Thursday, January 14, 2016

Bellevue Botanical Garden

The 2011 Seattle Garden Bloggers Fling included a stop at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. Ever since that visit I've wanted to get back, I finally did last October on a beautiful (sunny!) day.

Parts of the garden were as I remembered them, parts were different, it has been 4 and half years...

The rock garden area still had a unfinished feel to it, although I do believe it's finished.

Trough planters can look a little, well, rough...don't you think?

I'm never a fan of nursery labels stuck in the soil, but when the labels are larger than the plants? That's even worse.

Then again I looked for a label here, but couldn't find one. (Gaura lindheimeri - thanks edgeplot)

Weigela, I presume.

Yes. I love the pattern.

Rosa rugosa 'Alba'

There were several families in their Sunday best, posing for photographs on the lawn. I had to work to not get any of them in my photo.

I think these cairns were in a different spot last time. And are they still cairns if they are glued, or bolted, together?

The Nolina 'La Siberica' a remember...

And now I have three in my garden.

I saw this and thought  is was Artemisia versicolor 'Sea Foam', they've got it labeled as Artemisia alba 'Canescens' (Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...)

Post-bloom Hedychium are (almost) cool as blooming Hedychium.

Datisca cannabina / False Hemp

I thought I would regret giving away my variegated Arundo donax, I don't.

Carex tenuiculmis 'Cappuccino'

One of last summer's plant crushes: Ligularia dentata 'Britt-Marie Crawford' – I bought two, both of them had a very rough go of it with our long hot and dry summer. I hope they return this spring.

Rheum palmatum 'atrosanguineum'

Metapanax delavayi

Aralia cordata 'Sun King'

This little guy! It's been a very long time since I've seen a Woolly Bear Caterpillar.

Did you know their bands of color are supposed to predict how bad a winter will be? Click here, for one of many websites variously buying into, or disproving the theory.

Poor Mahonia in a cage!

Oh, well maybe not. Lucky Mahonia in a cage!

Finally I'll leave you with a very exciting discovery...how beautiful is this?

Daphniphyllum teijsmanni...(their website calls it Daphniphyllum teijsmannii 'Mountain Dove')

This one has much bigger (wider, longer) and leathery leaves than on my D. himalaense ssp macropodum 'Variegated'. The JC Raulston Arboretum has photos of several interesting Daphniphyllum, check them out here.

I can see now that I'll be making regular (ish) trips to this garden just so I can check in on this tree!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

23 comments:

  1. Nice collection of images from BBG! The white flowers are Gaura lindheimeri. You are right about the stone art - it used to be arranged differently, but the construction of the new visitor center required it to be relocated.

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    1. Thank you for the ID...and the confirmation!

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  2. Glad you enjoyed your visit, it's a great garden. It looks like most of the photos you showed were from the NPA border. I hope you made it further into the garden, there's so much more to see, like the new suspension bridge.

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    1. I did wander down along the path to the Japanese Garden through the Rhododendron Glen and back up along the border. I did not make it as far as the suspension bridge...had to watch the clock and get on the road back to Portland. Next time!

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  3. Seeing autumn images fit right in with this "winter" day where it feels like spring here (almost 60ºF). :) Love the Nolina 'La Siberica' -- of course it's not hardy enough for my garden. Nice seeing the mature Aralia cordata 'Sun King' though, as it gave me an idea of what that plant will look like in a few years. I think I should have snapped one of those up last fall when there were plenty around.

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    1. Yes you should have...but there's always next year. It's a beauty!

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  4. What a lovely stroll on this gray day! Thank you for sharing. The caged plants are funny...and the Mountain Dove tree is beautiful. I love the red with the green. I will put this garden on my wish list!

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    1. Oh yes...if you're ever up Seattle way there are many good gardens you must see!

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  5. I love the Daphniphyllum! Not something that would grow here, unfortunately.

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    1. You've got so many great plants to chose from, I'll keep that one for myself!

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  6. It looks like a great place to explore. Somebody else recently blogged about it--can't remember who. Might have been the Outlaw Gardener.

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    1. Are you thinking of Rebecca Sweet perhaps?

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  7. Oh my, mega drool on that variegated Daphniphyllum!

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    1. Right? And it was kind of hidden too, in an "out of the way" spot. Good thing I needed to use the restroom!

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  8. The only time I made it to this garden, the borders were being renovated, with limited access. Why do these things seem to happen when I have commandeered a group of reluctant garden visitors? Nice to get a peek at what we missed.
    I think a cairn is a mound of rocks piled up, while those would be totems?

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    1. Well damn, that's unfortunate! Go back! And yes...a totem! Of course.

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  9. Oh, those sunny days of October...sigh. Your post reminds me that I've not been there in a lot of years, except for their holiday light show, and must get back. Could you remind me of where you found your Artemisia versicolor 'Sea Foam' as I'm hoping to find one this year and will stalk it at PDX nurseries when I visit next. Gee that Daphniphyllum is swell. So, how well do they propagate from leaf cuttings? One would never take a cutting from a public plant but Leaves are accidentally knocked from plants all the time...

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    1. Blooming junction had 1-gallon contianers last year, and Xera had 4" pots. Are you coming down for the Yard, Garden & Patio show? Oh..and ask Evan about the leaf propagation idea, I'm sure he'd know...

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    2. Thanks for the info! I'm planning on doing the Yard, Garden & Patio Show, maybe on Friday this year since I have a long weekend.

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  10. How do I love thee, Nolina 'La Siberica'? From afar. You, too, Daphniphyllum. Sigh.

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  11. such a pretty garden! i always like looking back at gardens visited earlier in the year when it's too cold/wet/dark to go outside and garden!

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  12. Looks like a great garden! I think the rock garden has a lot of growing up to do. Those troughs will benefit from the patina of moss that time will hopefully add. That's funny that you hadn't seen a woolly bear in so long. I have tons of them every year.

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