The same morning that I visited the Pacific Connections Garden in Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum I also visited the Japanese Garden. I’d lived just blocks away for years but never been. Time to take care of that, and you know I couldn't have picked a better time…the color was on overdrive!
Located within the Washington Park Arboretum this is a 3 1/2 acre formal garden designed and constructed under the supervision of world-renowned Japanese garden designer Juki Iida in 1960. How about I stop "talking" now and just let you enjoy the autumn color...
So that's another one of those places I've always been curious about but never been to...and now I know what it's all about. As I mentioned a while back members of the Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden here in Portland get reciprocal membership at Portland's Japanese Garden during the month of November. I plan to visit soon and see how "we" compare.
Gorgeous color! And we can learn so much about garden design and composition from this garden. Coincidentally, we just visited Portland's Japanese garden this past weekend. Seattle's looks bigger, but there are some beautiful parts of Portland's, like the Rock and Sand Garden, that I think you'll love. This is definitely the month to go - soon!
ReplyDeleteI shouldn't even weigh in on the matter as it's been so long since I visited Portland's garden but I think ours might actually be bigger, but Seattle's is long and narrow taking advantage of the surrounding arboretum to look larger. I don't recall anywhere at the PDX garden where you got such long sight-lines.
DeleteThanks for the nudge, I'm going!
Beautiful color! Your timing was perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe Seattle Japanese Garden compares very favorably to other Japanese gardens I've visited. I'd love to see it some day.
In my opinion, the Portland Japanese Garden is in a league of its own. But then, I'm pretty biased in that respect, seeing how it's my favorite public garden :-)
For someone so close to the Berkeley Botanical Garden, Strybing and Ruth Bancroft to say the Portland Japanese Garden is their fav is really saying something!
DeleteBeautiful pictures! It's nice for me to see these fall pictures, since the only time I was there was in spring. I think there has also been some renovation since then.
ReplyDeleteIf they have done a renovation then they did an excellent job of blending the old and new, nothing screamed "new!"...
DeleteThe autumn colours are stunning on this garden, absolutely stunning! Shows how Japanese gardens take into consideration all seasons, and tend to look good all year round. But the autumn colours of the Japanese maples does look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteNothing quite like a garden full of colorful deciduous trees!
Deletei love these pictures
DeleteLove the great fall colors. It's ridiculous that you visit Seattle more than I do! One more place to add to the Seattle list.
ReplyDeleteYes you really need to get out more! You can lump Ravenna Gardens into a day at the arboretum and maybe even hit City Peoples Garden Store on Madison too!
DeleteGorgeous pics!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb!
DeleteDesigned in 1960...lovely to see it in (relative) maturity now.
ReplyDeleteLove that distinctive "Ginko gold", too. One tree that colors up even here reliably.
A peaceful moment on an anxious day--we all need it. Thanks!
I hadn't even thought of it that way but I'm glad that it turned out as such. Great day all around!
DeleteEven I will admit that is beautiful!!! Autumn - not the fall - is definitely a feast for the eyes. Now all we need is for the early blooming narcissus, camellia, hellebores, etc to announce the commencement of spring. We're skipping winter this year you know? Especially being that we are in the year of summer.
ReplyDeleteNothing would make me happier than to skip right from Autumn to Spring...maybe we can have winter from December 21st - January 1st...how does that sound?
DeleteJust so long as we don't drop below 28F between that 21st - 1st. I have determined I could handle that.
DeleteS-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!
ReplyDeletethank you.
DeleteThere is no such thing as a bad time to visit a Japanese garden, but I agree with Mr Bock: your timing was perfect. You captured it splendidly.
ReplyDeleteThanks ricki, pure dumb luck!
Deletehow perfect stunning in the fall I have bben there one of my favorite Japanese gardens...really fantasic shots!! the fringy leaf shot alone...to die for
ReplyDeleteThere was a photographer with a big fancy pants camera who saw me taking that shot and ran right over to get it as I stepped away. No doubt hers was better but I was pretty happy to have captured it.
DeleteBEAUTIFUL !!!!
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteJust beautiful, the colors are so intense and the range is amazing. Great shots of all the leaves too.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a beautifully designed space as well.
It really was. I'm no aficionado of the Japanese Garden style but it certainly had a good feeling.
DeleteOh my goodness that garden must be beautiful. I especially like the ginkgo.
ReplyDeleteI noticed one very similar just around the corner from my house yesterday, the same beautiful structure and color.
DeleteBe still my heart! EXTRAORDINARY and so GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteMother nature does good work!
DeleteGorgeous photos--I can't believe how many times I've been to Seattle without visiting this garden. Thank goodness for your virtual tours!
ReplyDeleteI think I still have you beat in the number of times I've driven past it and never stopped.
DeleteSadly, I've never been to the Seattle one...will have to remedy that. When I lived downtown, I used to walk up to the Portland one all the time...and during Autumn, would take a week off work and go up every morning to take photos...it was so great!
ReplyDeleteA week off work! I love it, how luxurious.
DeleteLooks lovely--I'll have to try to arrange a visit some time. And in the meantime thanks for the reminder to visit our Asian gardens here in Portland while they are in their Fall glory.
ReplyDeleteVery nice photos, Loree. My family and I visited this garden after the Seattle Fling last summer. I'd love to see it in fall too. And one day I need to visit the Portland Japanese garden as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you the the comprehensive collection of photos. I have not yet made it to this garden, but I feel like I was there. If you are ever in Chicago, check out our garden in Rockford, IL especially in May or October.
ReplyDeleteSpot on with this write-up, I really think this site needs a great deal more
ReplyDeleteattention. I?ll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the info!
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your article. I like to write a little comment to support you.
ReplyDeleteOnly a smiling visitor here to share the love (:,
ReplyDeletebtw outstanding style.