Bellevue Botanical Gardens - Spring beauty!

Yesterday ended up feeling more like early summer than early spring. Our high was 72 degrees and it was beautiful. It was just the perfect day to take a walk around the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. These gardens are made up of 53 acres which are divided into different types of gardens: display, woodland, wetlands and meadows. For some reason we hadn't been in a couple of years and we had also never gone in the spring. We spent one and a half hours just walking and looking at all of the beauty there. I know I could've easily stayed longer, but our 3 year old, the Littlest Gardener, could only walk for so long before she was ready for a break.
I tried to limit the pictures for this post, this is just a tiny sample of what there was to see.

This pond connected to a couple others by small waterfalls.

Uvularia grandiflora or Large flowered bellwort. I had planted this same plant about 5 years ago and have never had a bloom. When I came home to see what mine was looking like I was excited to find a couple of flower buds.

Azaleas were blooming in many places, and most were this deep red. I love how the Brunnera 'Jack Frost' looks in front of it.

This was inside the Yao Japanese Garden. I think Japanese gardens are one of my very favorite types. I loved the Primulas growing in the stream bed. This garden was full of Japanese Maples, azaleas and ferns.

More of the Japanese Garden.

Another part I loved was this Native Discovery Garden. We could hear frogs in this pond/wetland area. This type of garden made me realize just how beautiful the native plants are here.

I think these are Trout Lilies, but let me know if I'm incorrect. (Native garden)
**Update - Kathleen, you are right they are Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon)**

Double Salmonberry (Rubus spectablilis) 'Double Olympic' (Native Garden)

Trillium (Native Garden)

Walking along the Lost Meadow trail, which is about 1/3 of a mile, takes you through a beautiful tree filled area. It's left to be mostly natural, but we read on a sign that volunteers are continually working on ridding invasive species such as English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberries. We saw birds like this Spotted Towhee flying up high in the treetops all the way down to the Wrens, Robins and Juncos lower to the ground foraging for food. We sat on a bench just to listen to the birds calling to each other.

Sweet Pea remembered learning about nursing logs, which we saw many of. This one's branches reminded me of moss covered ribs. Nature's art is my favorite!

After we finished the trail we entered where they are working on the perennial border. I loved this plant. Mertensia paniculata is native in the northern part of North America. I bet this would do better than my Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

There wasn't too much lawn left in the Gardens. I've noticed they've added more beds, like this one which bordered on the Waterwise garden. But there is just enough grass for a picnic or for kids (like mine) to run around and play.

Admission is free to the gardens and it is definitely worth taking a drive to. May 8th they will be having the Washington Native Plant Society sale from 10 am to 4 pm. I'm sure hoping I can make it back for that. Otherwise I know we'll back again soon to see more blooms another day.