"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Monday, April 19, 2010

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.
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40 comments:

  1. I so enjoyed my Monday Morning walk with you at the Botanicals. Now, off to get dressed and head out to find my walk for the day. I never know where I'm going to go when the car pulls out of the drive.

    Have a great week.
    Kate

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  2. Beautiful garden, Catherine, and your pictures reflect its beauty very well! I love trillium and salmonberry especially. We also had a lovely Sunday. Drove to Whidbey island, La Conner, etc.,after cancelling our trip to Italy because of the airtraffic mess in Europe. A lot of wonderful places to enjoy in WA!

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  3. Looks like a great place to enjoy the gardens and nature. The gardens look so inviting.

    I did the same thing this weekend but Bellingrath (I'll post tomorrow) was not up to par this time. We must have visited during a transition time when the next plants have not been set yet.

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  4. That is just beautiful! Very natural and well done for a botanical garden (sometimes they look a little forced to me). You are lucky to have one so close to you!

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  5. Oh that's a gorgeous place Catherine. I could spend the whole day and more there.
    That flower you thought was a trout lily looks like a shooting star to me (Dodecatheon) I know this because I've foolishly tried to grow it in my arid climate over and over with no luck!

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  6. What beautiful gardens Catherine. I hope you make it to the sale too..

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  7. You posted some really awesome pictures Catherine. I'm racking them up in my mind for ideas. I sure hope you make it to the native plant sale. I'm anxiously awaiting ours at the Nashville gardens. What a great day. Sweet Pea and the Littlest Gardener were too cute on FB.

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  8. Kathleen - You are right! I knew they looked familiar but couldn't think of the name. They are such cute little flowers.

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  9. This is a WONDERFUL botanical garden! I enjoyed the tour. Love your photo of the moss covered curved tree trunks! I spent some time at one of our local botanic gardens this weekend too. So peaceful!

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  10. Thanks for the photos. I love that it is free for people to just enjoy. I'd be there a lot if it was possible. Beautiful.

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  11. Oh Catherine, it's so beutiful there! I surely understand why you like it. And you made me make a decition, I've been thinking about going to the Botanic Garden in Lund some day and if it won't rain by the end of this week I'll do just that! I'll go to town to get the Carpenter a birthdaypresent and visit the Botanical garden at the same time. It amazing that we live so close to that wonderful place and still we never go there, crazy! Thanks for charing those pictures / gittan

    If you ever pass thrue Sweden I'll be more than happy to give you lots of plants for free =)

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  12. Beautiful photos... I wish we had as much growth here already!

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  13. Catherine, you take such lovely photos! I enjoyed this post very much and will keep the Bellevue gardens in mind next time I head north :)

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  14. Fabulous...what a treat!! thanks for sharing that ..wow..super beautiful!!So exciting...yay!
    Kiki~

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  15. Hi Catherine. What a beautiful walk through the gardens. I love the moss on the trees. The Solmonberry is so pretty. The primroses do look fantasic along the creek. What a wonderful day you had.

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  16. What a beautiful place! Great pictures, thanks for sharing them!

    I might try to make it to the Native Plant sale too, although my budget for plants is pretty much shot for this year.

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  17. What gorgeous gardens! Thank you for taking us on a tour of all it has to offer. I can't believe it is free too. I hope to be able to visit sometime when I travel back up your way :-)

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  18. Dear Catherine, What a wonderful resource for you to have nearly on the doorstep. I do think that Botanical Gardens are superb places for instruction and information although I never feel that they have the special atmosphere of a private garden.

    I really love the Mertensias and would agree with you that the Mertensia paniculata would make a very attractive border perennial and looks much more vigorous than the Viginica cultivar.

    Enjoy your week!

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  19. Catherine.....so much to luv about this post. It's all so pretty that it almost doesn't look real.

    When I was a kid, we would pick Shooting Stars from the woods behind our house. We have Trout Lilies around here and the flowers are yellow.

    What a lovely outing with your family. Thanks for sharing.

    donna

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  20. Thanks Catherine for sharing your Sunday walk with us. It looks a beautiful spot. Hope that you make it back for that plant sale :)

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  21. That is a lovely place! I especially love the Japanese gardens. Wow! Large, jagged rocks and Japanese maples are two things I long for in my garden!

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  22. aloha catherine,

    what a wonderful garden, thank you for taking us on a tour of this special place, i loved all the natives that i've never seen and also love that japanese garden...so much color and texture it is very special....

    i really enjoyed the virtual tour

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  23. Wow Catherine, absolutely gorgeous. What a treat it must have been.

    We've certainly had gorgeous weather haven't we? It's sprinkling right now but at 60 degrees with no wind, who cares? Love it.

    Thank you for the tour.

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  24. I live so close and have never been. I might have to get over there.

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  25. Catherine, What a beautiful place! Your photos are definitely giving me some inspiration for new spring-flowering additions to my garden. And, of course, I consider a 72-degree sunny day just about perfect for any purpose! -Jean

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  26. Glad your weather was beautiful too this weekend. It was positively glorious here. The garden is just beautiful, and looks so inviting, and peaceful. The Uvularia grandiflora is magnificent! I hope your flower buds transform into beautiful flowers soon.

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  27. I just love visiting gardens like that - thanks for taking us through it. Kim and I need to go see our local botanical garden soon and see what's happening.

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  28. Looks like a wonderful place to visit Catherine. It's so much fun to see plants I have never seen or heard of. I know you had to have enjoyed your visit.

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  29. That would be such a beautiful place to visit. I bet you could get so new ideas from all that they have there. Great photos of your early summer.

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  30. I still am trying to wrap my head around a FREE botanical garden. Never seen one of those before.

    I think the Japanese garden style suits the Pacific Northwest. Aren't both blessed with plenty of moisture?

    As for the Uvularia, it's uncommon here, but possible, and your picture has gently reminded me I've always wanted one.

    Christine in Alaska

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  31. What a wonderful garden, my favorite is the Native Discovery Garden, thank you for taking us on a tour. Take care.

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  32. Oh Catherine, Botanical Gardens are certainly grand in the spring!! Thanks for sharing your day with us.

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  33. What a wonderful botanic garden! I could lose myself for hours there!

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  34. Catherine, I think your pictures say it all! You are so good at capturing your subjects in the most beautiful settings. I am working on getting better with photography but still a novice.

    Eileen

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  35. Hi Catherine - I love that place! Need to get there more often. What a splendid day you had for it! I hope we will see you at the plant sale, since it seems to be our May SAGBUTT outing. Maybe we can coordinate a time to at least all say hi to each other there. Love the shooting star, and also the moss-covered branches. It's true, Mother Nature is the best artist of all. Thanks for the name on Mertensia paniculata - we saw that when we visited last month but didn't see a tag. It reminds me a bit of lungwort, maybe that's why we like it so much. :) PS That plant amnesty Tree Festival was last year, I'm not sure they're doing it again. It was fun, though!

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  36. Beautiful! I need to make a trip to the Bellevue Botanical Garden. I haven't been there in years. Thanks for sharing your pictures.

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  37. What a beautiful garden to have visited.

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  38. Beautiful photographs... thanks for the tour! I love the rocks and rock paths and all the wildflowers!

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  39. Wonderful blog and great photos to boot! As always I am jealous of those in the Pacific NW. It always looks so lush. Where I am in Ontario, Canada the Magnolias and forsythias are at their peak. I'll be watching. Thanks.

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