Garden Lessons from a Grand Northwest Reserve
Borrow classic landscape ideas from this Washington state treasure, a series of gardens as thoughtfully planned as they are spacious
The Bloedel Reserve is one of America's botanical treasures, a 150-acre property on Bainbridge Island, just a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle's waterfront. When you visit, bring a camera and a notebook (and wear comfortable walking shoes) so you can document the many inspiring scenes, plants and garden vignettes created here from the time Prentice and Virginia Bloedel acquired the estate in 1951.
Unlike in most arboretums or botanical gardens, the plants at Bloedel are not labeled. In some ways, this enhances the enjoyment of the woodland paths, strolling lawns and framed vistas. The plant-obsessed should stop by the gate house or visitor's center to borrow a well-labeled map for your explorations. Or join one of the frequent docent-guided tours to get up close and personal with the horticultural specimens.
Here's some background: For a period of 30 years, the Bloedels sustained a sensitive relationship with nature, marrying the designing hand of man with this bucolic woodland setting. They commissioned notable designers, including Fujitaro Kubota, for help with the Japanese Garden; for other distinct gardens within the larger landscape, they turned to landscape architects Thomas Church and Richard Haag and the firm Environmental Planning and Design. Prentice Bloedel orchestrated the development of many garden rooms set in the varied landscape of second-growth hardwood and conifers, meadow and wetlands, glens and gullies.
While they incorporated influences from the Japanese and the European gardening traditions, a respect for the natural attributes of the land prevailed and pervaded. There are now 84 acres of second-growth forest and 66 acres of altered landscapes. The result: a native woodland crisscrossed with shady paths, meadows and a broad selection of formal and informal gardens.
Location and contact info: Bloedel Reserve, 7571 NE Dolphin Dr., Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110-1097; phone: 206-842-7631
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (summer hours: Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.); Sunday, 10 a.m–4 p.m. Open Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day.
Cost: $13; discounts for seniors, military and children 5 to 12; children younger than 5 are free.
Membership info: At $60, the basic annual membership is a great bargain; a single membership entitles you to bring a total of four people each visit.
Here are photographs from my many visits and my thoughts about how grand settings can influence a smaller, residential environment.
Unlike in most arboretums or botanical gardens, the plants at Bloedel are not labeled. In some ways, this enhances the enjoyment of the woodland paths, strolling lawns and framed vistas. The plant-obsessed should stop by the gate house or visitor's center to borrow a well-labeled map for your explorations. Or join one of the frequent docent-guided tours to get up close and personal with the horticultural specimens.
Here's some background: For a period of 30 years, the Bloedels sustained a sensitive relationship with nature, marrying the designing hand of man with this bucolic woodland setting. They commissioned notable designers, including Fujitaro Kubota, for help with the Japanese Garden; for other distinct gardens within the larger landscape, they turned to landscape architects Thomas Church and Richard Haag and the firm Environmental Planning and Design. Prentice Bloedel orchestrated the development of many garden rooms set in the varied landscape of second-growth hardwood and conifers, meadow and wetlands, glens and gullies.
While they incorporated influences from the Japanese and the European gardening traditions, a respect for the natural attributes of the land prevailed and pervaded. There are now 84 acres of second-growth forest and 66 acres of altered landscapes. The result: a native woodland crisscrossed with shady paths, meadows and a broad selection of formal and informal gardens.
Location and contact info: Bloedel Reserve, 7571 NE Dolphin Dr., Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110-1097; phone: 206-842-7631
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (summer hours: Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.); Sunday, 10 a.m–4 p.m. Open Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day.
Cost: $13; discounts for seniors, military and children 5 to 12; children younger than 5 are free.
Membership info: At $60, the basic annual membership is a great bargain; a single membership entitles you to bring a total of four people each visit.
Here are photographs from my many visits and my thoughts about how grand settings can influence a smaller, residential environment.
Work with nature; don't fight it. In the Moss Garden, there's a quiet reverence for all things green. This area reflects Prentice Bloedel's respect for using nature's gifts rather than fighting them. So many people living in wet regions see this landscape and realize how beautiful an all-green, mossy landscape can be — and how fortunate they are to live where moss naturally occurs. For people who live in dry regions, I suggest you merely gaze in awe at the verdant foliage tapestry and think about how you can combine different forms and textures of green plants suitable for your planting zone to create your own Bloedel-inspired scene.
Emulate organic forms, like the flow of water. This seasonal stream moves water through the property, animating a wooded area with movement and reflected light. When adding a water feature (large or small) to your landscape, first observe how water looks in nature. Emulate the irregular journey it may take, echo the types of plants that populate the water's edge and choose a scale that is suitable to the larger garden setting.
Place trees for impact. Looking across the main pond, one can't help but notice a graceful weeping willow tree, its branches glowing with new spring foliage, almost touching the water's surface. To me, the lesson here is all about placement — when a tree is sited in the right spot, it looks natural, as if it has always been there. The other lesson is to admire a tree for its inherent structure and form. Nothing looks more unnatural than an overpruned tree whose owners are trying to tame it into submission.
Create vistas and views. Here's a different perspective across the main pond, looking east toward the original residence. This formal, European-style landscape is characterized by the man-made lake, a romantic pair of swans, the weeping willow, the English elm and a parrot tree, with a magnificent Empress tree in front of the house.
Use water to mirror the larger scene. The Japanese Garden is an inspiring centerpiece of the Bloedel Reserve. This pond, the stones and the sculpted trees surrounding the water were carefully placed to create an overall portrait to delight the viewer. What I love most about this scheme is how each specimen tree is mirrored in the surface of the water, doubling the impact and lending depth to the design.
Don't overlook the small details. While walking along the shaded pathways, I noticed a massed planting of oxalis. I believe it is known as redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana), native to coastal forests from Washington to California. The plant's cloverlike foliage is bright green and thrives in the understory of tall conifers. I found the 1-inch white flowers with lavender veining thoroughly delightful.
Plan a few surprises. In the mist of Bloedel's natural setting and woodland canopy, one is bound to experience a breathtaking moment upon entering the Reflection Garden. This formally designed room contains a shallow, rectangular pool, enclosed by a clipped yew hedge. This is a serene, meditative space focused on water and sky. Any time you can section off a portion of your garden for a quiet, contemplative escape, you will have given yourself a gift. Add a large saucer of water to create your own reflecting pool.
Seek serenity from the garden's beauty. Here is another perspective of the long, slender reflecting pool, situated inside a dark green yew hedge. From this vantage point, you get the idea of scale and proportion and the emotional response it evokes.
Group similar plants for a big statement. It's pretty to see, but this moisture-loving plant does live up to its name: Western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus). Some people find its pungent odor offensive, but its stinky scent doesn't really bother me. What I did notice was the pleasing way a single plant appears when multiplied and randomly spaced. You can try this with any mounding or erect plant. Multiples are always more interesting than a singular plant.
Notice the path of the sun and plant accordingly. Here's another design lesson, taught to us by the lowly Western skunk cabbage. Think about the way light moves through your landscape and situate plants accordingly. When a plant is backlit by the sun at dawn or dusk, its attributes are greatly enhanced. Here, the afternoon sun illuminates the skunk cabbage's foliage so we can see its internal architecture. And it's pretty sensational, isn't it?
Choose a singular tree for its wow factor. Here is the most stunning Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) I've ever seen, its lime-gold foliage just emerging on a spring day. The takeaway here is that if you can only afford one tree on your property, do your homework and choose something people will notice and remember. This is a good choice. I actually had this in my former urban Seattle garden, a 7,200-square-foot lot. Look for a named cultivar like 'Heronswood Globe', which reaches only 25 feet.
Gold always looks good in the garden. This is a golden form of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), glowing against the darker evergreens. It's another awesome landscaping tree to consider, even in the smaller garden, because there are beautiful dwarf cultivars. A good one is 'Twisty Baby', which climbs to 10 feet tall by 12 to 15 feet wide.
Frame your views for heightened enjoyment. On the east side of the estate, there are brilliant views of Puget Sound facing Seattle. The massive planting of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) in the foreground emulates soft ripples of the water. The lesson here: Frame distant views with tall evergreen trees or shrubs. The scene is ultimately more interesting when observed through that planted "frame."
Learn from other garden cultures. Fujitaro Kubota's Japanese Garden is a quiet, contemplative space. The elements of stone and sand evoke meditative moods in the traditional Japanese garden. This was installed when the Bloedels decided to cover over a swimming pool. What a transformation!
Observe and appreciate. The hand-raked lines in the gravel illustrate that in some settings, less is much, much more. I've previously written on Houzz about lines and rhythm, and this intimate detail illustrates both ideas. While not everyone can have a Japanese garden, it's easy enough to use crushed rock or gravel in a small area to complement your plants (the raking is optional).
Play with pattern. One of my favorite design details at Bloedel is this alternating turf and stone pattern next to the Japanese gravel garden. There is beauty in its randomness.
Turn a prosaic feature into a work of art. Make even a short journey a special one. This cobbled walkway leads toward the Japanese teahouse. Note the attractive low fencing on either side, made from lashed bamboo poles.
Tell us: What's your favorite takeaway from this inspiring estate? Let us know in the Comments section below.
More:
Longwood Gardens' Pathways Invite Exploration
Formal Parterre Gardens Rule the Landscape
Tell us: What's your favorite takeaway from this inspiring estate? Let us know in the Comments section below.
More:
Longwood Gardens' Pathways Invite Exploration
Formal Parterre Gardens Rule the Landscape