of space must be efficient; you shop aisles of plants at Heronswood. BBG is a celebration of the plant, of the art that might be created with plants. You will not regret it.
Washington Park Arboretum/Seattle Japanese Garden. In July, this park is a welcome leafy green stroll among trees and shrubs you might see once, twice in a lifetime.
Bloedel Reserve. Exquisite.
Kubota Garden. A good Japanese-American garden getting better each year. Worth seeing if you have time.
Seattle Tilth/Good Shepherd Center. Excellent perennial borders and lovely vegetable gardens. Worth seeing if you have time.
Bradner Gardens. Excellent shrubbery and exquisite vegetable demonstration garden. Excellent public art. Worth seeing if you have time.

Wallis Bolz

Seattle Tilth
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bahia
18 years ago
Susi,
For me, the highlite of the Hortisexual's Tour to Seattle a few years ago was Linda Cochrane's garden on Bainbridge Island, and of course, Little and Lewis' garden and sculpture displays. We also got to see the CEO of Costco's private garden on Lake Washington, which was spectacular. You should give Robin of Geraniacea a call to get the rest of the list of gardens, as she and Richard of the Dry Garden Nursery in Oakland really put together a spectacular trip, and I can't put my hands on the list as I still haven't unpacked things since the summer, 2005 remodel of my house. Dick Turner at Pacific Horticulture Magazine would also be a good source, as he planned a similar trip for members after the Hortisexual Trip to Seattle.

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